rings during ceremony

signingjulie

someone else mentioned this which piqued my curiosity - FI will place my finger on my index finger, will I do the same with him? for those of you already married, did you leave it on your index finger for the duration of the ceremony and  then change it to your ring finger? It just seems like there's the potential for a little awkwardness.

slbriz34

Ask your rabbi as it'll depend on your level of observance.  Because a man doesn't usually get a ring anyway, a rabbi will not want to confuse the meaning behind the ring, so you wouldn't put it on his index finger, but rather you'd place the ring on his ring finger.

As to what to do with your ring - yes, you leave it on your index finger and move it to your ring finger after the ceremony is complete (the recessional and you've got either to yichud or wherever you'll do once you walk back down the aisle).

2dBride

Traditionally, the bride does not give the groom a ring at all, or does it at some time other than during the ceremony.  The reason is that the groom is supposed to engage in kinyan, or acquisition, of  the bride by giving her something of value (most commonly a ring).  If the bride and groom make an even exchange of rings and vows, according to Orthodox thought, that cancels out the acquisition.

Depending on your level of Orthodoxy, you may or may not be able to give the groom a ring during the ceremony.  However, because traditionally the bride does not give the groom a ring during the ceremony, there is no tradition on which finger to use.