The exchange of the rings during a wedding ceremony takes place immediately after the blessing of the rings.

The officiant performs the blessing of the rings and then the bride and groom exchange rings as they pledge vows of faithfulness and fidelity to one another.

Below is a list of 12 examples for the exchange of rings element in wedding ceremony.

Examples of The Exchange Of The Rings In A Wedding Ceremony:

1.

Officiant: To Groom:

________ will you take this ring and place it upon _____’s finger, and as you do, repeat after me, these words:

The following can be broken down line by line instead of said all at once.

I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you, in the name of God.

Officiant: To Bride:

_________ will you take this ring and place it upon ________’s finger, and as you do, repeat after me, these words:

The following can be broken down line by line instead of said all at once.

I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you, in the name of God.

A new Lord's Prayer Wedding Ceremony has recently been added to the Ceremonies section of the site.

It includes the reciting of the Lord's Prayer during the time of the Invocation.

It is a unifying moment of fellowship when everyone, including the guests, the bride and groom and the officiant recite The Lord's Prayer together.

You will find a free PDF available for download at the bottom of The Lord's Prayer Christian Wedding Ceremony page.

The file has also been extended with features so you can easily tab thru the form and fill in the names of the bride and groom and other variable information.

You only need to type the bride and groom's name once and the rest of the corresponding fields are automatically filled in.

The PDF has extra formatting with the Bride and Groom's lines color coded.

I used the free, fun and helpful Build A Wedding Ceremony tool to select the elements used in this ceremony. After receiving the completed ceremony via email, I pasted the content into a Word docx and then I tweaked some of the formatting to add the bride/groom color coding as well as their repeating speaking parts. Then I used Adobe Acrobat to convert it into a fillable form. Be sure to check out the PDF fillable form offered for free download at the bottom of the Lord's Prayer Christian Wedding Ceremony page.

Also, be sure to try out the free, fun and helpful Build A Ceremony tool, as you may enjoy putting together your own unique ceremony by selecting your favorite options for each element offered.

Go To The Lord's Prayer Wedding Ceremony Page >

The Blessing Of The Rings is spoken right before the ring exchange.

The officiant will ask God for a blessing on the rings and may also speak about the meaning of the rings and the vows of faithfulness that the ring represents.

For more information on the rings portion of the ceremony and for Blessings Of The Ring examples 1-7 please see Blessings Of The Wedding Rings - 7 Examples blog post.

For more info on additional elements of a wedding ceremony, please see the Wedding Ceremony Elements page.

8.

Officiant: To the Best Man or Ringbearer: May we now have the rings?

The designated person gives the rings to the Officiant. Or in a smaller/simpler ceremony without a Best Man or Ringbearer the Officiant will already have the rings.

Officiant:  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. As often as either of you look at this symbol, I hope that you will be reminded of the commitment to love each other, which you have made today.

9.

Officiant: To the Best Man or Ringbearer: May we now have the rings.
The designated person gives the rings to the Officiant.

Officiant: Dear Lord, bless these rings which ________ and ________ have set apart to be visible signs of the spiritual bond which unites their hearts. As they give and receive these rings, may they testify to the world of the covenant made between them on this day. Amen

The Rings part of the wedding ceremony typically consists of two wedding ceremony elements; The Blessing Of The Rings, followed by The Exchange Of The Rings.

For the Blessing Of The Rings element of the ceremony, the officiant prays a blessing over the rings. It is also common for the officiant to speak of the symbolism and meaning of the rings, such as how the rings are an outward sign of the couple’s commitment to one another. The unending circle of a ring symbolizes faithfulness and love without end.

Here's an example of the ring portion of the wedding ceremony. It is adapted from the Book of Common Prayer.

Blessing Of The Rings

Officiant: May we now have the rings?

The designated person gives the rings to the Officiant. Or in a smaller/simpler ceremony without a Best Man or Ringbearer the Officiant will already have the rings.

Officiant: Bless, O Lord, this ring, and grant that he who gives it and she who shall wear it may remain faithful to each other, and abide in thy peace and favor, and live together in love until their lives’ end. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Exchange Of The Rings

Officiant:  To Groom: ________ will you take this ring and place it upon _____’s finger, and as you do, repeat after me, these words:

The following can be broken down line by line instead of said all at once

With this ring I thee wed; with my body I thee honor; and all my worldly goods with thee I share: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Officiant:  To Bride: ________ will you take this ring and place it upon _____’s finger, and as you do, repeat after me, these words:

The following can be broken down line by line instead of said all at once

With this ring I thee wed; with my body I thee honor; and all my worldly goods with thee I share: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen

The Officiant joins their right hands together and says, Those whom God hath joined together let no man put asunder.

Now that you are familiar with the flow of the Blessing of the Rings and Exchange of Rings portion of the wedding ceremony here is a list of 7 blessings examples you may want to use. These are the Blessings Of The Ring element that is spoken right before the Exchange of Rings. Stay tuned to my blog for examples of the Exchange of the Rings and you can mix and match them to suit your needs.

7 Examples of the Blessing Of The Rings for a Wedding Ceremony:

1.

Officiant: To the Best Man or Ringbearer: May we now have the rings?

The designated person gives the rings to the Officiant. Or in a smaller/simpler ceremony without a Best Man or Ringbearer the Officiant will already have the rings.

Officiant: Heavenly Father, bless these rings. Grant that ____________ and ____________ may wear them with deep faith in each other. May they do your will and always live together in peace, love and abiding joy. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen!

2.

Officiant: To the Best Man or Ringbearer: May we now have the rings?

Officiant: The circle is the symbol of the sun, earth, and universe. It is the symbol of peace. Let this ring be the symbol of unity and peace in which your two lives are joined in one unbroken circle. Wherever you go, return unto one another and to your togetherness.

I found this beautiful vintage Jesus graphic at The Graphics Fairy website. A wonderful place where you can find many royalty-free vintage graphics. She has tons of stuff and you can save/download the images she offers. Check it out sometime. You can use the images for your website design as well as printables, such as wedding keepsake booklets.

You can visit her site and search by keyword or browse by category to find images for your projects.

Below are some vintage Easter graphics. Read full article for free Wedding Graphics...

The Charge To The Bride And Groom is the wedding  ceremony element that is directed to the bride and groom and advises them of the significant personal responsibilities associated with the vows and pledges they are about to make.

The wedding ceremony is a joyful occasion and the charge reminds us that it is to be harmonized with seriousness and reverence as well.
 
Below is the second half of the list. For numbers 1-7, see Charge To The Bride And Groom - Examples Part 1.

8.

Officiant:

Now I ask you, ____________ and ___________ to take into consideration the magnitude and significance of the vows about to be taken. There are many implications involved when two people commit to a lifetime of love. Let us take a moment to reflect on those implications and acknowledge that along with the celebration of marriage there is depth and meaning in the pledges you will be making to one another and it is with much determination, acceptance, forgiveness, respect, loyalty and love that builds the foundation for a strong and enduring marriage.

The officiant directs the charge specifically to the bride and groom.

The charge is a reminder to the couple that the vows are of a profound and serious nature.

The bride and groom are reminded of the significance of their commitments and the effort that will be required to maintain and strengthen their marriage in order that they will remain united until the end of their lives.

Here's part 1 of a list of 12 examples of The Charge. You may want to use them in your ceremonies or adapt them to suit your needs.

1.

Officiant:

And now I must advise you, ____________ and ____________ to recognize and appreciate that marriage is a sacrament to be honored with the full understanding of the gravity of its meaning. It is with a deep sense of seriousness that this union should be entered into, as you are here to pledge your love and loyalty to one another for your entire lives.

Steampunk weddings really caught my attention this week.

Earlier this week I heard the term 'Steampunk' used while watching the Tournament of Champions on Jeopardy. A reference to Steampunk literature was mentioned in a Jeopardy answer...or question as it were.

Then later in the week I happened to see a Steampunk wedding board on Pinterest and I was hooked!

The wedding vows are the part of the ceremony when the Bride and Groom make promises to each other and vow to keep their promises.

The Bride and Groom can make the same exact vows to one another or they may choose to have different vows for each other. Some traditional ceremonies have different vows based on gender specifics. Customizing the vows has gained in popularity and many wedding officiants assist the couple with the writing of their own unique vows.

Included in the examples below are traditional and contemporary vows as well as Christian wedding ceremony vows.

Wedding Vows:

1.

Officiant: To Groom: Repeat after me.

The following can be broken down line by line instead of said all at once.

I, _________________, receive you, __________________, as a gift of the Divine Grace of God, to be my lifelong companion. I will love you always; through times of laughter and tears, health and sickness, in plenty and in want, at work and at play. I will love you constantly and with the deepest loyalty. I will prayerfully seek your joy and happiness throughout our lives. Amen.

Officiant: To Bride: Repeat after me.

The following can be broken down line by line instead of said all at once.

I, _________________, receive you, __________________, as a gift of the Divine Grace of God, to be my lifelong companion. I will love you always; through times of laughter and tears, health and sickness, in plenty and in want, at work and at play. I will love you constantly and with the deepest loyalty. I will prayerfully seek your joy and happiness throughout our lives. Amen.

It’s a new year; start your new career as a wedding officiant and launch your own wedding officiant business!

Here are some reasons why you may enjoy creating your own wedding officiant business:

• Low start-up cost.
  
  
• Fulfilling work as you provide a valuable service uniting couples in marriage.