Different Aspects of the Wedding Ring Exchange Ceremony
The wedding ceremony is one of the most cherished times in a couple’s lives, a time of making a public and legal commitment to become husband and wife. While every ceremony is unique, they all share one aspect, the wedding ring exchange. Some couples prefer a small, informal wedding, which may involve going to the Justice of the Peace or a Las Vegas chapel while other couples want a lavish, formal affair involving hundreds of guests and churches decorated with beautiful flowers and ribbons.
Regards less of the couple’s preference, there will come a time for the wedding ring exchange, which involves the bride and groom giving each other a ring previously chosen, which is worn on the left hand index finger to show the world they are taken. Of course, most often the future bride is presented with an engagement ring, which could be months to years before the actual wedding.
Just before the start of the wedding, the bride moves the engagement ring to her right hand index finger. Once the wedding band is placed on her left hand index finger and at the conclusion of the ceremony, she would then move the engagement ring back to her left hand so it sits on top of the wedding band. History tells us that having the wedding band on the finger first puts it closest to the heart, a symbol of the couple’s love and union of marriage.
A traditional wedding starts with the processional, a time when the wedding party and bride walks down the aisle toward the groom and minister waiting at the front of the church. From there, the greeting takes place when the minister welcomes all the guests. Next comes the “statement of intention”, which confirms that the bride and groom want to become husband and wife at free will. Then, the wedding vows are exchanged, a time when both bride and groom share their promise of loving each other for life and living as a married couple.
After the vows are exchanged, there is the wedding ring exchange. One at a time, each person would repeat a statement offered by the minister and then gently slip the ring onto the left hand index finger. Usually, the man would go first, followed by the woman. Again, each wedding is unique but following a traditional ceremony, the exchange of rings would go along with the phrase “With this ring, I thee wed” or “With this ring, I offer my love and life”.
Once the couple has exchanged wedding rings, the minister pronounces them husband and wife and then introduces the newly married couple to the congregation as “Mr. and Mrs. …”. The couple then makes their way up the aisle, followed by the wedding party where they remain in the foyer to be greeted by guests offering congratulations. The reception begins, a time of celebrating with food and dance.
At one time, only the bride was presented with a wedding band but modern times involves both parties being given a ring. The type of ring exchanged depends on what the couple wants. Just as with the ceremony, some people prefer a simple gold band while others look for lavish bands encrusted with diamonds. There is no right or wrong since the focus is not on the ring itself but the symbolism behind the exchange of wedding rings.
