I wanted to discuss the reasons behind the different "ring" decisions, so I emailed some readers asking what they decided to do and why.
After reading their answers I decided I couldn't put it any better myself… so I didn't.
I plan on only having an engagement ring, at least for a few years because it is cheaper to buy one bigger engagement ring than two smaller rings. Also, many people get the rings soldered together anyway, so I like the idea of just one bigger ring right off the bat. Most newly wed couples don't have tons of extra money anyways, so the less you spend on a ring in the beginning, the better. Get a wedding band for the 5 or 10 year anniversary if you really want one. Always live within your means. If you can't afford it, don't get it. A bigger ring is a luxury, not a necessity. The ring itself is what has meaning, not the size or how many bands. A circle is never ending, and represents the never ending love between the two bearing the rings. It represents eternity and fidelity. It says, to the world, that you are taken by someone else. I like the idea of a ring exchange/ceremony outside of the temple because it is very traditional and it gives a way for those friends and family who were not able to be there for the temple ceremony to feel like they were a part of the wedding. It is a beautiful tradition to show the commitment between man and wife. I am sure that I will probably exchange rings in the temple as well, but I definitely want my other friends and family to be there with me, too.
-M
I will have an Engagement ring AND wedding band one day... hopefully by our first anniversary or maybe sooner. We have to have it costumed made to fit my tiny fingers, and to match with my ring. So Justin and I decided we would just have to wait until after we get married to figure it out. But I do hope to have one, one day.
I want a band because its a symbol of marriage. And engagement ring can sometimes just appear as a pretty ring worn on that finger but when someone sees and pretty ring with a band you know she's married. (And its a great sign to keep other guys AWAY!)
-A
I had both an engagement ring and wedding band. My engagement ring was made by my husband’s grandfather who was a jeweler in Colombia. It was a very simple solitaire shaped into a V-point towards the tip of my finger. It fit well with a simple gold wedding band. My second wedding I have a much more elaborate white gold 4-diamond solitaire, with pave diamonds surrounding it down the sides of the band, and an intricate engraved look to it…sort of an old English style. I’ve never been able to find a wedding band that complemented it well enough to buy it. Anything I’ve found has actually taken away from the beauty of the ring. However, I wonder if because I don’t have a wedding band I’ve been mistaken for only being engaged.
-C
I would like to have a ring and band. I will have a ring ceremony to kick off the reception, 99% of my family are non-members and they would be very upset if they could not see some form of ceremony. I don't think ring ceremonies should be too short or too long. Especially if the family members are not church members. They are going to want to feel a part of the wedding. Too short and they will feel gypped, like they mean nothing. I think the ring exchange should be of the band , not the engagement ring.
-L
I opted to not get a wedding band because I just liked my ring plain the way it was, but people kept asking me WHEN I was getting married and I got tired of telling them I was already married, so couple of months later Kevin bought me a band because he was more tired of people asking me if I was married or not, and he wanted people to know that I was already taken!!!
-C
As for me, I have both an engagement ring, AND a wedding band. I'm a convert to the Church and I guess I always imagined having both. I never considered any other way.
What are your thoughts / wedding ring plans?
*All images by Paige + Blake*
I've had a number of brides foregoe wedding bands (and none of them were LDS, coincidentally). For me, I have been seeing it as a trend like the other women said- it's less expensive to invest in just one ring, and then they are able to focus the money they do have allocated for a ring into buying a bigger and better engagement ring. Most of the brides that I've had that have done this though have skipped a wedding band because they felt it didn't go with their engagement ring- that the e-ring was so ornate or oddly shaped that they either hadn't been able to find something to go with it, or they didn't bother trying and just opted for just the one ring.
ReplyDeleteFor me... I will want two. An engagement ring is a symbol of the question posed- "Will you marry me" And your answer of "yes." The wedding ring seals in that promise and represents the marriage itself. The pairing of the two rings, for me anyway, is a symbol of the entire relationship: you are my past and my future.
I do know that the ring I want will probably be difficult to match with a wedding band (you know whose ring I want!!!), but if need be I will have it custom made.
I have an E-ring and the wedding band. I looked online at bridal sets so it wasn't too hard to match them together. Nobody in my family has both the E-ring and the band , but I couldn't imagine not having both.
ReplyDeleteI have an engagement ring and two wedding bands, one for each ceremony. I'm a convert and we were married five months after my baptism and sealed eight months after our wedding. My engagement ring is a 3/4 carat raised princess cut sapphire solitaire in platinum, the bands are just simple 2mm white gold bands. My husband also has 3 bands designed to match mine but with no stone. The only thing I wish I had changed is the fact that my rings are different metals. It costs a pretty penny extra to resize multiple metals and we have needed to resize several times due to the effects of pregnancy and moving to different climates on my fingers.
ReplyDeleteRight now, I only wear my engagement ring, but the bands are very meaningful to me.
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ReplyDeleteI bet that just burns jewelers in Utah that so many Mormon couples do that. So much lost revenue.Then again, they probably lose a lot of revenue due to extremely frugal couples in the area anyway. By the way, what is a triangle-cut diamond called?
ReplyDelete