Wedding Traditions

Many different countries follow the tradition of giving a wedding ring at the marriage ceremony. The finger on which the ring is worn varies from country to country, some wearing the ring on the right ring finger and others on the left ring finger.The ring symbolizes committing of the wearer to one person.

The wedding ring can be the last of several gifts, and the gifts can also include the engagement ring, the traditional betrothal symbol. It is believed that the tradition was brought by the Romans. There are other recently-introduced ring traditions, brought in by the jewellery industry to increase business. One of these is the pre-engagement ring, given when a relationship becomes more serious. Another recent tradition is the eternity ring. This symbolizes a long-lasting marriage. Another example is the trilogy ring, which usually has 3 diamonds symbolizing the past, present and future of the relationship. Wedding ring sets are also a relatively new idea.

In Europe, one tradition involves having your partner's name and the wedding date engraved on the inside of the wedding rings.

For Eastern Catholic Christians and Eastern Orthodox Christians, exchanging rings isn't part of the wedding, and the ring exchange takes place at the betrothal. The ceremony always involves 2 rings. The traditional metals for the rings are silver for the bride's ring and gold for the groom's ring. These are blessed with holy water by the priest. Greek tradition is that both rings are the same, and are plain bands, normally made from gold or occasionally platinum.The rings are worn on the left hand 4th finger until after the wedding, when they are worn on the couple's right hand.

In Britain it is traditional for the best man to look after the couple's wedding rings and to give them to the couple during the marriage ceremony. In some weddings, a ring bearer will carry the ring in on a special cushion.

For some countries in Europe, the engagement ring functions as the wedding ring, being engraved and worn on the other hand after the wedding. In cases where the wedding ring is separate from the engagement ring, there are several options of where to wear the engagement ring during the wedding ceremony. The bride may wear the engagement ring on her left-hand ring finger or she can wear the engagement ring on her right-hand ring finger. Some people continue to wear the rings on separate hands after the wedding ceremony.This can stop the rings from rubbing together and causing wear.