Weddings are beautiful occasions when two souls are joined as one in holy matrimony. It’s truly an exciting moment for a couple, more so for the bride. As a woman, you’ve probably spent years dreaming of the day from childhood. It wouldn’t be a surprise that you even planned everything to the tiniest detail, including the rings.
What most people never take time to think about, is when it is all said and done, how are you meant to wear your wedding rings. Is there a right and wrong way? What meaning is attached to the order in which you wear them? In this post, we cover all these questions as well as tips when it comes to properly wear your wedding set.
What Order Do You Wear Your Wedding Rings?
In the past, there was a belief that the fourth finger was the ring finger because it had a vein that led directly to the heart. As such, it was tradition for wedding rings to be worn on the left ring finger so it’s closer to the heart.
Over time, however, a lot of wedding traditions have evolved. Which leads to the question, what is the right way of wearing your wedding set?
The shorter answer to this question is – it’s a matter of preference. Today, people place their meaning in the order they choose to wear their engagement and wedding rings.
It’s all a matter of what works for you in terms of the shape, size, and style of your rings. The following are some of the popular orders, in which people put on their wedding sets:
Engagement ring on top.
This is the traditional order in which women wore their rings in earlier days. The wedding band which held the most meaning was worn at the bottom because it meant it was closer to the heart.
As such, brides would place their engagement rings on their right hand during the wedding so that the wedding ring can go first in their left hand.
After the wedding, the engagement ring would then be replaced on the left hand on top of the wedding band. This tradition is still kept by most women today.
You can choose to keep it as well if you find it works for you, or if it holds the same meaning it did in the past.
Wedding band on top.
Another traditional order is wearing the rings in the order you received them, which makes logical sense.
Additionally, it was believed that an engagement ring represented a promise made. Wearing the wedding band on top of it symbolized the crystallization of that promise.
It’s almost like telling the story of your relationship. Some brides have found that the diamond ring looks better at the bottom with the wedding ring on top.
This style, however, may not work for all ring designs, shapes, and sizes.
Alternate between the rings.
There is no set rule that the rings have to be worn together at the same time. Besides, some rings can be heavy and uncomfortable to wear together daily.
It’s okay if you choose to wear your wedding ring on some days and your engagement ring on others.
Alternatively, you could wear your wedding ring daily and keep your engagement ring for special occasions or vice versa. What matters is the meaning you’ve attached to the rings.
Wear both on different ring fingers.
Again, there is no rule set in stone. If you can’t seem to make up your mind on which ring to wear on which days, then you can wear both at the same time.
But that doesn’t mean you have to wear them on the same ring finger.
You can wear your engagement ring on your left finger and your wedding ring on your right one.
It’s also a great option if you don’t have a matching set and don’t like how the rings look being stacked together.
Which Order Do You Wear Engagement Wedding and Eternity Rings?
Unlike engagement and wedding rings, eternity rings are given after marriage, to celebrate a milestone in the marriage. Traditionally, women received these rings during the first anniversary of the birth of the couple’s first child. Also known as infinity rings, these rings are meant to symbolize the eternal love between the couple. Their design, which is normally identically cut diamonds encrusted all around a metal band, is meant to represent luxury. Sometimes the diamonds are encrusted on the top half of the metal band, in what is called a half eternity ring.
According to tradition, you’re meant to wear your wedding ring first, since it is meant to be closer to the heart, followed by the engagement ring and finally the eternity ring. In many regions, like the UK, this tradition is still followed by most people. For some people, however, this can be uncomfortable. It depends on the size and designs of your rings or how active a person is on a daily basis.
If you’re active throughout the day, or the rings are too heavy to wear all three on one finger, then there are other alternatives to consider. To begin with, you can choose to wear your eternity ring on your right ring finger, and your engagement and wedding bands on your left one. You could also opt to wear one ring at a time, or wear one and keep the rest for special occasions. Some women, keep their engagement and eternity rings for special occasions and wear their wedding bands daily instead. As we’ve already mentioned, it’s all a matter of what makes you comfortable.
Tips For Wearing Your Engagement Wedding and Eternity Rings Properly.
There are many ways to wear your wedding set, but here are some tips that can guide you in finding the right order that works for you:
1.Think about the meaning of each ring.
For some people, the engagement ring means more to them than the wedding ring or eternity ring, while for others it’s the opposite.
Think of which rings hold more meaning for you and wear that first, that way, it’s close to your heart.
Alternatively, you could wear the special ring daily and save the other one for special occasions.
2.Go by the design of the rings.
Sometimes the ring is the best guide as to what order you should put on your wedding set. When the rings are not a matching set, they may not look well stacked together.
That’s a hint that you should wear them separately. So, you can either wear them on different fingers or alternate.
Simply use the design of the ring to play around with the order until you find what works for you.
3.Look at the size of each ring.
Often when stacking rings, the thinner the size the better for stacking.
Usually, wedding bands and eternity rings tend to be thinner in comparison to the engagement ring that may come with a big diamond crown.
When you have two thinner rings and one thicker one, it’s best to place the thick ring in the middle of the thinner one.
So, you can put on the wedding ring first, then the engagement, followed by the eternity ring.
Or start with the eternity ring and wear the wedding ring last. This arrangement helps enhance the beauty of all three rings.
4.Think about your most active hand.
If you’re left-handed, that means that you use your left hand to do most of the heavy lifting. Doing so can get uncomfortable if you stack all three rings on your left ring finger.
So, instead, stack the rings on your right ring finger. Alternatively, you could stack your wedding set on your right ring finger and leave the eternity ring on your left one.
The whole point is to reduce the burden on your active hand.
5.Get creative.
Rings may have been designed to be worn on fingers, but it doesn’t mean that that’s the only way they can be worn.
What happens when you want to keep all three rings with you all the time, but can’t stack them up all at once? It’s simple. You can wear two of the rings as a pendant and keep the most meaningful ring on your left ring finger.
That way, you won’t have to decide which ring to wear on which day, especially if all three and special to you.
Conclusion:
Engagement, wedding, and eternity bands are all-important rings for a married couple. All three are a symbol of the love shared between two people.
So, when it comes to the order of wearing the three, no one rule fits all. Just like any accessory, these three rings are an expression of who you are and a story of the love you share.
Therefore, you should be the one to decide, how that story is told. You can choose to be to follow tradition or be a trendsetter. At the end of the day, it’s about what you are comfortable with.
Guys, thank you so much for reading! Hope this post helps! If you guys want to read more useful tips, please read here or here!
Tiger is a fashion&jewelry lover. He is also a fashion jewelry manufacturer that help thousands of small business to grow and also do business with some big fashion jewelry brands. He is a truly metal expert and he will share some information you are looking for.