Origins for today’s wedding traditions are very interesting. For instance, one belief is that the origin of the wedding ring was from an African custom wherein grass was used to tie the couple’s wrists together during the ceremony. Another theory is that the first engagement rings consisted of string or grass.
It was of ancient belief that the vein on today’s ringfinger transported love from hand to heart, hence the reason for the chosen finger.
When a man in Colonial times asked a woman to marry him, he presented her with a thimble. After the couple was wed, the bottom of the thimble was cut off in the shape of a ring.
English brides in the 16th and 17th centuries wore thumbrings as their wedding rings. Today, when a man asks for a woman’s hand in marriage, he presents her with an engagement ring, which is often an expensive diamond. At today’s nuptials, the bride then receives a wedding band to accompany the engagement ring.
It was once said that a ring was the chosen piece of jewelry for the wedded couple because it was in the shape of a circle, which symbolizes eternity. Even today, a couple shows their commitment by exchanging wedding rings. They honor each other by wearing them.