Your wedding band is one of the most important pieces of jewelry you’ll ever shop for. It’s a big part of your big day as well as the rest of your life. So don’t take shopping for one lightly! Here are some tips to help you make the best decisions while shopping for your band.
Get Started Yesterday
If you’re reading this and haven’t started actually searching for the perfect wedding bands yet, then that’s exactly what you should do the moment you finish reading. OK, so if your wedding is a year or more off, you actually have some time to dilly-dally still, but the point is that you don’t want to wait until the last minute on this one. You need time to try on different rings, compare prices, revisit ones you liked, finalize your decision and have any engravings or other customizations completed. Start your search at least two or three months before the wedding.
But Don’t Rush It
Part of why you want to start early on the shopping is that you don’t want to have to blaze through everything and make hasty decisions. Take some time to talk things over with the jewelers, consider options that weren’t originally at the top of your list and don’t forget about comfortability. Right now you’re probably thinking most about what’s going to look best on your big day, but while that is important, you’re going to be wearing this band for life. Make sure you find something that feels as good as it looks.
Because You Need to Think Long Term
If you’re going to be wearing something on your finger for the rest of forever, you don’t want it to be uncomfortable, no matter how good it looks. But you also don’t want it to be super trendy today, because that just means it will be super dated tomorrow. This ring needs to last through an entire lifetime of daily grinds, weekend adventures, vacations and even retirement. Pick something out that you can see yourself still wearing four decades from now. That’s hard to think about, we know, but keep in mind that you can always upgrade it with diamonds or make other changes down the road.
And You Should Think About the Pairing
If you’re still just dating and haven’t gotten a gorgeous cubic zirconia engagement ring yet, then you should think about getting your wedding band and cubic zirconia engagement ring together. Knowing what bands are going to pair well with what engagement rings can assist you in making the decision on each. If you’re going with a really unique engagement ring, then you should match it with a no-frills band, but if you’re thinking about a classic beauty of an engagement ring, then you should consider matching it with a diamond pave band. And if you’re going to wear both rings together, then you’ll want a contour or shadow band made to interlock with the matching engagement ring. Alternatively, if you think you’ll wear them separately, then you’ll want a flashier band that will look beautiful with or without the engagement ring.
Make Sure the Quality Is There
This one kind of goes without saying for any piece of jewelry, but it’s important enough that we’re going to go ahead and say it anyway: make sure you’re getting the quality of ring you think you’re getting. Inside the band there should be a quality mark and a manufacturer’s trademark. This is your proof that the piece was made by whom you think it was and that they made it with the quality the jeweler is telling you they did. And if your ring has more than one metal in it, make sure you find a separate quality mark for each one.
But Also Think About the Money
What’s your budget look like for wedding bands? If you don’t know, then you need to figure it out. Prices can range anywhere from a few hundred bucks for a plain 14-karat gold band to thousands for a platinum band with diamonds and/or engravings. So if you want to add flourishes like that, be sure to factor it into your budget.
Don’t Be Afraid to Mix Things Up
If one of you loves yellow gold but the other can’t stand it, don’t be afraid to mix metals or even styles. It’s totally fine to have two completely different looking wedding bands. Or if that’s not what you want, then consider compromising with braided bands blending two metals together. Each of your bands should be uniquely your own. Though there should be at least one element about them both that matches, this can be as simple as engravings, allowing you the freedom to otherwise mix things up and get exactly what you want.
Get Sized at the Right Time
You’ll be wearing these bands at all times, so they need to fit when your fingers swell or contract. Don’t get measured right after you work out (your fingers will be swollen), right when you wake up (your fingers retain salt from the night before) or when you’re very hot or cold (can cause expansions or contraction).