Understanding Wedding Band Etiquette
Getting married is an exciting time of life for a couple but also a time that involves significant planning. After the purchase of the engagement ring, the couple would need to choose the location of the wedding ceremony, decide on the wedding party, and buy invitations. To seal the marriage, the couple exchanges wedding bands and while this small piece of jewelry might seem straightforward, in truth, there are certain rules of etiquette that go along with the purchase of the engagement and wedding ring.
The following are just a few rules of wedding band etiquette that you can follow to make your special day better, more enjoyable, and less stressful. While some of the rules of etiquette might seem obvious, you would be amazed at how many people make wrong choices.
• Wedding bands should be a gift from one person to another, a special ring chosen with the future bride and/or groom in mind. Therefore, if one party had purchased wedding bands for a prior relationship that fell apart, the old set should never be used for the upcoming ceremony, no matter what.
• Traditionally, the man in the relationship picks out and pays for his fiancé’s engagement ring. While she might provide the correct ring size and give him some ideas as to preferred style, type of metal, and cut of the diamond, ultimately, the man makes the decision based on his budget.
• If the couple getting married is more contemporary, they may shop for the engagement and wedding rings together. However, the bride’s ring is considered the lead, meaning the couple generally chooses the man’s ring to match perfectly or simply a wedding ring that complements the style of the woman’s ring.
• Diamonds are in fact a woman’s best friend but today, engagement rings are designed with a variety of stones. Therefore, the engagement ring could be adorned solely with a diamond, it could have diamonds of several cuts, the ring might be made with a diamond and another precious gem, or the bride may prefer an engagement ring made without a diamond, choosing her favorite precious gem instead.
• Many women wear other rings and various pieces of jewelry along with the engagement ring so if she prefers white gold to yellow gold, the engagement ring should match her normal preference. If the bride to be has dainty hands, chances are she wears smaller pieces of jewelry so again, the engagement ring should not be too large or gaudy.
• Although many women fail to return an engagement ring if wedding plans fall through, proper etiquette states that the ring is a gift based on a promise of marriage so if the marriage never happens for whatever reason, the woman’s ring is to be returned to the man.
• In Western culture, the bride’s engagement ring is worn on her left hand index finger after being proposed to but during the wedding ceremony, she would move the ring to her right hand index finger. Once the wedding band is placed on her left hand, the engagement ring would then be returned to that same hand, sitting in front of the wedding ring. The best way to remember this is after becoming husband and wife, the woman wants the wedding band to be located nearest her heart.
• Sometimes, the man will present his fiancé with a family heirloom for an engagement ring but together, it would need to be determined if she would wear the ring for life or if it would be worn until their future child gets married, at which time the ring would be passed down to another generation.
• Although this is not done as often as it once was, a woman can present her new fiancé with a signet ring after receiving the engagement ring.
• For the wedding bands, generally the man pays for the woman’s engagement and wedding band whereas the woman pays for the man’s wedding band. However, some couples will purchase bands together but either way is acceptable.
