This is a question that has been bugging me for some time- when someone's spouse dies, is it appropriate to still wear your wedding ring? And do people wear their engagement rings after they've been married?
2006-07-25 12:35:22 · 24 answers · asked by Penelope L 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Etiquette
And what finger do you wear your engagement ring on after you're married?
2006-07-25 13:42:19 · update #1
Yes you still wear the engagement ring if you have one and if it doesnt get in the way or is too valuable. Some widows choose to still wear their rings, others who are ready to go on don't, or wont until they are completely commited (married) to someone new. Its all up to that person, there is no socially set way.
2006-07-25 12:38:06 · answer #1 · answered by cutecarebear228 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's totally appropriate to wear the wedding ring after a spouse dies - I think most people do. I wear my engagement ring with my wedding ring 95% of the time; once in a while I just wear my wedding ring. Because of old European tradition, I wear my rings on my right hand.
2006-07-26 02:00:05 · answer #2 · answered by Lydia 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is really up to the person. I still wear my engagement ring with my wedding band. As far as wearing the rings when a spouse dies. I think it is totally appropriate because it is a nice remembrance of a special loved one. When you are ready to move on, then you can either take the rings off or continue wearing them and let people know the reason why. Personally, I'd keep wearing my rings as a memory of my love.
2006-07-25 12:43:00 · answer #3 · answered by lilbitadevil 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As far as wedding rings, you are still married you are not obligated to "till death do us part". However some continue because they don't want to marry anyone else and feel that they want to remain with them and will wait until the afterlife to be reunited.
Wearing an engagement ring is something else as I feel it is like you are really "trading up" when you get married. The engagement is the first installment on a ring and then the wedding ring is the real and deal. In this case I realy don't see any point for a gal to continue wearing their engagement ring anylonger.
2006-07-25 12:40:49 · answer #4 · answered by are u crazy?...cuz i am not! 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In both cases, it is entirely a matter of choice.
Those whose spouses have died can continue to wear their wedding rings as long as they like, and many do so until they die.
Those who choose to start dating again will usually remove their wedding rings. If they remarry, obviously, the original wedding ring will be replaced with a new one.
Women generally continue to wear their engagement rings after they are married. Many jewelry stores offer wedding sets, which consist of the engagement ring, the bride's wedding ring, and the groom's wedding ring. In the US, and I believe in most Western countries, the engagement ring is usually a gemstone ring, such as a diamond, while the actual wedding ring is a simpler band. After the wedding, they are worn together, and sometimes called a wedding set.
I do know some women, such as myself, who do not wear their original engagement rings. Mine was stolen after I was married, and my husband replaced it with something very similar. Other women find that their engagement ring just wears out after being worn for a long time; the posts have been mended many times, and the band has worn very thin, so they put it away. Often, their husband buys them a new gemstone ring to replace it.
Official etiquette for both wedding rings for those who have lost a spouse, and for engagement rings, is very lenient, and pretty much leaves the choice up to the person who is wearing the ring, so whatever they decide is appropriate for them is fine.
2006-07-25 13:16:33 · answer #5 · answered by Bronwen 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The wedding ring is put on the finger first so that it is closest to the heart. Then the engagement ring is put on the outside of it. In our culture almost everyone wears both, unless they have a personal reason for not wanting to do so.
A widow can wear her rings as long as she wants to, even to the grave. It is a personal decision for the person involved. Some people wear their rings for a year or two, some forever, and some take them off relatively soon.
In many cases when the widow is ready to resume dating she removes her rings to let people know she is "available".
2006-07-25 12:44:44 · answer #6 · answered by lcmcpa 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Widow/ers frequently wear their wedding rings. If they do not remarry, most will wear them until the day they die. It's a remembrance of those passed, and to whom they miss and still feel married. It's perfectly common.
Most women do also tend to wear their engagement rings, as that is the more "showy" ring they own. Of course, other women -- especially those with more strenuous work with their hands - will wear nothing at all or the basic wedding band. Engagement settings tend to "stick up" a bit and become more problematic than a smooth, flat band.
2006-07-25 12:59:54 · answer #7 · answered by Shadycat 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The engagement and wedding rings are usually a set so wear both. I have a friend whose wife died and he wore his wedding ring for quite some time until he finally met someone he's serious about and then the ring came off.
2006-07-25 12:39:24 · answer #8 · answered by phoenixheat 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If they still feel married or want to appear unavailable,yes,it's appropriate and yes,you take your engagement ring off for the ceremony then put it on after closest to your heart with wedding ring in front because engagement came first
2006-07-25 13:28:47 · answer #9 · answered by sanemarie 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't know about engagement rings but many people that have lost their spouse still wear their wedding rings. As a matter of fact both of my grandmothers still wear them.
2006-07-25 12:39:32 · answer #10 · answered by Alej 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋