"With this ring, i thee wed..."

“I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness. As I place it on your finger, I commit my heart and soul to you. I ask you to wear this ring as a reminder of the vows we have spoken today, our wedding day.”

What is the Symbolism of a wedding ring? 

It is the visible element that symbolizes the marriage. It is an icon that indicates one's commitment and loyalty to his/her spouse.  OR The wedding rings embody the continuous flow of love, a circle that symbolizes eternity where there is no beginning and no end.

ORIGIN
There are countless ideas of the origin and significance of the wedding ring. Since ancient times, marriages have been symbolized by the wearing of a ring. Usually worn by the wife, they were given as a token of possession. Once ringed, she was no longer available to circulate amongst other men.
In the 12th century Pope Innocent the Third ordained that marriages must be celebrated in the church, and that the ceremony must include a marriage ring. In Persia, it was customary for a bridegroom to give a ring to everyone who attended the wedding ceremony. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert gave out six dozen rings each engraved with the queen's profile, at their wedding ceremony. (Queen Victoria's engagement ring was in the form of a serpent - believed to be a symbol of good luck…)

SIGNIFICANCE
The significance of the wedding ring was defined in the 7th century by the bishop Isidore of Seville (c. 560-636): "It was given by the spouser to the espoused whether for a sign of mutual fidelity or still more to join their hearts to this pledge and that therefore the ring is placed on the fourth finger because a certain vein is said to flow from thence to the heart."

A ring is a circle; the unbroken circle is an age-old symbol of ETERNITY. It's easy to see why such an ancient symbol should be incorporated into a wedding ceremony, when 'everlasting love' is the hope of the couple, their families and friends. The circle is endless and timeless suggesting a repetitive unbroken wholeness in time and space. It is believed that love moves around endlessly in circles for better or worse. The ring unites the married couple through happy or sad times and its endlessness is the perfect symbol of oneness and unity
It is therefore an appropriate sign for the true meaning of marriage.

Three interwoven rings is a popular wedding band design in France. These three rings represent the Christian virtues of love, hope and faith. Some other countries engrave each other's names to show their bond together.

Interwoven Designs (have Christian and Celtic religious meanings)

A wedding ring can be the most valuable and precious possession in one's life. Wedding rings are made out of gold, silver, white gold or platinum and are usually worn on the ring finger of the left hand.

Why the third finger - the old days had a simple answer, they put the ring on the third finger which they believed had a vein (vena amoris), artery or nerve running directly to the heart. And as the left hand is a bit closer to the heart than the right, they place marriage rings on the third finger of the left hand.  An alternate suggestion for this tradition is that each finger on the hand is associated with a planet in the ancient systems of astrology, and the ring finger of the left hand was associated with the Sun. In this way, the wearing of a wedding ring on that finger signifies the public proclamation of the union in the daylight, in other words, the conscious and clearly visible world of human community.

The Chinese have given an interesting symbolism for all fingers. According to them the thumb represents one's parents. The index finger symbolizes the siblings. The middle finger represents you. The fourth finger represents your life partner and the fifth represents your children.

A wedding is a once-in-a lifetime joining of two hearts, therefore choosing the perfect wedding rings is important since the couple will wear them till death after that special day. Selecting the perfect wedding ring for your partner is not that easy, therefore it is suggested that both the bride and the groom should select the rings together.
Wedding rings can be simple bands, adorned with diamonds or other precious stones and the design possibilities are endless.

A wedding ring is almost always placed on a ring bearer pillow during the wedding ceremony. For the real wedding rings, the wedding rings are sewn or tied on the pillows. The ring bearer pillow has its origin that date back from the Roman and Egyptian old traditions. During those times, the pillow was used to carry silver and gold stones. Today, at wedding ceremonies, the pillow carries the cherished wedding rings.

It is traditional for a couple to exchange wedding rings after they say their vows during the wedding ceremony itself. Since these rings are symbols of the marriage, the words said during a ring exchange should reflect the couple's hopes for their marriage.

Traditionally, an engagement ring is given to the lady before the wedding ring. In some countries (but not most of the Western world), both men and women wear engagement rings. The rings are often in the form of a plain band of a precious metal. Sometimes, the engagement ring eventually serves as the wedding ring for the man. In Brazil, for example, the groom- and bride-to-be usually wear a plain wedding band on the right hand while engaged. After the wedding the band moves to the left hand. In Argentina, the groom- and bride-to-be wear a plain silver band on the left hand while engaged. After the wedding the silver band is either replaced with the wedding ring or moved to the right hand.

Women proposing has become more common in recent years, to the point that some jewelry companies have started manufacturing mens engagement rings. They resemble typical mens rings, often with a diamond centerpiece.

Women's (and men's) engagement ring can be made of different precious metals and stones 

Wedding Sets

A wedding set, or bridal set, includes an engagement ring and a wedding band that match as a set. In some cases, the engagement ring looks "incomplete"; it is only when the two halves are assembled that the ring looks whole. In other cases, a wedding set consists of two rings that match stylistically and are worn stacked, although either piece would look appropriate as a separate ring. Although the wedding band is not to be worn until the wedding day, the two rings are usually sold together as a wedding set. After the wedding, the bride may choose to have the two pieces welded together, to increase convenience and reduce the likelihood of losing one ring.

A trio ring set includes a ladies engagement ring, ladies wedding band and a men's wedding band. These sets often have matching rings and are lower in price.

Ideally, the wedding ring should compliment the engagement ring, rather than take attention away from it. This doesn't mean the wedding ring needs to be characterless. It simply means that a lady/couple should choose a wedding ring that will flatter their engagement ring design. It should be a ring that looks like it was constantly meant to be with your engagement ring, just as a wife is always meant to be with her husband.

Throughout your wedding do not forget the significance of your wedding ring; it should be treated with esteem as it probably won't leave your finger very often.