Royal Wedding Rings - Left Or Right Hand?


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CharlotteAmalia

CharlotteAmalia

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Where do members of royalty wear their wedding rings? On the left hand or the right hand?

I checked some wedding pictures:
Duchess Catherine is wearing her ring on the left hand.
Victoria and Daniel also left hand.
Charlene and Albert also left hand.
Infanta Elena wore her engagement ring on the right hand. (although engagement rings are mostly worn on the left hand; Noblesse & Royautés » Les bagues de fiançailles du Gotha )
Ari Behn and Märtha Louise wear their ring on the right hand.
Letizia seems to wear her wedding band on the right hand: 260782-felipe-d-espagne-letizia-d-espagne-et-637x0-2.jpg (image)

Where else do we know it?

In Germany on most people are wearing their wedding rings on the ring finger of the right hand. But this is individual. It seems to be connected to nationality and tradition.
See also on wikipedia:
In Western cultures, a wedding ring is traditionally worn on the ring finger. This developed from the Roman "annulus pronubis" when the man gave a ring to the woman at the betrothal ceremony. According to tradition in some countries (derived from Roman belief), the wedding ring is worn on the left ring finger because the vein in the left ring finger, referred to as the vena amoris, was believed to be directly connected to the heart, a symbol of love. Blessing the wedding ring and putting it on the bride's finger dates from the 11th century. In medieval Europe, the Christian wedding ceremony placed the ring in sequence on the index, middle, and ring fingers of the left hand. The ring was then left on the ring finger. In a few European countries, the ring is worn on the left hand prior to marriage, then transferred to the right during the ceremony. For example, a Greek Orthodox bride wears the ring on the left hand prior to the ceremony, then moves it to the right hand after the wedding. In England, the 1549 Prayer Book declared "the ring shall be placed on the left hand". By the 17th and 18th centuries the ring could be found on any finger after the ceremony — even on the thumb.
In some Orthodox Christian countries, the wedding ring is worn on the ring finger of the right hand.[2]
Several traditions exist in traditional Jewish wedding ceremonies: most commonly today, the ring is placed on the index finger; but other traditions record placing it of the middle finger or the thumb.[3] Today the ring usually is moved to the ring finger after the ceremony. Some Jewish grooms have adopted wearing a wedding ring.
A wedding ring is not a traditional part of the religious Muslim wedding; wedding rings are not included in most Islamic countries. However, if a wedding ring is worn in an Islamic country, it may be worn on either the left (such is the custom in Iran) or the right ring finger. As opposed to the wedding ring, use of a ring to denote betrothal or engagement is quite prevalent in Muslim countries, especially those in West and South Asia.
Rings are not traditional in an Indian wedding. In modern society, it is becoming a practice though to wear rings for engagements and not for actual marriage. Though the left hand is considered inauspicious for religious activities, ring (not to be called wedding ring) is still worn in the left hand.
In Sinhala and Tamil culture groom wears the wedding ring on his right hand and bride wears it on her left hand ring finger. This can be seen in countries like Sri Lanka where there is a rich Sinhala and Tamil cultural influence in the society. [4]
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from: Ring finger - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I talked with a friend about one which side to wear the wedding ring. I wear mine on the right hand and my husband too.

I liked it more on the right hand, because it is the "better" hand. You use your right hand to swear, to greet somebody.. And also a morganatic marriage is called in German (Ehe zur linken Hand) literally "marriage with the left hand"/ left-handed marriage. (see also: Morganatic marriage - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ) My husband has an injury (from school PE) on his ring finger of the left hand, so it is uncomfortably form him to wear rings on the left hand.

What are your traditons and opinions?
 
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In our culture, engaged people wear ring on right hand. Married people wear it on left hand. It depends on people but mostly it is like I said.
 
This topic is apropos. I'm American and we wear our wedding rings on the left hand. I recently saw my brother and he was wearing his wedding ring on his RIGHT hand. I asked, "Why?" He said it's funny I asked since I'm only one of three people to ever inquire. He's in the US Army and was stationed in Germany for a total of eight years. He wears the ring on his right hand and his bulky college class ring on his left since it's more comfortable to shake hands with a smaller, smooth band than a jagged class ring. And because Germans wear their wedding rings on the right hand. Which I did not know!

Apparently he's been doing this for six years and his wife just noticed a week ago!!! :lol: :flowers:
 
It is all culture. No right or wrong. Here in the States, we wear it on our left hand.
 
Here, we wear both engagement and wedding rings on the left hand, because the vein in it is said to run directly up to the heart.

My dad says, however, that it's because most people are right-handed and it's safer there. Also, if one takes one's rings off to do tasks, it's more natural to use the dominant hand to pull the ring off (my dad's view - he's 94).

There is no right or wrong to this, of course, but it is interesting how different cultures have different rules about it (and the ring finger remains the ring finger in most of them).
 
Is there any married royal not wearing ring?
 
COUNTESS said:
It is all culture. No right or wrong. Here in the States, we wear it on our left hand.
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Clarification: Most people wear it on their left hand, some on the right to honor their ancestral culture. Some wear none at all (men AND women (including me)). I have beautiful wedding jewelry, but off it came about 3 weeks after the wedding. My love wore his, but never complained about me not wearing mine.
 
Charles did when he was married to Diana. On the left Hand on his little finger where he wears his seal Ring.
 
My father have his on the left hand and my mother on the right ;) And I think I'll have it on the right.
 
I know some who wear their wedding ring on their left hand, but if widowed, transfer the ring to their right hand. Custom that I find quite nice.
 
I don't think any of the men in QEII's family wear wedding rings on the "common" ring finger. They may have belly rings or something else...
 
KittyAtlanta said:
I don't think any of the men in QEII's family wear wedding rings on the "common" ring finger. They may have belly rings or something else...
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Not in the immediate family anyway. However, both George V and Edward VII wore wedding rings on their left hands IIRC.
 
lancchick said:
And because Germans wear their wedding rings on the right hand. Which I did not know!
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That's right, in Germany, you wear the engagement ring in your left hand, and your wedding band on your right hand :)
 
Sternchen said:
That's right, in Germany, you wear the engagement ring in your left hand, and your wedding band on your right hand :)
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I did not know that either- very interesting. My friend is from Germany, but has lived in the US for nearly 30 years, and wears her wedding ring on her left second finger.
 
In my home contry Australia, we wear both our wedding ring and engadgment ring on our left. I know a few women that choose to wear just thier wedding ring and thier husbnds don't wear a ring at all just like Prince William.
 
In Armenia, the engagement and wedding rings are worn on the left ring finger as well. However, most people tend not to wear any rings at all. Engagement ring is usually worn only from the moment of engagement and until wedding, while wearing wedding band is optional for women and men alike.
 
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But in Middle East The Engagement Ring Worn In Right Finger and in Wedding Changes to the Left Finger ;) :flowers:
 
In a documentary about Willem-Alexander and Máxima's 10th wedding aniversary it was said that Dutch protestant people wear their wedding ring on their right hand.
W-A and M also put the rings on their right hands at their wedding day. But now they always wear their ring on their left hand, this was said to be the Catholic way and they were asking if it had something to do with M being a Catholic.
The documentary makers concluded that it might have to do with the fact that they have to shake so many hands so it's more comfortable with no ring on the hand you shake with.
 
In Holland if you Are Catholic you wear your wedding ring on your right hand and if you are Protestant on your right.
 
I have Never heard that it is a catholic Thing to wear your wedding band in your left hand?
 
Question: Do you prefer Diamonds on the wedding band or a plain wedding band?
 
I thought if you were a Lutheran you wore your wedding band on your right hand
Never heard of Catholics doing the same ....
 
In the US catholics wear wedding jewelry on the left hand.
 
KittyAtlanta said:
Clarification: Most people wear it on their left hand, some on the right to honor their ancestral culture. Some wear none at all (men AND women (including me)). I have beautiful wedding jewelry, but off it came about 3 weeks after the wedding. My love wore his, but never complained about me not wearing mine.
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You do not wear anything, no wedding band, no engagement ring?
 
Cinderella5x said:
You do not wear anything, no wedding band, no engagement ring?
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A friend of mine doesn't where her wedding ring as she is allergic to gold. She told her husband that when he buys her a platinum wedding band for her, she will wear that. So far, no ring.
 
Duchess of Durham said:
A friend of mine doesn't where her wedding ring as she is allergic to gold. She told her husband that when he buys her a platinum wedding band for her, she will wear that. So far, no ring.
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What about a silver one? Is she alergic to silver as well?
 
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AlanR said:
I thought if you were a Lutheran you wore your wedding band on your right hand
Never heard of Catholics doing the same ....
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Does it really have to do with Religion? I am catholic and wear it on the right hand.
 
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