Traditional Ring Etiquette Traditional etiquette would require the bride to wear her engagement ring on her right ring finger to walk down the aisle. During the exchanging of the rings, the groom would place the wedding band on the bride's left finger.
Do you wear your engagement ring on your wedding day? Yes, but not anywhere! Traditional etiquette requires the bride to move her engagement ring to her other hand (if necessary) while walking down the aisle. This must be done if the wedding band is to be placed onto the finger currently "taken" by the engagement ring.
Move the Ring
Traditionally, the wedding band goes first on the finger so it's closest to the heart. To ensure the proper position, some brides temporarily move their engagement ring to their right hand. Then, after the nuptials, they return the ring to their left hand over the wedding band.
"Today, wedding rings are most commonly worn on the fourth finger of the left hand. But some countries including India, Germany, Spain, Norway, and Russia traditionally wear their wedding rings on their right hand." Overall, it seems cultural traditions and norms set the standard for this custom.
In many Western countries, the tradition of wearing an engagement ring on the fourth finger on the left hand, (the left ring finger on the ring finger guide below), can be traced back to the Ancient Romans. They believed this finger had a vein that ran directly to the heart, the Vena Amoris, meaning 'vein of love'.
We've established that there are no rules about how much you should spend on an engagement ring or your wedding, but people still like to know how they compare. According to a 2020 Australian wedding industry report, the average couple in Australia is spending $5,367 on their engagement ring.
Traditionally, the groom goes first in the exchange of rings. Although most couples choose to follow tradition, there's no rule that says you can't switch things up. If one of you is more comfortable than the other in front of an audience, then you might want that person to go first, so the other will be less nervous.
The Best Man: The best man either walks in from the side and takes their place at the altar next to the groom, or they can walk in as the last groomsman. They may also hold the bride's ring (or both rings). The Groomsmen: The groomsmen open the processional as they walk down the aisle one by one.
In Australia and many other Western Civilisations, we wear our engagement and wedding rings on the fourth finger of our left hand to symbolise our love for one another. However, in parts of Europe and Asia, wedding rings are often worn on the right-hand ring finger.
It's perfectly natural and very common for the engagement ring to remain on the wedding ring finger during the ceremony. Although it's tradition for the wedding ring to sit underneath the engagement ring, you can simply swap these over later.
"Make sure you're taking off your ring during all hand-heavy activities (yes yogis, no downward dog in your engagement ring)," Lanore says. "I advise against gardening, cleaning dishes, moving furniture, and exercising with an engagement ring.
The question of engagement ring ownership comes up quite often in California family courtrooms, said family attorney John Griffith of Griffith, Young, and Lass. “According to California family law, the person who broke off the engagement usually gets to keep the ring,” Griffith said.
Whether a person chooses to wear an engagement ring can be a matter of personal preference or a decision made jointly by the couple. Both, one, or neither of the partners may wear engagement rings.
One of the most infamous wedding etiquette rules, though, revolves around the engagement ring. It's known as the "three months' salary" rule, and it implies that a buyer should put three months of their salary toward a sparkler for their future spouse.
The wedding band traditionally goes on the left-hand ring finger first, nearest the heart, with the engagement ring stacking on top. Again, this practice is not law, and the rings can be arranged in any way that is most comfortable and aesthetically pleasing to you, including wearing the rings on separate fingers.
Protect Your Ring When Going for A Swim
The best way to protect your ring from damage and potential loss in the pool is to remove it and store it safely.
Traditionally, the wedding band is placed first on the left ring finger and then the engagement ring is placed on top of it. The wedding band symbolizes the bonded commitment between you and your partner, so wearing it first keeps the ring closest to the heart.
The main difference between an engagement ring and a wedding ring is that the former is given during the proposal and the latter is worn during the marriage ceremony. From there, both rings serve the same purpose - they symbolize the couple's love and commitment to each other.
Yes, traditionally wedding rings, at least in America, go on the left ring finger (the second finger from the left) for both women and men.
Parents of Partner #1 walk down the aisle, followed by parents of Partner #2; then, Partner #1 and Partner #2 walk down the aisle together. Partner #1 waits at the altar/chuppah and meets Partner #2 halfway down the aisle; then they walk the rest of the aisle together, arm-in-arm.
In Christian ceremonies, the bride's mother is always seated last and the groom's mother is seated just before her. The seating of the bride's mother usually signals the ceremony is about to begin.
A Groomsman
This is the traditional choice and gives the guy another few moments in the spotlight. If the bride has a stepmother, she would be escorted to her seat by a groomsman before the mother of the bride; the bride's mom should be the last person to be escorted down the aisle, just before the bridal party.
The engagement ring represents the promise to get married, the wedding band represents the actual union and the third ring represents another large milestone for couples. The third ring is given after one of two events: an anniversary or the birth of a couple's first child.
Tradition has it that each person pays for the other person's ring. So in a traditional wedding, the groom or his family would pay for the bride's ring, and the bride or her family would pay for the groom's ring.