Think back to your wedding day (or dream wedding): you and your partner stand at the altar, exchange vows, and prepare to kiss. You both look your best, ready for this lifelong commitment. In fact, everything looks its best: the decor on-point, the soft music just perfect, and the setting simply divine.
Suddenly, the ring bearer approaches.
You inhale, then peer down at two wedding rings. They look and feel heavenly. You recall the countless hours you and your partner have spent searching for a good fit.
They’ve all paid off.
Follow these tips to buy a wedding ring fit for your special day!
Save the Date
Aside from their guests, the bride and groom must save the date, too! This ensures that everything from food to decor to music arrives on time. More specifically, it ensures that our wedding rings arrive on time.
Wedding rings may take up to six weeks before they arrive. At best, we can expect them after three weeks. Production time, shipping/handling, and more play roles in expected arrivals.
Typically, custom-made wedding rings take longer. Furthermore, you and your partner must also carve out time for sizing. Thus, many people begin searching for wedding rings six months beforehand.
This means you should order your rings about two months before the big day. These extra few weeks build in wiggle room should anything go awry.
So which factors should you consider when choosing your rings?
Budget Wisely
A wedding involves more than rings! It involves everything we save the date for and then some. Consider your venue, music, wedding party attire, etc.
The average U.S. wedding costs about $22.5k. That means individual costs (like rings or other jewelry/accessories) can add up quickly. Dedicate at most five percent of your budget to these ceremonial pieces.
Still, that might seem difficult if you and your partner find yourselves on a tighter budget. Despite this, you’ve got options, as wedding rings prove almost as diverse as their wearers.
Wedding ring prices depend on their style, metal/material, brand, karat value, and potential collection set (some places offer wedding bands plus an engagement ring as a bundle).
Generally speaking, custom-made rings, more durable metals, higher karat quantity, and big-name brands cost more money.
Pedal to the Right Metal
Nowadays, we can choose wedding rings made from any number of materials. We’ve got traditional gold, silver, platinum, titanium, and tungsten rings, along with their respective variations (e.g., rose gold).
Traditional Gold
Traditional or yellow gold remains a classic: instantly recognizable and available at any jeweler anywhere. People usually stick with at most 18 karats to strike a balance between durability and aesthetics. Of course, this largely depends on lifestyle.
White Gold
White gold adds a modern touch to its traditional gold counterpart. It gets its white polish from rhodium plating. Of course, this requires you to redo the plating as time progresses.
Choose this option if you want a platinum alternative!
Rose Gold
Rose gold adds a feminine touch to its other neutral counterparts. You can thank its sturdy copper constituents for this. Its roots date back to the Victorian era.
Platinum
People know platinum for its steep price and incredible durability. It resists scratches, tarnishes, fades, and more. Beware: it ruins other metals once in contact.
Silver
We know silver (sometimes) as sterling silver (sterling solves your tarnishing issue) in wedding rings. This big softie scratches and tarnishes quite easily, but runs far cheaper than its harder, loftier counterparts. As such, you’ll have to polish it every so often.
Titanium, Tungsten, and Cobalt
Titanium and tungsten: the yin and yang for metals. Titanium has lightness, both in mass and color. It also proves a bit more delicate, as it scratches often.
Tungsten runs darker plus heavier. It takes a lot more to scratch.
Want something a bit from both worlds? Then try cobalt. This shiny metal holds its own, quadruple harder than platinum. Furthermore, it resists fading and scratching.
Overall, choose your metal based on your lifestyle. For example, exposure to harsh chemicals or extensive physical labor indicates the need for a more durable metal.
Head Out in Style
Fortunately, you have a variety of different ring styles to choose from even if your lifestyle limits potential metals.
First, we have traditional channel rings, where you find diamonds set into a middle groove.
Next, we have a smaller, sleeker comfort fit. This fit rounds out (without diamonds) to snugly conform to your finger. You can most easily slip this ring on and off.
Piper wedding bands embody simplicity. They run straight, flat, plus often run smooth.
Pave wedding bands flash and clash. They contain several minuscule diamonds to glitter and create texture. These rings bring glitz and glam at affordable prices.
Prong-set bands offer the best of both worlds. They look simple except for one section with tiny prongs that hold diamonds/any other stones. These work well as accent pieces.
What’s the Best Way to Buy a Wedding Ring?
Ultimately, the best way to buy a wedding ring differs per couple. The couple must consider ring metal options, different ring styles, and wedding ring collections. Some go as far as to create a wedding ring profile.
Above all else, wedding rings symbolize their wearers. Wedding rings symbolize two persons’ love, faith, fidelity, and commitment towards each other. They also offer a glimpse into a couple’s lifestyle, personalities, and values.
Marriage unites, so why not put a ring on it?
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