Ring Exchange Wording

The exchanging of rings is one of the most special parts of your wedding ceremony.  While you don’t have to exchange rings, for those who do want to, it is a beautiful symbol of your love for each other and your commitment to your life as a married couple.

You will probably be familiar with the traditional Church of England ring exchange wording:

“[Name] I give you this ring as a sign of our marriage. With my body I honour you, all that I am I give to you, and all that I have I share with you, within the love of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.”

The wording in a registrar-led ceremony will be along the lines of:

“I give you this ring as a symbol of our marriage and as a token of my love, trust and commitment. I promise to care for you above all others, to give you my love, friendship and support and to respect and cherish you throughout our lives together.”

While these are still lovely, quite often they just do not fit the more modern ceremony that couples are leaning towards today.

What Should My Ring Exchange Wording Say?

Quite honestly, if you choose a celebrant-led ceremony, your ring exchange wording can be absolutely anything you want.  The ring exchange wording should say what the ring means to you as a couple.  Is it a symbol of your faithfulness?  A never-ending circle of commitment to each other?  An outward reminder that you are someone’s special person?  A symbol of completeness?  Once you decide on what the ring means to you, thinking of your ring exchange wording should be easier.  If you would rather your celebrant gave you some options to choose form, that’s fine too!

What are Some Suggestions for Ring Exchange Wording?

Here are a few of my favourites.  Feel free to mix and match lines from each or use them as inspiration to write your own ring exchange wording.  Remember, these do not need to be as heartfelt, or detailed as your wedding vows.  They just need to say what the exchanging of rings means to you.

“This ring is a constant reminder that I promise to always take care of you.  I will always respect you as an individual.  I will support you and help you fulfil your dreams.  I will be here for you in good times and bad.”

“This ring is a symbol of my love and commitment to you.  I promise for as long as I wear this ring, I will be faithful, loyal, and dedicated to making you happy.”

“I give you this ring as a symbol of my never-ending love for you.  It’s a reminder that we are a team and we will work together to make our marriage strong.  I will always have your back.”

You can also make the wording more personal to you and add humour.  Something along the lines of:

“This ring is a reminder of how lucky I am that you are mine.  It’s also a reminder never to leave the toilet seat up, and to always give you the last Malteser in the bag.  I will always carry you bags when we travel and always let you have the window seat.”

I hope this has given you some ideas when it comes to your own wording for your ring exchange.  As your celebrant I am always here to offer ideas, or be a sounding board for your ideas, so feel free to be as creative as you like and make the words really mean something to you.

Photo by Benita Elizabeth John on Unsplash