Strangely, a lot of people find this blog because they’re trying to figure out what the difference is between an engagement ring and a wedding ring. I guess this shouldn’t be much of a surprise because during Peter’s and my engagement I talked about rings a lot (read more about my engagement ring here or my wedding ring search here and here). Basically, an engagement ring is a ring that symbolizes your promise to marry someone, whereas a wedding ring symbolizes the promise that you’re making to one another when you get married.
Engagement rings can look however you want them to. Usually in the United States, an engagement ring is a diamond ring, but many couples opt for different stones or no stone at all.
Traditionally, a wedding ring is a solid band, but many women choose to pick out diamond bands.
(All images via Tiffany & Co)
So, that’s a quick breakdown for any of you who’ve been curious! I hope it helps.
Us being married may seem like old news but yesterday Peter finally got his wedding ring!!! That’s right, more than three weeks after our wedding my husband’s wedding ring came in. We ordered it months before the ceremony from Kruger’s Jewelers in Austin. Peter and I were happy to support a local business and Larry, the man helping us assured us that it would only take two days for his ring to come in. And sure enough that’s about what happened. I think it took more than two days but it arrived pretty quickly. Except Larry measured Peter’s finger incorrectly and so the ring didn’t fit. So, he ordered the next size up and we were all confident that the ring would arrive in time. That is until time started ticking down and down. Peter and I started calling every single day and then finally the day before the wedding we showed up at the store. Larry was unapologetic that the ring hadn’t arrived, and quite frankly I was furious because of Kruger’s lack of customer service. So, after Larry suggested spitting on the ring that didn’t fit during the ceremony, I did the only thing I could think of and insisted that they lend us something that could work. In all of our photos Peter donned the substitute.
But now he has this!!
The ring is made of titanium. Peter likes the comfortable fit, light weight, and inexpensive price tage that comes along with titanium. There’s something about seeing him wear a wedding ring that strangely makes us both feel more married.
Here’s an action shot of him and the ring feeling frustrated while on the phone with Priceline.
Yes, I realize we should clean and pick up that tissue paper behind the couch. Actually, I think I’ll go do that right now!
I finally picked a wedding ring. I agonized over it here and I really thought that I would get this one, but in the end I chose something different.
That photo is a tad bit hard to analyze, so let’s zoom in on my hand today. You’ll notice that I’ve nixed the bridal pink polish and went for something a little more Halloween-y.
I picked an eternity band that accentuated the circular shape of each diamond. On my engagement ring, all of the diamonds line up in such a way that it looks like each side is flat. This ring forms a sort of wave. Together they compliment one another but they look different.
I liked the differentiation because it reminded me of the difference between each the engagement and the marriage. The two promises compliment each other, but still mean something different. Today I received the last of my rings.
Before we left for the honeymoon I wanted to get a travel ring. I picked the silver ring above, but unfortunately the first one I received didn’t fit. I needed something that was appropriate to wear for traveling, thrifting, volunteering, or jury duty. This plain tiny band is just a single silver stacking ring from the Etsy seller Proteales. I think it’s perfect.
And just for fun, here’s one more ring picture.
I’ll tell you all about Peter’s ring when he eventually gets it. The ring he wore in all of the photos was jus a stand in. The vendor apparently got really backed up with orders and two weeks after the fact we still haven’t received it. It’s a bit of a sore spot around here.
I finally got a chance to get to Brooklyn and try on the wedding ring that I fell in love with by St. Kilda. The result? I’m still not sure what I want. It’s even prettier in person than it is in the shot I captured with my iphone. I like it a lot, but I don’t love it. What are your thoughts?
If you’re in the Park Slope area you should try to stop by their shop. The luxe interior and beautiful pieces of jewelry are worth the trip.
(As always, please ignore my chipped nail polish.)
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}
