In a discussion of the various meanings of 'band', kalleh says, "I imagine that wedding band is related in that it bands the couple together, right?"

I would think of it as 'binding' the couple. Somehow I have a sense that 'bind' implies two while 'band', in sense of joining, implies many. But what exactly is the difference between the terms?

I think you might be right, wordnerd. It should have been "binds," which leaves the "wedding band" question open.

I was wondering, though, about their past tenses. Today I bind the notebooks; yesterday I bound(?) the notebooks; and many times I have bound the notebooks. Today I band the pigeons; yesterday I banded the pigeons; many times I have banded(?) the pigeons.

On second thought, I just heard on TV, "Let's band together as a family."

We don't use the phrase "wedding band" here. We talk about a "wedding ring". However, it seems to me that a wedding "band" comes from the same sense as "rubber band" in that it is circular in shape. The band that is put on pigeons' legs would be similar in derivation. The fact that it stands for the joining together of the couple may well be coincidental.

When rings are used in the wedding service they stand as a symbol of eternity, of the couple's (supposed) endless love, since its circular form means a ring has no end.