Let’s talk: should you still wear your wedding ring after your partner has passed?

The loss of a partner is undoubtably one of the most difficult things a person can go through.

There is nothing that can prepare you for the heartache and loneliness that comes when you loose the one you were closest too.

For many people one of the most contentious issues that arises after their partner has died is the wedding ring and whether or not they should keep wearing it.

For some, the decision is easy. They know they will never take their wedding ring off and will wear it for the rest of their lives.

It’s a symbol of the love and the life they shared with their partner and they want to keep it close to them forever.

For others though, their wedding ring carries less meaning and they hold their partner close to them in their memories and their heart instead.

Eventually, they feel comfortable removing the ring and moving on with their lives – whether that means with a new partner or even just being open to the idea of meeting someone new.

*Margaret’s husband passed away eight years ago and she took her ring off only a few months after her husband passed.

She felt like she didn’t want to hold onto the past and wanted to open herself up to new opportunities and eventually maybe even a new partner.

Margaret says her children and friends were surprised when she removed her ring so soon after loosing her husband, but new it was the right move for her.

“My husband lives on in my memory and in my children,” she said.

“I didn’t feel like I had to wear the ring to honour or respect him. He knows how much I love him and I know he would have wanted me to move on and be happy.”

On the other hand *Jenny, whose husband passed nearly six years ago still wears both her engagement ring and her wedding band every day.

She says she would feel like something was missing without it and it reminds her that her husband is always close by watching over her.

After years of living alone she has gotten used to her life as a widow and has no interest in moving on with anyone else.

For her, the ring is a symbol to everyone else too, to let them know that in her mind she is still married and she intends to stay that way.

Taking your ring off can be a difficult decision to make and it sometimes affects the people around you even more than yourself.

Some people say their family were upset when they stopped wearing their ring as they thought it meant they were over the death didn’t care as much anymore.

In the end though, they said they had to make the right decision for them and not be swayed by the opinions of others.

Whatever the end result it is certainly something that gets people talking with everyone having their own personal view on the topic.

What are your thoughts?

Would you still wear your wedding ring if your partner passed away? If you have lost a partner, do you still wear your ring?