If you are looking for wedding ring inspiration, the variety of design options can sometimes be overwhelming.

Modern, traditional or vintage style? Plain or diamond wedding ring? Silver, gold, or mixed metal?

Here are some of our top tips to get the balance right and choose your perfect wedding ring.

Get wedding ring inspiration - and soon!

A lot of time, effort and thought goes into the all-important engagement ring - how to choose, what to choose, how to show it off!

But on occasion, wedding rings can become something of an incidental along with all the other wedding details.

Don't forget to spend time early on in the process to get wedding ring inspiration. You don't have to finalise it straight away, but do allow ample time to choose your wedding rings.

If you are having your perfect ring made to order, it can take a number of weeks for the design, creation and setting of your ring. Especially if you choose a wedding ring with diamonds in it.

 

The perfect fit

Leave plenty of time to find your perfect combination

 

So why not spend time carefully choosing the style that will carry you through the years of your marriage, the ups and downs, the laughs and the tears.

After all, you'll wear your wedding ring every day for many years to come.

Top tip: Look at wedding ring styles while choosing an engagement ring - or very soon after. The engagement ring design will have a big influence on your best style of wedding band.

Set a healthy budget

Although a wedding ring can be one of the purchases you make further down the wedding planning road, keep aside a healthy budget aside.

It can be a good idea to put that amount away to keep it from being used to top up some other unexpected wedding day cost.

We completely agree that the details of the day are important. But when you think about the time spent getting married vs the time spent being married, the ring is one of the only physical items that lasts.

 

Wedding Budget shutterstock

Don't forget to set aside ample budget for wedding rings

 

Top tip: Set aside a little more than you want to spend. This keeps your options open in case you change your mind on the design.

Choose your metal

The natural tendency is to choose the same metal as your engagement ring is crafted from. This often makes sense, but mixed metal bands are also becoming more popular. It is a great idea to mix your metals if you like the contrast.

Especially if there is more than one metal on your engagement ring. Meghan Markle's yellow gold band with a platinum or white gold setting is the perfect example. This gives the option to go with either a gold or platinum band.

Yellow gold is the traditional choice, but white gold and platinum have become more popular for contemporary designs. Rose gold has also seen an increase in popularity in recent years, as has mixing and matching metals.

 

Wedding Rings Brown Newirth

Brown and Newirth Wedding Rings - one ring, so many options!

 

Top tip: Engrave the inside of a wedding band with a shared memory, the wedding date or initials. This is a wonderful way to personalise it and add to the symbolism.

Consider diamonds or other gemstones

Once upon a time, wedding bands were plain and more diamonds were reserved for the eternity ring.

But wedding rings with diamonds or other stones have become increasingly popular, for both men and women.

Is the traditional plain metal wedding band a thing of the past? Deifinitely not. But these days there are fewer rules about the style of rings exchanged on your wedding day.

A diamond-set wedding band can be a frosting to complement your engagement ring. It also looks more special when worn alone without your engagement ring.

 

Diamonds

Consider setting diamonds or gemstones in your wedding ring

 

And as a bonus, if an eternity ring is not on the cards any time soon, you can incorporate two meanings into the wedding band.

On the other hand, don't overpower your engagement ring with too much bling and sparkle. If you plan to have a diamond eternity band, two diamond bands may not go as well together as one plain and one stone-set, especially if the styles you have in mind are different.

In this case, a plain band could be the better choice. Small set stones can be difficult to keep clean, so if you have a messy job, diamonds may not be practical in your wedding band.

And what about other stones? Sapphire, yellow diamonds and morganite are now all popular choices to incorporate into engagement rings. They can be a main stone or a side detail. And if you are doing this, diamonds and other stones can also be lovely choices to incorporate into a wedding band.

Top tip: Keep an open mind about gemstones - you might surprise yourself!

Plan and design

Whilst the engagement and wedding ring should complement one another, they don't need to be exactly the same style. After all, the two rings are for two separate purposes and occasions.

What they do need to do is sit neatly together. This means it's a good idea to consider the wedding band when settling on an engagement ring, if possible.

A large, low set stone may leave a gap when fitting the wedding band. So it's important to consider what style of wedding ring will fit with it.

 

Wedding ring fit

Make sure your dream wedding ring will fit well with your engagement ring

 

Some engagement and wedding bands are designed to fit around one another. But if you are purchasing them separately, look for a band that is a similar width and height to the band of your engagement ring, to prevent gapping.

The best thing to do is to try on lots of different wedding ring styles with your engagement ring. You might love a style you've seen online, but when you get it on your hand it's not quite the style for you. Conversely, you can discover ideas you'd never thought of by trying on lots of different designs.

Top tip: If you are considering engraving your wedding band, a plain, flat inside edge is preferred. And the width is also important to ensure the engraving is large enough to be legible. A 3-6mm width is ideal.

Next steps after wedding ring inspiration

Read more about choosing an engagement ring in our inspirational blog or our all about wedding jewellery in our Wedding Jewellery Guide.

Browse our full collection of wedding jewellery here.

Our experienced staff are available from 10:00am to 5:00pm Monday to Saturday on 01702 480 898. Give us a call or drop in Leigh-on-Sea store to discuss your wedding ring needs, or just to get some inspiration from our wide range of sample wedding ring designs.