Be honest, do you wear your wedding ring day in, and day out, without fail, no matter what, come hell or high water? Lots of famous people don’t wear their wedding rings. Of course, the paparazzi always try to read into it, as if it’s a metaphor for a failed marriage. The truth is that plenty of other (regular) people have given up wearing their wedding ring as well. The reasons can be simple. For instance, maybe it doesn’t fit anymore and the couple has more important things to spend their money on than jewelry. The reasons can also be pretty complex and dirty. Like, maybe someone doesn’t want others to know they are married. More often than not however, the reasons people don’t wear a wedding ring are probably pretty benign.
In the beginning of marriage, wearing a wedding ring feels like a privilege. After all, that is what the couple has been waiting for all this time and now that they finally have the marriage, they are excited about the ring. Should one-half of the newlywed whole remove the wedding ring too soon after the ceremony, chances are it won’t go over well and may be cause to start an entire war about whether the marriage is working or not. Trying to tell a husband or wife that you removed a wedding ring for a good reason, even if it was to save your finger from potentially being cut off at work, will not be acceptable. Your best bet is to put it back on and try to think of something good to make up for this moment of absent thought.
At the early stages of marriage, the ring means everything and shedding it for taking a shower or swimming in the ocean is treated as a capital offense. Yet as time goes on, people become a little less attached to the ring. There are many women who take the wedding ring off when they have their first child. Then, they realize that it just doesn’t fit for a while. By the time it does fit again, the big, jagged diamond is continually leaving scratches on their baby, and they realize that they can remove the ring and still be happily married. There are also a lot of men, who because of work situations don’t wear their wedding ring on an every day basis. And even more common is the fact that plenty of plenty of men just aren’t the jewelry type, and would have likely been happier with a tattooed wedding ring, than something made of gold or silver.
Fast forward even further into the marriage, and the wedding rings become sort of unimportant to some people. The truth is that they have marriage branded into their being, and ring or not aren’t fooling anyone anymore by not keeping it on. And truth be known, a survey in Glamour magazine revealed that men and women alike, who are willing to hit on a married man or woman, will do so whether they are wearing a wedding ring or not. In other words, NOT wearing a wedding ring does not mean that spouses are trying to portray themselves as not married. Nor will it keep fragrant folks from hitting on them.
The real issue when it comes to wearing your wedding ring or not, is how you feel about it. If you are strongly against your partner taking it off, for any reason whatsoever, it is important that you tell your partner this. Otherwise, they may slip it on or off, sort of randomly – not realizing that in your book they are committing a huge mistake. Additionally, you have to ask yourself why the wedding ring is so important to you. Are you mistrustful of your spouse? Do you have reasons, whether gut level instinctive or otherwise, that this outward symbol has a deeper meaning? If this is the case, rather than focus on the ring, try to be honest and focus on the marriage. Ask the questions you want to know, explain how YOU feel, and unveil your suspicions. There is a good chance that the two of you will have a much-needed conversation, or at least clear up a few things hanging like a black cloud over the marriage. Better yet, your partner may put the ring back on, without much of an argument – never to take it off again.
Obviously, the wedding ring is symbolic of the vows that the two of you took on your wedding day. For many people, especially women wearing the ring gives them a sense of belonging, pride and is a very outward statement that shows they are taken, claimed already. Men, don’t always see it the exactly the same way. In marriages, it is mostly the men who tire of wearing their wedding ring, and at some point give it up altogether. If this bothers you as a wife, then say something. Don’t wait five years and then blurt it out in the midst of an argument.
If you have a reason to remove the ring, then instead of waiting for your partner to notice talk to them about it. Not making the removal of a wedding ring a big deal, is often the best way to avoid an ordeal. The bottom line is that many people find it offensive for a married person to not wear a wedding ring at all times. Yet, in this crazy world today, there are likely just as many people who don’t need the status symbol of a ring to remind them that they are married. As marriage progresses, it is very normal for people to become less attached to the ring itself, and more attached to the marriage! And this can be a very good thing. Being confident in your relationship and your partner is definitely a wonderful part of being married, that no ring can duplicate. So, will you be wearing your wedding ring today? If not, could you tell us why?
