How To Wear A Wedding Ring And Band

The day you get married, if you’re like most people, you add a wedding band to your engagement ring. Do you know how you’ll wear it? If you thought there was only one place to set your ring, read on. Believe it or not, there are a few questions to consider when thinking through the options. Will you wear both rings together or separate, for example? Should you put the diamond engagement ring on top or the wedding band on top? What’s proper, and where is there some room for creativity? To help you think through the basics of wedding ring tradition and style, here are a few details to keep in mind.

Tradition Before the Wedding

An engagement ring symbolizes a promise — a commitment to be married. It’s traditionally placed on the left hand’s ring finger (the finger next to the pinky) because ancient tradition said the vein in that finger went straight to the heart. On your wedding day, tradition says you switch your engagement ring to the ring finger on your right hand, so your wedding band may be slid onto your left hand’s ring finger solo. Then, after you’re married, you can move the engagement ring back, putting both rings together.

Tradition When You Add the Wedding Band

When you get married and have both an engagement ring and a wedding band, tradition says you put the wedding band on the bottom of your left hand’s ring finger, closest to your heart. Next comes the engagement ring. However, just because this is customary doesn’t mean it’s what every couple chooses to do. Some mix it up with a ring placement that feels truer to them and their style.

Nontraditional Ideas for the Ring and Band

If you’re one of those couples who’s unafraid to go nontraditional, there are several options for how to wear your engagement and wedding rings:

• The order you received them. Some couples like the idea of wearing the rings in the order in which they were received. This puts the engagement ring closest to the heart, with the band on top. If you like the way this looks better or find it more comfortable on your hand, this is a perfectly acceptable choice.
• Separate hands. If you move your engagement ring to your right hand for the wedding, you could just leave it there. Keep your wedding band on the left hand and wear the engagement ring on the right.
• Solder the rings together. As an alternative that’s got meaningful symbolism behind it, you could solder together your engagement and wedding rings, creating a bond as unbreakable as the love you share.
• Matching rings. If you and your spouse want to wear matching wedding bands, you can have identical rings made to wear together.
• Add another band — now or later. Wearing a band on each side of the engagement ring has become a popular trend. The third piece can symbolize anything a couple wants it to — and better yet, can be added at any future point for such milestones as an anniversary or the birth of the couple’s first child. Flexibility is never a bad thing.

When it comes to symbols of love, there’s nothing quite like the engagement ring and wedding band. How you wear them, however, is as personal as the relationship you share. Whether you go with a typical or outside-the-box style, choose the option that fits you best.