You have the beautiful engagement ring on your finger, and you begin the planning process, but you’ve reached the point where you need to look into buying the wedding bands. Everyone has a slightly different perspective about who buys the wedding bands, but we’re here to guide you with some things to think about during the process.
DID YOU KNOW?
The “wedding band”, which suggests the wearer is married, dates back to ancient times of Greece and Rome, and as far back as ancient Egypt, where they found evidence of braided rings made of hemp and reeds. This is also *allegedly* the origin of wearing the ring on the third finger on the left hand, which is where the Vena Amoris vein was and the special vein that led to the heart. It wasn’t until the 17-19th C. that we got to see some super creative rings, like the Gimmal Ring or Joint Ring , Poesie Rings and Puzzle Rings.
So now! Here are 3 things to think about when buying the wedding bands:
Who buys the bands?
Traditionally speaking – the Groom would buy the engagement ring, and her wedding band. The Bride would buy his wedding band. However, it’s 2020. This is a complex question. There are some engaged couples out there who might be more mature and have been together for an extended period of time, and share all expenses. Including the cost of rings! There is the opposite end of the spectrum. Engaged couples who don’t have shared expenses or live apart till marriage. They could purchase each other’s rings. Either way works, but you’re going to need a band for the day! Keep in mind to keep an open communication when buying your wedding bands.
What type of bands d0 you want?
Consider what style of band you both want. Do you want to be ‘matchy-matchy’, or complimentary but different? Consider what type of material you’d like the bands to be made of. Ladies bands are often a more delicate material or deciding between the colour of the gold. However, the options for men’s bands has grown since the plain gold band! Not only in gold, but platinum, palladium, tungsten, titanium, silver, and silicon. Some jewellers mix mediums, such as wood with metal. The options are endless. Even etsy has a whole world of wedding bands.
What’s your budget?
This goes back to the original question of who buys the bands, but what type of budget do you have? Are you sharing the costs of wedding items, or paying for the rings separately? Think of other bigger picture items! Are you planning on going on an epic 6 month honeymoon, or hoping to have a huge wedding, or saving to buy a house? You can have an elegant wedding band without breaking the bank, if you have other plans. If you’re both on the same page and want to bling it up, then strap on those sunglasses, cuz those bands are going to be bright!!
Listen in to our podcast @theweddingsession, Episode 9. Who buys the wedding bands. We dive deep into this conversation about the wedding band, who buys them and even share some personal stories!