Engagement Ring vs. Wedding Ring: What Is the Difference?
Have you been talking about marriage with your significant other lately? Are you planning an elaborate surprise proposal? Or do you mutually agree that now is the right time to tie the knot?
If so, you're probably thinking about engagement and wedding rings a lot. What kind of ring will she like? What can you afford? Well, you're in luck. Daniel's Jewelers has been specializing in helping people find the perfect ring at a price they can afford. We want to give you all the information you need so you can make the best decision possible when purchasing rings for this important moment in your life.
So, let's jump in and talk about what engagement and wedding rings traditionally mean, some options when buying them, and how they are traditionally worn.
What Are the Differences Between Wedding Rings and Engagement Rings?
The circular shape of engagement and wedding rings are a traditional symbol of eternity because a circle has no end. However, there are some major differences in an engagement ring vs. a wedding ring.
Engagement Rings
Engagement rings usually include one or more diamonds, but they can also feature colored gems. The band is often worked into complex shapes, or the setting behind the main diamond or other gem is more exciting and intricate than on simpler wedding bands.
Engagement rings are often designed to entice and excite the bride and are given when she has accepted a marriage proposal. It's also something she will show off to all their friends and family. Engagement rings are also very personal to a bride because it shows off her personality and is something she will wear for the rest of her life.
Wedding Rings
Wedding rings are often much simpler than engagement rings. They might be a plain gold band, although they can also include some diamonds. The main difference, though, is that engagement rings often feature a larger diamond set in the middle, whereas the wedding ring is more of a smooth band-even if it might have diamonds embedded in it.
Should You Get a Wedding Band Instead of an Engagement Ring?
If one of your main concerns is saving money-possibly for a honeymoon or house-purchasing only wedding rings may be an option especially if you:
- Are not a traditional couple
- Have talked about getting married soon and just want the wedding bands so you can move forward
Just to be safe, you should always make sure that one of you isn't deciding for both of you. If you're a guy, think carefully about whether your girlfriend would be disappointed forever if she were to miss out on a traditional proposal and engagement. If she wants an engagement ring, then that's the way to go.
However, if you're both interested in just the wedding bands here are some ideas that may help:
- A single ring might fit her style better than two rings worn together.
- She might enjoy an understated or elegant design.
- One ring is less to worry about if you're going to stress about losing it or damaging it. Plus it's less expensive if you do.
- You don't have to figure out how to buy a wedding ring that matches the engagement ring.
- You can focus your money on one beautiful and amazing wedding ring for her instead of compromising on two separate rings that aren't quite perfect.
At this point, you might be wondering if it's normal to skip getting an engagement ring? It just depends on your personal preference. Believe it or not, not everyone wants a big beautiful diamond. In our experience, many couples still get both engagement rings and wedding rings. But if you're struggling with the question of the engagement ring vs. the wedding ring, don't decide based on peer pressure alone. Get the right ring for your personality, preferences, and wallet.
How Are Engagement Rings and Wedding Rings Worn?
If you want to know how to wear your engagement ring and wedding band so that people know you're engaged and then married, let's talk about the traditional way.
Traditionally, the bride-to-be wears her engagement ring on her left ring finger once she says yes to the proposal. It's there to serve as a reminder of the relationship she has and will have with her fiance as her future husband. It's also a pretty handy way of showing that she's not available and is in a committed relationship.
During the wedding ceremony, the groom puts the bride's wedding ring on her finger first before putting the engagement ring back on after it. The bride puts the groom's wedding ring on his left ring finger. Then, they wear them forever after-when they're not bouldering or mowing the lawn.
When Should You Pick Out Wedding Rings?
This depends on how long you have until the wedding. But keep in mind that the comment course of events includes:
- A man finds an amazing engagement ring and offers it to a lady, hoping she'll say yes.
- He proposes, and she accepts.
- They start planning a wedding.
- Right before the wedding, they finally get around to buying some simple wedding bands.
- The jeweler has to struggle to fit the wedding band and engagement ring together.
The moral of the story? The sooner you get your wedding rings, the less stress you'll endure right before the ceremony. Plus, it'll be easier to match the bridal ring more closely to the engagement ring.
A Simpler Solution: The Trio Set
Instead of struggling to find a matching wedding band for the engagement ring, you can buy a trio set from the very beginning. A trio ring set includes three matching rings:
- The engagement ring
- The bride's wedding band (designed to fit together perfectly with the engagement ring)
- The groom's wedding band (matched in style and design to the other rings)
A trio set gives you convenience and simplicity compared to buying three separate rings, and can even be more affordable than purchasing all three rings separately, This is because your jeweler has a much easier time producing and selling a single set than trying to source and fit mismatched designs together.
Some couples also choose to pick out their trio set together. This makes it easier for the young man because he doesn't have to worry about whether she will like the ring when she gets it.
Get the Perfect Rings for You
Are you ready to pick out your rings? With any of these major purchases, financing options can make them much easier. At Daniel's Jewelers, we have a history of approving almost 100% of credit applicants. You'll get approved! Fill out our easy credit application today. Couples today face many pressures even before they're married. Getting engaged causes a new flurry of activity and many, many decisions: the venue for the wedding, type of food, style of dress, ways to pay for it all, and many others.
Your engagement and wedding rings don't have to be a part of that stress. We're going to explain a brilliant solution today that will make one part of the wedding plans much easier. Imagine not having any worry about the rings, having a set of rings beautifully matched in style and design, and getting a great discount on the whole set.
You can get all those benefits and many more with a trio wedding ring set. Take a few minutes reading below to potentially save yourself a lot of time and money on your engagement ring and wedding rings.
What Is a Trio Ring Set?
A trio ring set is a combination of three rings that are all matched in style and design. The set includes:
- An engagement band for her
- A wedding band for her
- A wedding band for him
The bride's engagement and wedding bands are designed to fit together elegantly. She can wear the engagement ring alone at first, then pair them together on the big day.
Benefits of a Trio Ring Set
Today's couples love trio wedding ring sets. Let's look at five of the biggest reasons why.
1. A New Type of Engagement
Some modern couples are not as focused on the engagement ring as couples used to be. Traditional couples emphasize a large proposal, which is a surprise to one person-often the woman. She gets impressed with an amazing engagement ring she can show off to her friends.
In contrast, many couples today already know unofficially that they're together forever. They might be living together, or they may have been dating for many years. They already know they want to be together, they simply decide on when they want to get married. There's no surprise proposal and no ring to try to entice the woman to get married.
Of course, this type of engagement and the traditional one are both okay! But the advantage of this scenario is that the couple can go shopping for rings together. They can buy all three pieces at the same time and have them exactly matched.
2. Beautifully Matching Designs
In many engagements, the engagement ring is purchased first and the wedding band purchased later. This means the rings likely won't match in style-even if they're close.
When you're married it's traditional to wear these two rings together. The downside to mismatched rings is that they often rotate and move independently and require constant adjusting. Some people choose to weld them together when this happens, but it's not as ideal as purchasing a matching set in the first place.
Another disadvantage is that the couple's rings may not match because they are different styles or sets. While this isn't a big deal to some people, it can save you money if you plan ahead and purchased your rings as part of a trio wedding set and get rings for both the bride and groom at the same time.
In a trio wedding ring set, the engagement and wedding bands for the bride are beautifully designed to fit together and not to move around. The band is also designed to enhance the engagement ring and make it stand out. The groom's ring is also designed to match in a trio wedding ring set, showing that the couple has put a lot of thought into this aspect of their engagement and marriage and have come up with an elegant solution. They look more put together than if they have three different styles of rings.
3. Financial Savings
If you're shopping for three different styles of rings-maybe even going to multiple jewelers-it's much more difficult to get good deals. Each one is a separate purchase, and it may be more difficult to get a good deal than purchasing your rings as a set. With a trio set, you get a fantastic set of beautiful rings at an affordable price. You can even finance your rings simply with a single monthly payment instead of trying to keep track of multiple payments from different locations.
4. Shopping Convenience
Trio ring sets make shopping for your engagement rings easy and simple. Make all your ring purchases as a single store and forego the stress of trying to learn everything about different jewelry styles and designs.
As with any big purchase, it's important to understand the differences in ring quality, diamond styles, and prices while searching for the perfect wedding ring set. However, a trio ring set can eliminate a lot of that work for you by giving you a great deal on a single set of rings, simplifying your search.
5. Avoid Confusion
A trio engagement ring set eliminates some of the confusion in the traditional engagement process. As a young man, do you know for sure if your girlfriend is going to like an engagement ring? If you shop for a trio wedding ring set together, she'll get to shop for the exact design she's excited about, and you'll know for sure it's a design she'll love.
Examples of Wedding Ring Trios
When you're picking out a Wedding Ring Trio ring set from Daniel's Jewelers, we have seven different options to choose from in our catalog. You can have a great time as a couple picking out the style for you.
Think about the type of gold you want. Do you like the timelessness of yellow gold or the surprising gleam of white gold?
Our bands all feature rows of small diamonds, which come in straight or curving designs. Those diamonds are either large, rounded ones that take up the width of the band or smaller ones that rest elegantly in the middle of the band or swoop across it.
Finally, the featured diamond cluster in the center of the ring can be round, square, or oval. To save you money, our diamond clusters give you an impressive total carat weight made up of a collection of smaller diamonds, which costs less than a single larger diamond.
Flexible Financing Options from Daniel's
As a couple, you can fill out our credit application together to get one, simple, affordable monthly payment. It might even be one of the first payments you and your future spouse will handle together, which can be a great learning experience.
At Daniel's Jewelers, we help young couples to establish their credit together by finding the financing option that works for you. Get approved for a low monthly payment and enjoy the convenience and beauty of a matched engagement ring set.