Wedding Ring Traditions
Being engaged to get married has got to be one of the most exciting (and a little bit overwhelming) times of anyone’s life. The first thing people say when you tell them you are in engaged is hands down “Let me see the ring!” I know that when I got engaged, 9 years ago, I would clean my ring every day, talk with my hands (more than I already do!) and honestly just look at it because every time I did, it reminded me of this great man I was going to marry and the tradition that came along with it. No matter the size, metal, shape, family heirloom or where it came from (My dad won my Mom's engagement ring at a poker game!) an engagement ring and wedding band is a symbol of a couple’s commitment to one another. Here is a little history for the tradition of the wedding rings I found on The Wedding Channel:
In 3rd century Greece, the ring finger was the index finger. In India, it was the thumb. Today's western tradition began later with the Greeks, who believed that the third finger was connected directly to the heart by a route they called the "vein of love."
In early Rome, a prized gold band came to symbolize everlasting love and commitment in marriage. Roman wedding rings were carved with two clasped hands. Some had a carved key through which a woman was thought to be able to open her husband's heart.
In 860 AD, Pope Nicolas I decreed that an engagement ring becomes a required statement of nuptial intent. He insisted that engagement rings had to be made of gold, which signified a financial sacrifice, by the prospective husband. An engagement ring containing your birthstone is said to bring good luck.
Although commonplace today, it was not until the 16th century that men consistently began to wear wedding rings. In America, the double ring ceremony gained importance after World War II, symbolizing love and partnership in marriage.
Below are some photos from the creatively talented Faith Dugan of Faith Dugan Photography here in Newport, RI. ( In every wedding she photographs, she does something special and creative to showcase the couple’s wedding rings, giving them the attention they deserve. Here are a few of my favorites:
In 3rd century Greece, the ring finger was the index finger. In India, it was the thumb. Today's western tradition began later with the Greeks, who believed that the third finger was connected directly to the heart by a route they called the "vein of love."
In early Rome, a prized gold band came to symbolize everlasting love and commitment in marriage. Roman wedding rings were carved with two clasped hands. Some had a carved key through which a woman was thought to be able to open her husband's heart.
In 860 AD, Pope Nicolas I decreed that an engagement ring becomes a required statement of nuptial intent. He insisted that engagement rings had to be made of gold, which signified a financial sacrifice, by the prospective husband. An engagement ring containing your birthstone is said to bring good luck.
Although commonplace today, it was not until the 16th century that men consistently began to wear wedding rings. In America, the double ring ceremony gained importance after World War II, symbolizing love and partnership in marriage.
Below are some photos from the creatively talented Faith Dugan of Faith Dugan Photography here in Newport, RI. ( In every wedding she photographs, she does something special and creative to showcase the couple’s wedding rings, giving them the attention they deserve. Here are a few of my favorites:
This one I think is my FAVORITE!
Faith inspired me, so I took a photo of my rings, eternity band that Paul gave me after I had both of my children, engagement ring, and my wedding band.
How are you going to have your photographer showcase your wedding rings?
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