In the past, we are talking about thousands of years ago, the wedding ring was a kind of contract. Visible to everyone, that economically bound partners to each other. For men, the wedding ring of the woman was a certainty that she was his property and for the woman this pact was a financial security because in Roman times she already had the right to half of the possessions of the man.
Nowadays, this is of course much more nuanced and the wedding ring mainly symbolizes 'infinite love'. If we really look at antiquity, the reasons for wearing wedding rings were mainly economic reasons. Nowadays, we no longer necessarily need wedding rings for that because we contractually record everything relating to the marital relationship. Yet there are enough reasons why we still wear wedding rings today.
The reason you hear most is the symbolic bond. The fact that you both wear the same ring that symbolizes your marriage is an emotional reason that many people adhere to for wearing a wedding ring.
In addition, there are few symbols that are so universal and transcend other countries and cultures. If you see someone with a wedding ring on, you know immediately that the person already belongs to someone else. It is therefore a clear signal to the outside world: I am married and therefore not available for someone else.
On which hand?
There is a lot to say about which hand or finger you wear a wedding ring on. Besides it being a personal preference, there is a history behind it. In principle, a wedding ring was always worn on the right hand on the ring finger. But in the 16th century, the church decided that only women should wear the ring on their left hand because the right stood for 'power' and that was of course only assigned to men at the time.
Nowadays it depends on which part of the world you live in. In the West we are used to wearing the wedding ring on the left hand, but in South America for example it is customary to wear the wedding ring on the right hand. But even here in the Netherlands there are differences. From the Catholic conviction you wear it on your left hand and from the Protestant conviction on your right hand. So is there a 'good' way to wear your wedding ring? In all sobriety of today: no. Wear it the way you like.
