It’s time for choosing your wedding bands… we often talk about engagement rings, but what about wedding bands?
No matter how small, your wedding bands are something that can require a lot of thought, especially since you’ll want to wear them forever. It’s not always easy to know how to choose a wedding ring. What’s more, planning your wedding is a busy time, so many couples leave their wedding ring shopping to the last minute.
Whether you know exactly what style of wedding band you desire, your engagement ring came with a matching set or if you’re looking for inspiration, here’s a small guide… for both of you.
TIPS FOR CHOOSING YOUR WEDDING BANDS
Getting your ring size
This might be an obvious one, which is often the one that’s often overlooked! If you were already sized for an engagement ring, it’s usually easy as the size will be the same. But for those who still need to be measured, it’s key to get it sized professionally and properly. Methods to measure your ring size include ring sizer apps on your smartphone, ordering a ring sizer tool, or visiting a professional jeweler to have your finger measured. Whenever you get your size, write it down so you don’t forget!
Choosing your wedding bands
Choose the wedding ring metal
Today there are so many choices. You can choose any metal tone, color, and hardness you want. Because when it comes to engagement and wedding rings, mixing metals is common and can be fun! For some engagement ring sets, you may want to match the colors – but other couples may find it fun and funky to mix and match the set with yellow gold and white gold. Bands can even be non-traditional materials too – wood, steel, unique stones… It’s all up to you!
What kind of texture on your band?
This is largely a question of personal preference. A plain band is beautiful and traditional. However, if you want spectacular sparkle, you should choose a wedding band with diamonds. Or maybe it’s texture with hammered metal or wood. If you have a very sparkly engagement ring and are interested in a diamond-studded band, make sure you look at them together to ensure it isn’t overwhelming and take attention away from it.
Matching wedding bands or bridal sets?
Trends are moving further away from matching and closer to individual pairings and mismatched sets. But matching wedding bands are still uber-classy–if that’s your thing! Bridal sets are basically an engagement ring and a wedding band that are sold together as a set. This could also be a matching set between the couple – some choose their own personal tastes while other couples may choose a matching band set. And some couples choose to have their bands engraved so they match with their names or wedding date.
What’s your budget?
When setting a budget for your wedding bands, it’s good to have an idea of your preferred style. For example, if you want your rings to be embellished with diamonds or engraved, this should be factored into the cost. When selecting your wedding rings it’s good to have an idea on the components that your dream rings contain in the order of their importance. You can use this thought process to balance metal, style, and weight accordingly to your budget.
For example, is having a platinum metal more important to you than the width of the band, or vice versa? Also don’t feel like you have to spend a fortune on your wedding rings. Don’t let anyone tell you that you need to spend “3 months of your salary” for your wedding rings… determine how much you feel comfortable spending on all the rings and don’t worry about calculators and old myths.
Final tip – ORDER EARLY
Ideally, you should order your wedding rings about three months before your wedding. Many jewelers don’t carry all their rings in their inventory, and many may require special ordering or sizing which can take time. Add in the current state of inventory shortages and shipping delays – you wouldn’t want your wedding day to roll around and not have the rings! To get the wedding ring you want, start shopping early!
