Have you ever wondered how to pick the perfect wedding ring? I mean, we all know that wedding rings are an important part of most wedding ceremonies but have you ever wondered what the difference is between engagement rings and wedding rings? Do you even need a wedding ring? If you do, then how much should you spend on a wedding ring? That’s a thing, right? How do people even know these things?!
Short of being the best Las Vegas Wedding Chapel, you may not think about these things until you decide to go out and propose to somebody! Luckily, we have you covered. So where should you even start?
Decide on What YOU Want
Full disclosure, we’ll mostly talk about traditional wedding ring etiquette. While traditions make great guidelines, they are just that, guidelines. So if when you picture your dream engagement, it strays from the traditions, that’s 100% okay!
Engagement vs Wedding Rings
Yes, there is a difference between engagement rings and wedding rings. While it’s not necessary to buy both, it’s a tradition that one ring is used for the proposal, and then wedding bands are exchanged during the wedding ceremony. Engagement rings tend to be more extravagant and more expensive mostly due to the fact they have are typically a higher carat than the stones that are inlaid on the wedding bands— if any.
Choosing the Right Metal for a Wedding Ring
Choosing the right metal for your wedding ring can be a tough choice to make! While traditionally gold has been used in wedding proposals, there are plenty of metals out there that are suitable and popular alternatives for gold wedding rings. The big 3 include platinum, gold, and silver.
Platinum is a rare metal, even rarer than gold! In fact, platinum is about 30 times rarer than gold. Because of this, it is an expensive metal, but it is highly sought after due to the fact that it doesn’t tarnish or scratch!
Gold is probably the most common metal that you’ll find used for wedding rings due to the simple fact that they look incredible and they are the most traditional of the ring metals. Apart from the yellow-gold color that you associate with gold, the material can be mixed with alloys to impact the color. So white gold and rose gold are incredibly popular too!
Finally, sterling silver is the other very common wedding ring material. Silver is soft and more affordable than gold so it is a popular choice for wedding rings.
Additionally, other popular metals include cobalt, stainless steel, titanium, and tungsten.
Do You Need a Diamond?
The short answer to this is: no. The long answer is that diamonds are traditional but today there are so many different stones to choose from (that are more aesthetically great looking and also more affordable) that the possibilities are really endless. It’s increasingly more common to stray away from diamonds and choose cubic zirconia, birthstones, and their favorite gemstones in general!