How to Choose a Wedding Band for Your Engagement Ring

Consider that you may want to wear your wedding band alone sometimes, such as when you travel. In this case, you want to make sure that you like how your wedding band looks by itself. Some clients make the mistake of creating the perfect engagement ring and wedding band set, but when the two rings are separated, they don’t actually like how their wedding band looks.

A question many people find themselves asking is whether they want something with diamonds, or something more minimalistic. We recommend trying on both styles and keeping an open mind. You’ll want to put your lifestyle and occupation into consideration. If you are very active, work with your hands, or travel a lot, you may want a low maintenance band that you can wear all of the time without having to fuss about cleaning or fear losing your ring. Something simple, without diamonds, can be both timeless and practical.

Don't be afraid to be creative with your wedding band. Pick a style that both compliments your engagement ring, but also lets your personality shine through. A wedding band need not be plain!

One approach is a very coordinated, matching look between the engagement ring and wedding ring. However, you can also go the opposite route and create a bit of contrast. Adding a new element, such as milgrain, or different shapes of diamonds, will add interest and enhance your engagement ring.

This will determine whether or not a straight wedding band will fit flush with your engagement ring. If your basket is low to the finger (see below example on left), then a standard wedding band will bump against your center stone basket and create a gap. Some clients like this gap, but for others, this drives them absolutely insane. If you are in the latter camp, then we recommend trying a curved band. If your center stone basket is raised like in the example to the right below, then you have many more options to choose from, and both straight and curved bands could work for you.  

When it comes to metal, do you want to match, or do you want to mix it up? We find that those with a more classic sensibility tend to keep the metal the same, but it’s also fun to experiment with different metal pairings. One of our personal favorite combos is the warm hue of rose gold next to white gold or platinum. If you wear rings of various metals in addition to your engagement ring and wedding band, a mixed wedding set is definitely worth considering.

Many people like the idea of adding new bands to their original wedding set to mark an anniversary, or the birth of a child. If a stacked ring set is something you’d like to do in the future, keep that in mind when trying on wedding bands. More than likely, you’ll find several combinations that work beautifully together.