How to Plan a Single Ring Wedding Ceremony

By: Margaret Morris

Updated On: September 28, 2017

Single-ring wedding ceremonies are making a comeback. Once the norm, they became the exception during the second half of the 20th century, when double-ring ceremonies came into vogue. When you decide to use just one wedding ring, given to the bride by the groom, you're following a tradition that's much older than the current one. With just a few minor changes, adjusting your wedding ceremony to incorporate your choice of a single ring rather than double rings should be fairly simple to accomplish .

Adjust ring vows to reflect the use of one ring. Because many ceremonies contain ring vows that are the same for the bride and the groom, you can easily use prewritten ring vows and have the groom say them as he slides the ring onto the bride's finger.

Use a traditional single-ring vow. The groom can say the words that were used before double-ring ceremonies became common, "With this ring, I thee wed."

Write your own ring vows. The groom can say whatever is in his heart as he gives a ring to his bride, and she can answer.

For example, the groom might say, "I give you this ring as a symbol of my love for you and as a token of my commitment to you and to our marriage." And the bride might respond, "I accept this ring and will wear it as a symbol of my love for you, and as a token of my commitment to you and to our marriage."

Or you can choose to skip the ring vows. The officiant can instruct the groom to place the ring on the bride's finger as he's repeating the marriage vows. The groom and the bride traditionally repeat their marriage vows as prompted by the officiant. For example, "I, John, take you, Sarah, for my lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, in sickness and in health, for as long as we both shall live."

Have your officiant pronounce a blessing or speak about the ring's significance as the groom places the ring on the bride's finger. For example, the officiant might remark that the ring is a symbol of eternity, with no beginning and no end, and was chosen to reflect the unending nature of love.