WRITING A WEDDING SCRIPT
Part 3: The Ring Exchange
This is part 3 of a series specifically for qualified marriage celebrants and prospective wedding celebrants. These articles can also be helpful to the marrying couples who are considering what they would like to hear spoken at their ceremony.
If you are thinking of becoming a wedding celebrant click here.
While from an official perspective the ring exchange is a moment of lesser official importance than say, the signing of the paperwork, to the couple and the congregation, it is often viewed as one of the most important moments. It is a romantic sealing gesture. It is a tradition that has been passed down over 3,000 years (more on that in a future blog). So even though you can get away with simply having the couple exchange rings, sometimes they will ask for a little more to really spotlight this moment of the ceremony. Here are 5 examples of scripts for the wedding ring exchange.
SHORT & SWEET
“Will the bearers of the rings please present them to the couple.
Each of your wedding rings are symbols of the promises that you are making here today. The ring being a circle, never ends. It represents eternity. It is symbolic of committed, unbreakable love.
_______, as you place this ring on ______ finger, repeat these words:
This ring is a symbol of my unending love for you, and a confirmation of the commitment that I make with you today.
_______, as you place this ring on ______ finger, repeat these words:
This ring is a symbol of my unending love for you, and a confirmation of the commitment that I make with you today.
LOVE IS A VERB
Love is a noun, but it is also a verb. Love is an intense feeling of deep affection but it is also an action word. As you exchange rings in an outward show of what you feel internally, remember that. You have made the vows that say as much, and now you will seal those vows by exchanging rings.
These rings have neither beginning nor end, much like your love and commitment to each other.
_______, take your ring and place it on ______’s finger while repeating after me; I give you this ring as a symbol
of my love and faithfulness to you.
_______, take your ring and place it on ______’s finger while repeating after me; I give you this ring as a symbol
of my love and faithfulness to you.
______ and ______, while this moment in time may become a distance memory, may you look to the rings on your fingers as a constant reminder of the promises that you have made here today.
RING RING, HELLO?
Please present the rings.
I want you to take a break from gazing into each other’s eyes, as hypnotic as they are to each other, and take a moment to look at the ring in your hand. I know you may be sweating from nervousness but try not to let the rings slip from your hands. That ring is worth far more than what you paid for it. The ring in each of your hands is an unending circle. It is a symbol of committed, eternal love, and of promises that you are making to each other today. Any time you begin to question or forget that commitment and these promises, I want you to look at the ring that is about to be placed on your finger and use it to spark memories of today.
_______, as you place this ring on _______ finger, repeat these words after me:
This ring symbolizes my love for you and the commitments we have made today.
_______, as you place this ring on _______ finger, repeat these words after me:
This ring symbolizes my love for you and the commitments we have made today.
A TOUCH OF RELIGION
These wedding rings in your hands, which you are about to exchange, are an external sign of the internal love that has brought and keeps your hearts bound as one.
The wedding ring can also be considered a symbol of an eternal God and his eternal love for you.
The ring has no beginning and no end. Just as it is with God and just as it is with your commitment to each other.
______, as you place the ring that you hold on __________’s finger, please repeat after me:
This ring I give to seal the vows I have made here today. It is a symbol of my eternal love and devotion to you. With this ring, I thee wed.
______, as you place the ring that you hold on __________’s finger, please repeat after me:
This ring I give to seal the vows I have made here today. It is a symbol of my eternal love and devotion to you. With this ring, I thee wed.
A TOUCH OF CHEEKINESS
Okay, family and friends, I’ve just been informed that the groom’s best man has accidentally dropped the ring somewhere, we hope, in this venue. Would you please look under your chairs and around you in case it has dropped and rolled your way?
After a moment of kerfuffle
Just kidding guys, we’re good to go! ____________ would you please give the ring to __________. Without dropping it if you can.
____________ would you please give the ring to ________________.
Now that you each hold a ring in your hands I want you to take a moment to look upon it. It is a symbol. To often we look at symbols and forget to look at the symbolism behind them. Today you have committed to each other undying love. These rings have no beginning and no end. They are unbroken. They are what you will look at every time you need a reminder of your promises. Every time you _________ leaves his socks on the floor, or ____________ buys another cushion, take a breath and look at the ring. But it’s not just the little annoyances. Look at the ring as a reminder of what you have committed to being. Is it the guy who tries harder to put his socks in the laundry instead of on the loungeroom floor? The ring is a symbol of eternity, let your life be dedicated to eternal improvement. Of course there will be screw ups. Good days and bad days right? It’s not about perfection, just working to be better.
_____________, as you place the ring on ______________’s finger please repeat after me:
With this ring I promise to love and respect you by working on being the best person that I can be, for you.
_____________, as you place the ring on ______________’s finger please repeat after me:
With this ring I promise to love and respect you by working on being the best person that I can be, for you.
While in an official sense this exchange may be of lesser importance, every celebrant will tell you that this is a moment that most couples, their family and friends look forward to.
Become a qualified marriage celebrant today with the CHC41015 – Certificate IV in Celebrancy through Australia’s number 1 qualifier of marriage celebrants, Rose Training Australia.