Michael Bernard Fitzgerald has some wedding rings for you – no, really!

When I heard Michael Bernard Fitzgerald was rolling into Halifax to talk about his ‘Put a Ring on It’ project, I knew we had to talk. He was giving away wedding rings to a lucky winner at their wedding? WHAT!? I needed to know more.

Now that we have this long-standing friendship (not really a friendship) built on discussions surrounding the best pizza in Detroit, I felt like I was prepared to ask all the big questions. Instead we talked about our favourite A&W burger (Teen, for life!), my yoga teacher training (…and how much sugar was added into coconut water.) But don’t worry – I still got the details.

Like many musicians, Michael Bernard Fitzgerald wrote an album about the rise and fall of a romantic relationship (I Wanna Make it With You, buy it now!) – a fall that left him with a set of rings that he won’t ever use. But this is where his story differs: he’s hoping to find those rings a new home.

As he explained when I had the chance to sit down with him last week, he thought that pawning the rings would cheapen the experience. But he knew he wasn’t going to be using them. So instead he’s looking to make a conscious gift, to help the rings find a home with a couple that really needs them.

Whether someone’s saving their nickels for an engagement ring, or a couple had to part with their bands – stories have been pouring in. Michael’s hoping to do more than just pick a winner and throw the rings in the mail. He’s going to hand deliver the rings himself, performing at the wedding if the couple desires. He hopes it will be the beginning of a long friendship that sees him setting up dinner plans the next time he’s near their home.

It’s the beauty of the connectivity surrounding both the music and wedding industries. It’s a connectivity that mbf is trying to foster. He recognizes the numbers of vendors associated with a usual wedding, and hopes that maybe his contest will have photographers or planners thinking about offering their services to a couple in need. And when it comes to community, he’ll be needing his own when it comes time to try and pick a winner.

The contest already has upwards of 400 entries, so friends of mbf: be ready to help with the selection process.

The great thing is, mbf isn’t a newb to weddings. He’s played a few before (usually the songs Follow or I Will), and I even walked down to the aisle to his song Care For You. So on the heels of that, I made sure to ask the most important question at all: what song does mbf want played at his wedding? The answer? A good cover version of Randy Travis’ Forever and Ever, Amen. Solid choice.

To learn more about the contest from this article, written by Michael himself, on the Huffington Post.

The contest closes this Friday, June 17th, so there’s still time to submit your entry. Send it along to the crew at info@treasureislandrecs.com.

Photo credit: Allison Seto