The wedding band, a perfect circle with no beginning or end is traditionally worn on the third finger of the left hand. It is said that the arteries ending in that finger lead directly to the heart.

With the slipping on of a wedding band, a couple displays to the world a physical symbol of their commitment to each other.

I’ve noticed after many a ceremony, the groom twisting his band around his finger or bending and flexing the hand where his ring now presides. In fact, I noticed my husband doing this very thing on our wedding day. While these actions may be perceived as signs of nervousness or even regret by the more cynical reader, the opposite seems true to me. I think there is a point in each groom’s mind when he realizes a wedding is not about picking out invitations or hiring the right band and I believe that moment comes when he looks down at his left hand and sees the gleaming new ring on his finger.

In that simple piece of jewelry, every promise he’s made to his bride in the past, and every wish he has for their future is made manifest. And it’s likely he’s just become aware of those arteries leading to his heart.