There are many different things you can say or do while exchanging your rings. Here are a few samples of how couples have chosen to do this.
Ring sample #1.
A ceremony is for a day but a marriage I for a lifetime. The rings that you are about to exchange mark the beginning of a long journey together. They are also a symbol of infinity, time without end. Let your rings be a reminder of your union, and of the love that you share. As a ring is unbroken, so will your love for each other be without end.
<Bride>, as you place the ring on <Groom’s> finger, please repeat after me:
The words I say to you now
are words I say in friendship, respect, and love.
I see in you a strong, growing partner,
the person with whom I wish to share my life.
I offer you all the days before me,
no matter what may come our way.
I freely take you as my husband.
Take this ring as a symbol of my commitment.
Ring sample # 2.
<Bride>, I give you this ring as a symbol of our vows.
Please wear it with love and joy.
Ring sample #3.
From the earliest times, the circle has been a symbol of completeness, a symbol of committed love. An unbroken and never-ending circle symbolizes a commitment of love that is also never ending. The rings you give and receive this day are the symbols of the endless love into which you enter as husband and wife. Such a love has no beginning and no ending, no giver and no receiver. You are each the beginning and the ending, each the giver and the receiver.
<Bride>, as you place the ring on <Groom’s> finger, please repeat after me:
I <Bride>, give you <Groom>, this ring,
as a symbol of my commitment
to love, honor, and respect you.
Ring sample #4.
<Groom>, take this ring as a symbol of my love,
and of my commitment to our marriage.
Ring sample #5.
I offer you this ring,
shaped as a symbol
of completeness and eternity,
please wear this ring
as a symbol of our love
and as a reminder
of the promises we have made today.
Ring sample #6.
With this ring I give you my heart.
I promise from this day forward
you shall not walk alone.
May my heart be your shelter
and my arms be your home.
Ring sample #7.
With this ring
I <Bride> take you <Groom> to be my husband,
my best friend,
my partner in life,
my soul mate,
my everything.
Ring sample # 8.
These rings are the symbol of promise and intention. Now, the intention is realized, and the promise fulfilled. It is an outward sign of an inward and spiritual bond which unites two hearts in endless love.
<Groom> please place this ring on <Bride’s> finger to symbolize that the love that brought you together will always protect and sustain your marriage. As you do so, please repeat after me
<Bride>, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love.
As it encircles your finger,
may we feel this joy forever
and remind you always
that you are surrounded by my enduring love.
Ring sample #9.
Wedding rings are made precious by our wearing them. Your rings say that even in your uniqueness you have chosen to be bound together. Let these rings also be a sign that love has substance as well as soul, a present as well as a past, and that, despite its occasional sorrows, love is a circle of happiness, wonder, and delight. May these rings remind you always of the vows you have taken here today.
<Groom>, as you place the ring on <Bride’s> finger, please repeat after me
I give you this ring as a sign that I choose you
and as a reminder that I will always love you.
To be my lover, my partner and my best friend,
to the end of my days
Wear it, think of me, and know that I love you
Ring sample #10.
The ring, a circle, is one of nature’s simplest forms. The arc of the rainbow, the halo of the moon and the smallest of raindrops simulate the circle. When a stone is cast upon a pond, it generates waves in ever expanding circles. Consider this marriage as being two stones striking the water simultaneously. The ensuing waves interlock, and the growth of the enlarging circles show the combined energies of the lives of you both. The interlocking of your two lives will be symbolized in the exchange of these rings.
<Bride>, as you place the ring on <Groom’s> left hand please repeat after me:
<Groom>, I give you this ring
as a sign of my devotion and love
and with my all my heart
I promise to you all that I am.
With this ring I marry you
and join my life to yours.
Ring sample #11.
Vena Amoris is a Latin name meaning, literally, "vein of love". Traditional belief established that this vein ran directly from the heart to the fourth finger of the left hand. This theory has been cited in western cultures as one of the reasons the engagement ring and/or wedding ring was placed on the fourth finger, or "ring finger". Some believe that the oldest recorded exchange of wedding rings comes from ancient Egypt, about 4800 years ago. Sedges, rushes and reeds, growing alongside the well-known papyrus were twisted and braided into rings for fingers. The circle ring is the symbol of eternity, with no beginning or end. For not only to the Egyptians, but many other ancient cultures the hole in the center of the ring also has significance. It isn't just considered a space, but rather a gateway, or door; leading to things and events both known and unknown. The rings signify never-ending and immortal love.
<Groom>, as you place this ring on <Bride’s> finger, please repeat after me:
<Bride>, you are my best friend, my partner, the other half of my heart
The person with whom I wish to share my life
I offer you all the days before me
No matter what may come our way
I faithfully take you as my wife
Please accept this ring
as a permanent symbol of my commitment,
In mind, body and spirit.
Ring sample #12.
<Groom>, please place the ring on <Bride's> finger to symbolize the love that brought you together will always protect and sustain your marriage. As you do so, please repeat after me:
<Bride>, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love
As it encircles your finger
May we feel this joy forever
and remind you always
that you are surrounded by my enduring love
Ring sample #13.
This is the point in the ceremony where we usually talk about how wedding bands are perfect circles with no beginning and no end. But we all know these rings do have a beginning. Rock is dug up from the earth. Metal is liquefied in a furnace at 1000 degrees, the molded, cooled and painstakingly polished. Something beautiful is made from raw elements. Love is like that, it is hot, dirty work. It comes from humble beginnings, made by imperfect beings. It is the process of making something beautiful where there was once nothing at all.
<Groom>, as you place the ring on <Bride's> finger, please repeat after me
I give you this ring as a sign of my love and respect for you
Please wear this gift with honor and joy
And as a sign to others that I am committed to you
And our life together
