What To Do With My Engagement Ring On My Wedding Day?

When one ring becomes two. What do you do with your engagement ring on the wedding day?

Most wedding planning timelines I’ve come across, say your wedding bands are one of the last things on the to-do list. It makes sense, it’s an expensive item to keep at home for months and, like your last wedding dress or suit fitting, you get to wed-shred before being measured for size. I know, I’ve been there too.

Then, your gorgeous new wedding band arrives and you have a new problem. What do you do with your engagement ring on your wedding day? Here are three tips for you:

#1 Wear engagement ring on the right hand

Traditionally (in Australia at least) your wedding and engagement ring is worn on the left hand. On your wedding day, as you are getting ready, simply put your engagement ring on your right hand. During the ceremony, your almost-husband or wife will slip your new wedding band on your now-naked left hand ring finger. This makes for the best ring exchange close-up photos because the focus is all on one ring. After the ceremony, you put the engagement ring back on your left hand, on top of your wedding ring, which is the traditional stacking order.

#2 Stack your engagement ring on your left hand

If the above is not an option due to finger size (your dominant hand is about a size bigger than the other hand), keep your engagement ring on your left hand as usual. During the ceremony, your partner will stack your wedding band on top of your engagement ring. This may be a little bit fiddly for fitted bands or if your engagement ring design is asymmetrical. This moment is best captured with long shots. After the ceremony, you can swap them around or re-align them if needed.

#3 Don't wear it at all

Give it to someone you trust. Your maid of honour, a friend or family member can keep it safe for you until after the ceremony. This is probably the easiest thing to do. Do let your someone else know what’s going on, as three people are less likely to forget about it after the ceremony, especially once the bubbly starts flowing.

What about the wedding rings? The wedding rings are bothcarried by the best man, maid of honour or another friend of family member. You can do this before or on the day. Their job is to produce the wedding rings during the ceremony for you both to exchange. So, on the day, that’s one less thing for you to worry about.