“With this ring, I thee wed.” So begin the vows that we recite at wedding ceremonies in one form or another. It’s a tender moment and is one of the most important aspects of the joining of two people. But why rings? Why give them and why wear them and what do they mean? Here’s a little history tour with some of our favorite images of Pixels couples and their wedding rings.

Historians say that the first rings were probably given around 3000 years ago in Egypt. Scrolls depict a man and woman giving each other braided rings of hemp or reeds to show commitment, love and a circling of each other without end. These soon were made from bone or ivory or stronger substances that would last longer.

It was the Romans, however, who fashioned them out of metal for the first time. Leave it to the Romans, right? What DIDN’T they devise? In ancient Rome, a groom would place a metal ring on the hand of his bride to symbolize strength and endurance as well as commitment. And it was the Romans who chose the fourth finger of the left hand. They believed that that particular finger contained the vena amoris, or the vein of love.

Christians are said to have chosen the fourth finger, because as the priest completed the vows he would say, “in the name of the father, son and holy spirit,” touching the ring to the thumb, pointer and middle fingers. When he said “Amen” he would then slip the ring on the bride’s finger to complete the vow. In Europe, rings are worn on the right hand, but most people believe that the left hand made more sense, because most people were right-handed and the ring would be damaged less.

During the Renaissance, gimmel rings were popular, as they are a two-piece set that go together. After the couple became engaged, they would each wear one piece and then at the wedding, the groom would give his wife his ring as a sign of their commitment and the complete joining of their lives. Rings became more ornate during this period too, containing more intricate designs and jewels.

For many centuries, it was customary for the wife to wear a wedding ring, but not the husband, but war fixed that. Men who went off to fight wore wedding bands as a show of fidelity to their wives while away and civilians then took up the practice leading us to today. A ring is a sign that you are committed to another and the world should know.

In 2019, rings are made of everything from tungsten (the world’s strongest metal) to silicone (you heard me) for couples who are active and worry that metal will get damaged or their fingers while mountain biking and climbing. Most couples stick with gold and platinum while others have their rings tattooed on, but they still all mean the same thing: “I Do. Forever.”

We love family portraits whether they are set in the studio, the great outdoors, a specific location like the mountains or high country, or on our property in our outdoor portrait garden. Pixels on Paper photographs, engagements and weddings, brides, and special events and portraits  of all kinds in our Wilkesboro, NC studio. We would be honored to meet with you, learn about you and your family and be a part of taking special portraits that will become, we hope, family heirlooms.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License All photos are ©2019 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.