Collaring

I have recently started to sort of mentor a Baby Dom, which got me to start thinking of all the different collarings there are out there. I'm going to outline a few of the more formal ones here, but they can be personalized and adjusted to fit each couple's needs and desires.

Gorean Submission/Slave Capture
This is one of the most common High Protocol styles of collaring. I, personally, have been collared in the Gorean ceremony.
In this method of collaring, a girl kneels before her intended Master and offers herself for claiming. This can also be initiated by the Master with the command "Submit." The slave drops to her knees before her intended Master, and with head bowed, raises her crossed wrists above her head towards her intended Master. He then, if accepting of her submission to him, binds her wrists with a bit of binding fiber or rope. If he has a collar, he locks it around her throat at this time, or he fashions one out of the materials handy to him to be replaced by a collar at the first opportunity. This is also the point where the Master will rename the slave or submissive if he desires to do so, thus shedding her old self and becoming nothing more than her Master's slave.
This is a simple ceremony that can have speech added if desired at any point and simple customization can be added.

Ceremony Of The Roses
In the Ceremony of The Roses, the couple each stab their left ring finger with the thorn of a rose and add a drop of blood to the center of a collar. The collar is then placed around the submissive's throat, thus combining them into one being. They are symbolically of one blood now, and the submissive belongs to her Master.
A drop of blood from each partner is then placed on a white silk scarf, which it then wrapped around the hands in a hand fasting manner. This further solidifies their union. It is at this point they are joined as one.
This ceremony is not as open to custom actions as others and is very like a traditional wedding ceremony. It is ofetn paired with a wedding between Dom and sub.

Custom
The collaring can be as custom as you choose. Things can be done that are meaningful to both parties, their own traditions, and their own dynamics. The words said, the actions, how the collar is placed and fastened, even what the collar means to the couple can be completely up to the individual couple.

Enjoy the collar and the process of awarding and wearing one. Make it mean something to you. What my collar means to Master and I will not be the same thing your collar means to you. Customize it. Just make sure all involved parties understand what it means and the intentions behind the proverbial scrap of leather.