Peter and I are in full wedding planning mode right now and despite all of the wedding rings we’ve looked at, I still can’t find the one. Peter wants a simple band, but we’re still unsure about the metal. I’m a little wary about tungsten since I’ve heard that if you jam your finger you cut off the finger–not the ring. What did you and your hubby do for wedding bands? Did you get a band that matched your engagement ring? Did you stick with a ring from the family? Or maybe you wanted something completely different. So far I’m leaning toward one that would match the diamonds along my ring or a simple band. But lately I’ve found myself stalking the emerald cut band on the bottom of this picture.
{Found on A Cup of Jo from St. Kilda}
Isn’t it gorgeous? I think it might compliment my ring without being too matchy-matchy. So my question is, what did you do in respect to wedding rings that you’re really happy about? Did you have them engraved? Did you go with something so simple that you don’t have to worry about taking it off to paint? Do you wish you had done something else? Maybe rose gold was really hot and now you’re wishing you’d stayed with something a little more traditional. (This is my fear about rose gold.) Please tell or just link to your wedding ring related posts. I’ve tried to set up a MckLinky. Let’s see if it works.
{McLinky disabled}
I unfortunately don’t have a post related to my wedding band and can’t participate with your linking party, but my band and ring were made by a local jeweler that is carried by the Solomon Brothers near Lee’s work. She creates beautiful vintage looking rings with filigree engraving details so that each ring is classic with just a twist of detail. I at first looked at other bands from other jewelers and companies but eventually found my way back to Alisa because the band made to accompany my engagement ring was so perfect.
Here are the two points I’d consider. First, I’d make sure to pick out a band that can stand alone. One friend got a wedding band that has notches cut out to fit around her square diamonds. While the two rings look great together, when she was pregnant and could only wear her wedding band, it looked very odd…like a staircase. So, you might want to find a wedding ring that can look just as fabulous for those days when you can’t (or don’t want to) wear two rings.
The other advice I’d give is to actually try on every wedding band with your engagement ring. Since my diamond is a classic round diamond, I thought it would be a piece of cake to find a wedding band that went well with it. But as soon as you start trying on the rings together, you are suddenly surprised that things you were certain would look great with your ring maybe don’t mesh as well. Maybe the rings don’t rest on each other well enough or maybe there’s some element that is clashing with the other ring, or maybe they’re just too much together. I’d go ahead and try on both rings together, hold them up to the mirror, etc. and look at them thoroughly to make sure they looked perfectly together.
Whew! Sorry for the long response! Your engagement ring is absolutely gorgeous and I can’t wait what you decide to pair it with!
P.S. – Lee really wanted a platinum ring since my ring is platinum, but I think Heather’s husband went with titanium and not only was it a great price, but he loves it as well.
I adore that emerald cut ring you’re looking at!! I agree with everything Meg said. Definitely make sure you like it enough to stand alone and don’t worry about it being super matchy – just try a ton of rings on WITH your engagement ring and wait for one that speaks to you. I thought I knew exactly what I wanted, but when I saw a number of rings actually on my finger, it finally came together.
And I would research the tungstan thing – I think there are a few urban myths floating around about that. My husband did not chose to get platinum like my ring. He wanted something darker and chose titanium. We talked the jeweler about the ring’s “break points” for safety and he was great at explaining exactly what would happen to his particular ring if there was an accident or something. I was shocked at how affordable it was and it was by far his favorite. It’s super light and he knows he’s not responsible for some super expensive piece of jewelry, which was a plus for him. To some people, it’s very important for their bands to match; it was more important to us to both have rings WE loved, as the wearer. But, that’s obviously a totally personal decision! I don’t have a post about our rings, but I’ll link up a photo (it’s in the middle of the post).
Good luck – let us know what you decide and ENJOY!
What an adorable combo! We had a budgett that we were trying to stick to. My grandma handed down a ring that I turned into my band. We found my hubby’s at Macy’s on clearance. He didn’t want anything fancy and was happy with his choice. Both of ours were white gold. My engagment ring was an emerald with diamonds along the band. It kind of matches, but not totally.
This is really great advice Meg! Your ring sounds absolutely beautiful. I really wanted filigree engraving rather than more diamonds because I love the look and wanted my two rings to be very different, but every engraved ring I try on looks strange with my ring. It’s so weird how you think you know exactly what you want and then you don’t.
The advice that you and Heather are giving about making sure it looks good on its own is really great. I’m hoping that one day it will just click and I’ll know exactly what I want. I guess its a bit more complicated than that. I’m so used to seeing my engagement ring on its own that now every time I see it with something else it looks so strange.
Heather- the rings that yall chose are beautiful! Peter and I don’t care about our rings matching, we just each want something that we like. It’s hard enough as it is. Titanium seems like it might be a good choice for him. Hopefully I can try on the emerald cut diamond band when I get out to NYC in April. I’ll keep you guys posted.
Thanks again!!!
That’s awesome Danielle! Peter and I almost bought his ring months ago when a huge jewelery store was closing and their prices were cut really low. In the end we didn’t because we hadn’t tried many on at that point, but it would have been a great choice. It’s so sweet that you were able to use your grandmother’s band. You’re lucky to be able to choose a band that is already meaningful as the symbol of one of the most meaningful promises you’ll ever make!
Jamie Lee,
It will totally come together and yes, it is way hard to get used to it with another ring after seeing the engagement ring on its own for so long! But one day the ring will look weird without the wedding band. It’s funny how it suddenly flips like that! And just like everything else, you’ll find it and it will all come together!
Oh, and just to clarify, Lee wasn’t really concerned about us matching, he just wanted a really nice platinum band too. Since he’d heard all of the great benefits of platinum when he was ring shopping, he wanted one for himself too. I at first was like, “Don’t you want something cheaper that you don’t have to worry about?” and he was like, “This isn’t 1/10 of your ring’s cost! I want something nice too since it’s going to last forever!” You can’t really argue with that (even though I wouldn’t have minded a smaller bill)!
Meg- my brother was like that when he got married. He wanted the band to last forever and loved the way that platinum aged. When Peter and I first started looking at rings I wanted him to get a platinum one as well. Not so we’d match but because I thought it was the nicest white metal option. But Peter would be happy with a plain silver ring. There is definitely some compromise that will have to follow. I want him to have whatever he wants but I think he should get something more durable than silver!
I’m not going to be any help (no rings here) BUT I must say that I bookmarked that same picture last week when I saw that amazing emerald band! Get one and let me live through you
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Isn’t it beautiful Kasey?! So, supposedly they sell the designer’s jewelry at Eliza Paige on second, but when I went there they had never heard of the designer. I’m going to go to Brooklyn when I go to NYC in April and see if they have it in store for me to try on. Also, (in case you care) according to many jewelers that I talked to when looking for my e-ring, diamond bands are never supposed to be re-sized. It messes up the angles that the ring was made with and the diamonds are never as secure. I have pretty small fingers so buying it online would be a bad idea. I could have one made by a local jeweler (which would be cheaper) but I REALLY want to try it on before I commission it. Arghh! If I do buy it then I will post tons of pictures for everyone to see. Sorry, this is probably more information than you ever wanted to know.
Jamie Lee:
Ahh…the great wedding ring decision…I agree with the advice everyone else has given, but I would like to submit a couple of other thoughts for your consideration.
I ,too, struggled searching for “the one” perfect ring and what to do with the whole engagement-vs-wedding ring issue. Then, I had an epiphany that changed my approach: I realized that, while the engagement period is relatively short, the marriage should last the rest of my life. This changed my perspective and I could focus on the one ring that could last forever!
So, Dan and I selected a wonderful diamond, which I wore in a plain “solitaire” setting throughout our engagement, then I focused on designing THE ring.
After searching every jewelry store in Chicagoland (it seemed), I found elements I liked, but not a ring I totally loved. I was describing my frustration to the upteenth jeweler who handed me a piece of paper and a pencil. She asked me to draw rings that were “close” to what I was seeking. We put our heads together and in about 5 minutes, a sketch emerged and she said, “Well, I can make you that!”
Having a ring designed was not nearly as intimidating as I thought it would be. They made me a wax model to try on to make sure everything looked like I imagined, then we had the final ring made of gold, and mounted my beautiful diamond into it as the centerpiece. (It was weird going without my ring the week of the wedding…)
For Dan’s ring, we found a simple gold band that copied the unusual diagonal lines of my ring and, um….”borrowed” the idea, having our jeweler make his band too.
We did have our initials and the date engraved in our bands, and every once in a while (usually on our anniversary) I will slip my ring off, look at the inscription, and wonder at all the blessings we have been given through the years.
Don’t worry so much about elements of your ring going out of style. Every shape of diamond, and every type of metal will go in and out of style over the years…you will drive yourself crazy with that stuff.
Design rings that you and Peter LOVE–that will be the important thing long-term.
I can’t wait to hear what you come up with!
Oh, I don’t know what they call it now but, if you do get “bands” of any width, I highly recommend what they used to call “comfort bands”. That’s where they contour the back of the band so that it is not so bulky on the back of your finger.
This is especially helpful for guys who may not have been big “jewelry wearers” prior to getting married. It’s much easier to grow accustomed to the new accessory if it is not uncomfortable!
Wow, thanks Lisa. This is also great advice. I’ll keep you all updated on the search. I’m a very visual person so I’m hoping to try on the band of emerald cut diamonds when I’m in NYC. I think that’ll help point me in the direction of having that one made or going with something more traditional!!