In this day and age, traditional wedding practices are often getting thrown out the window. The same can be said for engagement rings and wedding bands! So, what’s the difference between an engagement ring and a wedding band? First of all, an engagement ring is given to a person when they become engaged. When the couple gets married, they exchange their wedding bands at the ceremony. Traditionally, you wear the wedding band inside the engagement ring so that it's closer to your heart.
Okay, let’s talk about the actual jewelry. Traditional engagement rings typically have one dominant stone, which either stands alone or is surrounded by additional smaller stones. By contrast, a wedding ring is traditionally a plain metal band or a diamond-encrusted eternity band. Typically, there's a fairly significant price difference between engagement rings and wedding rings; even if the wedding band has inlaid diamonds or other gemstones, their total carat weight is generally less than that of the engagement ring.
So, what are people doing to throw out traditions? First and foremost, brides are having more of a say in the choice and design of their rings. And not only are they parting with tradition, but they're opting for wedding bands with more flair! This can mean picking a wedding band with a higher carat weight or custom creating a clustered band.
Another way brides are rewriting traditions is by wearing their wedding band on their marriage finger and wearing the engagement ring on their right hand. Some brides are even doing stacks of rings. So, they do two wedding bands to stack with their engagement ring in the middle.
If you’re more of a classic kind of bride or groom, popular styles include
A classic band. This is metal only, and very simple, which can be a statement in its own way!
An eternity band, which is covered in diamonds all around the ring.
A pave wedding band has smaller diamonds that can encircle all around the ring, ¾ or ½ way. Whatever you prefer!
The twist wedding band. This is a fun way to inch your foot into the non-traditional side of things, but keep your wedding band style mostly classic.
The bottom line is that there is no right or wrong decision in choosing what you want. You can wear none, one, two, three, or ten rings. Just remember that the ring (or rings) you choose to wear symbolize your love and marriage. As long as they have meaning for you for many years to come, nothing else matters!