Wedding rings are one of those things that have very little to do with the wedding, but a lot to do with the marriage. These are the rings that will symbolize our vows to each other–we’ll have them forever. J and I haven’t been obsessing over finding the perfect rings, but we have visited countless jewelry shops in search of the perfect ring. Well, actually J was easy–he just wants a simple white gold 5mm band. Done. (Boys have it so easy sometimes!) In addition, if you are looking for the perfect engagement ring, you may visit sites like https://gemaandco.com/collections/moissanite-hidden-halo-engagement-rings for different engagement ring options.
My ring, however, was a lot harder to find.
Every time we visited a jewelry shop, the rings just didn’t look right next to my engagement ring. They were either too thin, too thick, too sparkly, too expensive, too antique-looking, or the salesman rubbed me the wrong way. After the seventh (eighth?) jewelry shop, we decided we should probably go back to the place where J purchased my engagement ring.
This past Saturday we went to the shop and tried on wedding rings. The second ring I tried on was gorgeous… a channel setting with tiny little diamonds. Not too gaudy, but it looked absolutely beautiful next to my engagement ring. Each ring I tried on afterwords I compared to that ring. I even tried on a ring that I loved to find out it was the exact same setting! I knew that meant it must be the one. When it came to the price, it just so happened that this weekend the store had its first sale in the last 40 years (fate, anyone??), so my original $459 ring ended up costing us $290.* Cha-ching!!
For those who are married, what kind of wedding ring do you have?
Do you have anything engraved on the inside? (We decided on just our wedding date.)
I have to confess…I got my wedding band at a Limited for about $30.
I hold no sentimental significance towards my wedding ring, and I wanted something cheap for now while we’re paying off our student loans. It looks very nice, actually, and matches my engagement ring quite well. I don’t expect this to be the ring I wear forever, so when we’re in a different financial situation, I’ll get a “real” ring. Or maybe I won’t — I wouldn’t be surprised if in the long run, I don’t wear a ring at all. I’m not much of a jewelry person.
I hold more of an attachment to my engagement ring, which was crafted by someone on Etsy to my specifications. Even so, it cost us $60 and doesn’t look like an engagement ring — the center stone is an amethyst (my favorite).
The ring discussion is understandably touchy — it’s the only outward manifestation that something has changed, and unfortunately people do judge your relationship by the size, color, and cut of your ring. It’s the first thing they ask to see! Not a picture of your intended, but a representation of the money he spent. It’s crazy.
That said, I do like pretty things! Someday when I wouldn’t be calculating student loan payments I could be making with that ring, I’ll get a pretty one that I AM attached to.
@Little Miss Moneybags – Ha, I wish we had only spent $30 on our ring! And there’s something so sweet about getting just what you can afford–getting married is quite expensive! Our wedding rings were one of the wedding items that we felt strongly on not skimping out on since it is such a permanent thing. And I completely agree about judging based on the ring… I find myself guilty of that sometimes as well!!! Good luck as you’re paying of your debt! I’m sure one day all the hard work will pay off and you’ll find yourself getting a lovely ring. :)
Considering current gold prices, that sounds like a very good deal. Congrats!
We did only one ring instead of the engagement/wedding ring combo. It was more me. We were able to get a beautiful ring with eight tiny dimonds in a channel setting for about $600. We received an old ring from my MIL and transfered the main diamond to my ring saving us alot of money. Plus the back story is always a crowd pleaser.
When my Daughter was married this time last month, her Brother-in-Law who is training to be a Jeweler, had made the rings. And gave them to them in a wedding present.
I’m only doing one ring, the engagement ring. I love it so much, and I’d rather save money towards other parts of the wedding/honeymoon.
He wants a simple band, so we’ll just get his ring. We’re both thinking that a wedding ring will be added down the road…probably as an anniversary gift once we get more settled financially.
*sigh* You are making me feel old.
We will be married 13 years next month. The trend at that time was yellow gold, no diamonds in the wedding band. We have matching rings. They are thin (5mm, maybe 6 I think), diamond cut all the way around.
And they are engraved “Truly, Madly, Deeply”
I would like a channel set anniversary, white gold band. 1-1.5 carats. Princess cut diamonds. As much as I would like to wear my engagement ring, wedding ring, and the anniversary band together, it isn’t possible. My yellow wedding band would glare. And I looked into having it dipped, and was advised against it because of the ridges.
So, we are “hoping” to be debt free by our 15th anniversary, and would like to renew our vows, with new rings. We never took a honeymoon, so this would also be the honeymoon we never had.
I would also say that some ladies (like this one) don’t necessarily want a diamond. There actually are some of us who covet original engagement rings. My engagement ring is an Edwardian citrine that may look like a cocktail ring to a lot of folks, but is my pride and joy.