The Double Ring Wedding Ceremony

      Since Egyptian times people have signified their commitment to another person with a ring on their finger. According to jtv.com, " Imagery on artifacts, such as papyrus scrolls, reveal an ancient culture that exchanged rings braided from reeds and hemp. Through translated hieroglyphics, experts learned how this society viewed the circle as a symbol of endless love between a man and woman."Rings have been used for thousands of years and with that comes different styles of rings.
      Some historical styles include, Gimmel and Poesy. Gimmel was prominent in Europe during the 14th and 15th Centuries. The husband would present this ring to their wives which had interlocking rings, much like a puzzle ring. the husband and wife would wear each of these rings during their engagement. The after the wedding the wife would wear both rings. The Poesy style reached its height during the Renaissance. It consisted of a simple sterling band inscribed with a poem or expression of love. During the Byzantine era wedding rings depicted Jesus Christ marrying the couple.
      The double ring ceremony which we know today was only invented in 20th century America. Although it has been used elsewhere, the jewelry companies in the US began a campaign marketing to the two ring ceremony in the late 19th century. In the 1920s companies tried to introduce male engagement rings, which didn't really take off. During World War II campaigns geared toward male and female wedding bands. By the late 1940s the double ring ceremonies skyrocketed.
      The double ring ceremony was then cemented into American culture as the norm for anyone getting married. While weddings are becoming more alternative and more customized to the couple the double ring ceremony is the one constant in the ceremonies. Weddings of course effect every family at one point or another, with about 2.3 million couple tying the not every year the double ring ceremony does not seem to be leaving anytime soon.

Sources: http://www.jtv.com/library/wedding-ring-history.html
Hort, G.M. (1919). "Some Tradition About Rings". The Irish Monthly 47: 650, 654.
Howard, Vicki (2003). "A 'Real Man's Ring': Gender and the Invention of Tradition". Journal of Social History 36 (4): 837–856.  
http://www.soundvision.com/article/wedding-statistics-in-the-united-states