A wedding ring is designed not only for the ceremony of the wedding, but also for the marriage, hopefully for many happy years. You probably have followed a particular tradition on your wedding day about the wearing of the wedding ring, due to your cultural and religious orientation. If you had a Christian wedding, you might wear your ring as a fresh married, happy wife on your left hand, according to the old custom from Rome. As you know, wedding rings are traditionally worn on the left hand. It is about the tradition of the vein of the heart – the custom of the fourth finger of the left hand. You might have read about this ancient roman tradition in different media sources, the custom about the vena amoris or the vein of love.
What to do with your wedding ring after the wedding ceremony? How to wear it and on which hand? Wedding rings are actually the symbol of love, devotion, togetherness and fidelity. The ring on the hand after the wedding shows your truly intention to keep the oath you made on your wedding day. Right-handed people usually wear their rings on the left hand for many reasons. So there is not only an old custom but also a practical solution for wearing this precious wedding gift, the symbol of eternal love and happiness, of lifelong commitment. So a proper and correct use of these items is required.
In some European cultures the engagement ring is worn on the left hand, than it is engraved and transferred to the left hand after the wedding ceremony. In Medieval Era there was no particular custom about this question. People have worn their wedding rings on any finger they wanted to.The right hand tradition is connected to the Orthodox Christianity and Catholicism. In Orthodox tradition the ring is placed on the right ring finger of the bride during the wedding ceremony. Jewish people may have also the custom of replacing their rings after the weddin ceremony by moving the ring from the right hand to the left.
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The placement of the rings is quite popular. The bride might change the order of the rings on her hand, so that the wedding ring should be placed closer to the heart than the engagement ring. Today people have the freedom to place their wedding rings on the finger they like it, or even the possibilty, not to wear it at all. Especially men in Orthodox Christianity may follow this ancient custom about not wearing the wedding ring after the ceremony.
So, whatever hand you choose for wearing your wedding ring, this gesture is going to express your eternal love to your husband. But should your husband wear the ring or not? This custom of wearing the wedding ring as a symbol of eternal devotion is actually a custom for women! Men had always the freedom to wear this wedding item or not. The popularity of wearing the men`s wedding rings began with the second world war. Just think of the US soldiers going to war, wearing these rings in order to symbolise their marital status! Anyway, wearing jewels seams for most of our modern men very uncomfortable. But be careful! The wearing of the wedding ring may offer you no guarantee at all of your husband`s fidelity! It supposed to be a lifetime commitment, but modern lifestyle may bring many changes and temptations in a long term relationship.
So, you just simply can`t force your husband to wear a heavy, uncomfortable ring, but you may take care of the wedding preparations including the choice of the wedding rings. Choosing the right ring to wear might make these decisions about how to wear the wedding rings after the ceremony more easier. Just make sure before the wedding ceremony, that your future husband really likes the ring he wears! If it is his free, personal choice to wear it, and it reflects his own style and personality, he will be honored and glad to wear it, especially by the side of a beautiful, devoted wife, like You! Marriage is after all not about ceremonies and public events. Marriage means trust and intimacy.