My parents got married in the 1960s and it was considered a bit of an oddity that my father wore a wedding ring. The men did not wear rings in his family prior to his generation. Come to think of t, I don’t believe my uncle, my father’s younger brother, wears a wedding ring.
Upper Peninsula of Michigan, I suppose.
I personally prefer not to wear jewelry on my hands and wrists. I used to wear a pocketwatch because I was always taking off wristwatches. If I were to marry a woman who wanted me to wear a ring, she’d pretty much have to tattoo it on.
As for Wills Wales, I think whether he wears a ring is pretty low on the list of importance in how he handles his marriage.
I figured they made the announcement just to forestall the speculation & tabloid “Are they heading for divorce???” every time he’s without a ring. If you’re a regular dude, with a no-jewelry job (like my husband), you wear your wedding ring on special occasions if you remember to get it out of the drawer-- or not. Some people don’t like rings. If you’re a famous dude, with a no-jewelry job and the media VERY interested in the state of your marriage, it’s probably better just to state up front you won’t wear it.
No one’s going to photograph any of our hands with a zoom lens, y’know?
I remember my ceremony. Our wedding bands were are “an outward sign of our love, devotion, and commitment.” Then “With this ring I thee wed.” I have the same wedding band from that day and I wear it every day. Hubby received a matching wedding band and wore it every day. He lost his within 5 years. Lost the replacement within 2 years. He now has a plain gold band. He told me he wanted to wear a wedding band. Awe.
I could care less whether what’s his face wears a ring or not.
My parents had a double ring ceremony in 1947.
My answer was “I wouldn’t care either way,” but I’d like to amend it with, “and I find it astonishing that there are people who do, outside of him and his bride to be.”
Even people who do wear rings (My husband and I) are known to take them off for health and safety reasons - it’s not an all-or-nothing bid. My husband and I both wear ours when we’re sitting at our desks, but when we’re fiddling inside a computer, hiking, rock climbing, gardening, or doing certain craft projects, the ring comes off.
One of my friends things this is a travesty - it somehow means we don’t love each other because we’re not wearing our rings. I’ve tried to explain to her (with pictures!) why it’s a safety concern, and why we won’t let her go caving with us with her ring on (she finally conceded on caving, but still insists on wearing it camping)… I just don’t get why people would endanger their hands like that.
It’s also like it’s not something that can change - my dad, for example, wore one when he first got married, stopped wearing it for a few years while he had a job with safety concerns, and then started wearing it again when he got an office job.