BLESSING OF THE RINGS
FOR A WEDDING CEREMONY
(alternate/additional selections)


Although the Celebrant's Blessing of the Rings implies a religious or spiritual presence, included here are both some religious blessings and some secular words expressing the importance and symbolism of the rings.
 
For each selection in this section, we provide alternatives to match the kind of ceremony you're looking for. For example, within the major categories of Secular, Spiritual, and Religious, we provide Traditional, Modern, and Romantic selections from which you can choose. Secular selections have no references to God or any specific deities, while Spiritual and Religious selections may mention God, spirituality, specific deities, or some combination of those topics. 

These selections can be used in place of the Blessing of the Rings in some of the the Classic Ceremonies. In other Classic Ceremonies these selections would be additions. Please remember that you can use these selections "as is" or change the wording in whatever way you wish to better suit your ceremony. Also, at the bottom of the page we provide links to other selections from around the web. Feel free to visit and choose wording from those links as well.


BLESSING OF THE RINGS: GENERAL EXAMPLES
(SECULAR TRADITIONAL)
1. Your wedding rings are an enduring symbol that remind you of the pledges you have made to each other and of your responsibility to honor each other by honoring your promises. Now, you will exchange your wedding rings to seal the vows of your marriage.

(SECULAR MODERN)
2. Rings are made precious by our wearing them. They carry our meaning; they say who we are, where we have been, and where we are going. They become us; they reflect us; they are a symbol of our truest essence. Your wedding rings are most special because they say that even in your uniqueness you have chosen to be bonded, to allow the presence of another human being to enhance who you are. Your rings carry the potent double message: We are individuals and yet we belong; we are not alone. As you wear them through time, they will reflect not only who you are but also the union you are making, the fact that through the rest of your lives each of you will be imprinted by the other, yet as yourself remain.

(SECULAR ROMANTIC)
3. Marriage is a state in which two people come together and create a union that is greater than the mere sum of two individuals. It is difficult to express in words the profound relationship that is love. In a minute, ___________________ & ___________________ will exchange their wedding rings. And this is the point in the ceremony where we usually talk about the wedding bands being a perfect circle, with no beginning and no end. But we all know that rings do have a beginning. Rock is dug up from the earth. Metal is liquefied in a furnace at a thousand degrees, then molded, cooled, and painstakingly polished. Something beautiful is made from raw elements. Love is like that. It's hot and often dirty work. It comes from humble beginnings, made by imperfect beings. It's the process of making something beautiful where there was once nothing at all. From time immemorial, the circlet of metal has been an emblem of the sincerity and permanence of a couple's love and regard for one another and their union. As the precious metal turns again upon itself, so does a good marriage turn upon itself for its refreshment and renewal. Every time you look at your wedding ring, you are to be reminded of the words you spoke on your wedding day to your betrothed. You are to remember the vows you made and the covenant you entered into. It is a wonderful sign of a wonderful covenant. Now you will take these rings and exchange them in the spirit of love.

(SECULAR ROMANTIC)
4. These rings are made of precious metals, a symbol of the riches that reside in each of you. As any metal is purified by the heat of testing, so will your love be purified by the tests given to you through the many seasons of your love. May these rings always reflect the light of your love throughout your life together. Wear them as the sign of the love that exists between you, the love which now your hearts enfold and your words express.

(SECULAR ROMANTIC)
5. These rings are made of precious metals, a symbol of the riches that reside in each of you; and as any metal is purified by the white heat of testing, so will your love be purified by the tests facing you through the many seasons of your life. These rings are made with precious jewels. The elements from which these jewels are formed are as ancient as the stars, as mysterious as moonlight, and as shining as the miracle of your new-bonded radiance. Wear them as the sign of the love ignited between you - the love unquenchable which now your hearts embody and your words express.

(SECULAR ROMANTIC)
6. Rings are an ancient symbol, beautiful and simple. Circles - for love that is given comes back around. Round like the sun, like a perfect pearl, like arms that embrace. Therefore, may these symbols remind you that your love, like the sun, illuminates; that your love, like the pearl, grows in luster; and that your love, like arms that embrace, is a grace upon this world. May you wear them in peace and deepening love.

(SECULAR ROMANTIC)
7. The circle is the symbol of the sun, of the moon, and of the universe. It is the symbol of wholeness, of perfection, and of peace. These rings are the symbol of unity in which your two lives are now joined in one unbroken circle of love.

(SPIRITUAL TRADITIONAL)
8. God, bless the giving and receiving of these rings. May ___________________ and ___________________ abide in your peace and be forever true to this union.

(SPIRITUAL ROMANTIC)
9. As God is a circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere, so let the seamless circle of these rings become the symbol of your endless love.

(SPIRITUAL ROMANTIC)
10. The wedding ring is a sacred symbol encircling the finger, which many ancient people believed contained a vein running directly to the heart. It not only represents the physical connecting of these two; it also reflects the cosmic bond that joins them.

(SPIRITUAL ROMANTIC)
11. This ring by its shape, is a symbol of undying love that exists between you. The substance of which it is composed is a symbol of purity, which shall ever characterize your minds and hearts in all your relationships together. ___________________ and ___________________, as these circles are designed without an ending, they speak of eternity. May the incorruptible substance of these rings represent a love glowing with increasing luster through the years. Bless these rings which you give to each other as the sign of your love, trust, and faithfulness.

(SPIRITUAL ROMANTIC)
12. The wedding ring is a symbol of eternity. It is an outward sign of an inward and spiritual bond, which unites two hearts in endless love.

(RELIGIOUS TRADITIONAL)
13. Bless these rings, O merciful Lord, that those who wear them, that give and receive them, may be ever faithful to one another, remain in your peace, and live and grow old together in your love, under their own vine and fig tree, and seeing their children's children. Amen.

(RELIGIOUS TRADITIONAL)
14. Bless, O Lord, the giving of these rings, that they who wear them may abide in thy peace, and continue in thy favor. Amen.

(RELIGIOUS TRADITIONAL)
15. Bless, O Lord, the giving of these rings, that they who wear them may live in your peace, and continue in your favor all the days of their lives. Amen.

(RELIGIOUS TRADITIONAL)
16. Bless, O Lord, these rings to be a sign of the vows by which this man and this woman have bound themselves to each other. Amen.

(RELIGIOUS TRADITIONAL)
17. Lord, bless these rings that ___________________ and ___________________ give to each other today. May they be a symbol of true faith in each other, and always be a reminder of their love.

BLESSING OF THE RINGS: RELIGION EXAMPLES
(JEWISH MODERN)
18. These rings are a symbol of the love that joins you spirit to spirit. They represent the oneness, eternity, and renewal inherent in the marriage union. May these rings always remind you of the vows you are making here today...

(MUSLIM)
19. The Qur'an describes husbands and wives in this way: "They are garments for you, and you are garments for them." In this verse, a garment is used symbolically as something that gives a person physical warmth, protection, and comfort. Ideally, this is what a husband and wife offer each other.
In much the same way, your wedding rings are symbolic. They are not only symbolic of the physical connection between you; they also reflect the spiritual bond that joins you, and they are a symbol of your endless love for one another. May you wear them in peace.


RING BLESSINGS: FROM AROUND THE WEB
Blessing of the Rings
Blessing Of The Rings - More Examples
Blessing Of The Wedding Rings - 7 Examples
Introduction to the Exchange of Rings
The Blessing Of The Rings