Wedding Rings

Since moving to Europe, I noticed that frequently people wear their wedding rings on the right hand rather than the left. This intrigued me so I did a little research.

Like in the United States, the wedding ring is worn on the left hand in UK, Italy, France, Turkey.
This choice to wear the wedding ring on the fourth finger of the left hand traditionally dates back to classical times and reportedly refers to the fourth finger of the left hand as containing the vena amoris or "vein of love." By wearing rings on the fourth finger of their left hands, a married couple symbolically declares their eternal love for each other. This has now become a matter of tradition and etiquette in these countries.

In other countries such as Germany, Greece, Spain, however, it is worn on the right hand. Orthodox Christians and Eastern Europeans also traditionally wear the wedding band on the right hand. Jewish couples wear the wedding ring on the left hand, even though it is placed on the right hand during the marriage ceremony.

In The Netherlands, Catholic people wear it on the left, all others on the right.

In Belgium, the choice of hand depends on the region of the country. Greek people, many being Orthodox Christians, wear the wedding rings on the right hand in keeping with Greek tradition.

Since we’ve moved over here I’ve lost so much weight that my own wedding rings almost slip off my left hand. After readying this I decided since I was living in the Netherlands and am not a Catholic, I would move it to my right hand. It fits perfectly now!

Sometimes a little research solves a big problem!