Why do we wear wedding rings traditionally on the left?

On which hand should you wear your wedding ring? Left or right? Lots of people have asked us over the years and the answer is on the left. That’s at least the general tradition in Belgium, but there are some exceptions.

A wedding ring on your left ring finger

For the origins of this ‘rule’, we need to go back to Ancient Rome. People back then believed there was a vein conveying blood between the heart and the fourth finger on the left hand, called the vena amoris, or literally ‘vein of love’.

So wearing your wedding ring on the left is basically a symbol of love, because the distance to your heart will be shorter than if you wear it on the right. Romantic, isn’t it?

Some people wear it on the right

Not everyone wears their wedding ring on the left. In some regions and countries, it’s worn on the right instead, mainly for religious reasons. Protestants and orthodox Christians put it on their right ring finger, for instance. Some religions even dictate that it should be put on the other hand once one spouse has died.

It’s a free world

Whatever your circumstances, the fact that we wear our wedding rings either on the left or on the right is usually a tradition with a considerable history that sometimes differs from region to region. Still, it remains a free world. So if you prefer to wear your ring on the right, then just do!

Some people also think in pure practical terms. If you’re left-handed, for example, you may want to protect your wedding ring from getting damaged and choose to wear it on the right.