Incorporating wedding rituals and wedding traditions from different cultures into a wedding or into the wedding vows can make your wedding that much more special. Even if you're not Jewish, consider co-opting some or all of the Jewish wedding ring ceremony into your own nuptials.
I wouldn't suggest that you go the Orthodox route and skip the double ring ceremony (unless you're into that) but consider the merits of the traditional gold band and all it represents before you opt for something flashier!
Now, onto the ceremony...
The Jewish wedding ring ceremony consists of the groom placing the ring on the bride's right index finger. Afterwards, most women move it to the customary "ring finger" of the left hand. You can modernize the ceremony by also placing a ring on your groom-to-be's right hand.
The reason the ring is placed on the right index finger is that in the time of the Talmud, it was commonly believed among Jewish people that the right index finger was more closely connected to the heart. The Christians, on the other hand, believed that the left index finger was more closely connected.
In most Jewish wedding ring ceremonies, with the giving of the ring, the bridegroom repeats a Hebrew vow after the Rabbi. The bridegroom declares, "Behold, thou art consecrated to me with this ring, according to the law of Moses and Israel." In Hebrew, this phrase is Hare at mekudeshet li betaba' at zo k'dat Moshe v' Yisrael. With a little practice, you can easily learn to roll this phrase off of your tongue in no time at all, but don't worry if you or your spouse-to-be would rather say it in English. It's just as meaningful.
This statement signifies that husband and wife are holy to each other. It is as if they were saying, "As Shabbat is to Jewish time and as Jerusalem is to Jewish space, you will be to me."
Beautiful, no?
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