What hand does the wedding ring go on?

The wedding ring finger is the fourth finger counting from the thumb, the one most people simply call the ring finger. It is the same finger that holds the engagement ring, which is why the two rings end up stacked together. The custom traces back to ancient Rome and Egypt, where it was believed a vein, the vena amoris or "vein of love", ran from that finger directly to the heart. Modern anatomy shows no such vein exists, every finger is served by the same network of vessels, but the symbolism stuck and the fourth finger has stayed the wedding ring finger across most of the world. It is settled enough that a ring on that finger is read as a marker of marriage without anything else being said.

The wedding ring is worn on the left hand across most of the English-speaking world, including the United Kingdom, New Zealand, the United States and Ireland, along with France and Italy. A number of countries place it on the right hand instead, including Germany, Russia, Greece, Poland, Norway, Austria and much of Eastern Europe, often tied to Orthodox Christian tradition. The choice is cultural rather than a fixed rule, so within any one culture men and women follow the same hand. Some people still choose the right hand, whether for family heritage, because they are left-handed and want less wear on the dominant hand, or simply for personal preference. None of this changes what the ring means.

When both rings are worn on the same finger, the wedding ring traditionally goes on first, so it sits below the engagement ring and closer to the hand, the position described as closest to the heart. On the wedding day itself, many brides move the engagement ring to the right hand before the ceremony, so the wedding ring can be placed directly onto the ring finger, then shift the engagement ring back on top once the vows are done. Day to day, the order is really a matter of comfort and how the pair looks together. Some people have the two rings soldered into one piece so they always sit correctly and do not spin; others keep them separate so each can be worn on its own when they want to.