Buying your wedding rings from luxury jewellers is one of the most exciting parts of wedding planning.
Searching for the perfect bands for you and your fiancé is a wonderful experience and will be a cherished moment you’ll remember forever.
As suppliers of the finest jewellery in Dublin, we are often asked for our advice on choosing wedding rings and often couples are eager to discover ‘do wedding bands have to match?’
So join us in our help article to find out the definitive answer!
Let’s start first with the takeaway before we discuss this important wedding decision in more detail.
It's a personal choice for each couple as to whether they decide to have matching rings or wedding bands that are complementary. However, Matching rings are more traditional for formal parts of the wedding ceremony. Some couples buy two rings for the best of both.
Now that we’ve got the short answer covered, so you can more easily understand if wedding bands have to match, let’s start by looking at some background.
A wedding ring is a
time-honoured ritual
When a couple decides to exchange rings, regardless of whether they match exactly or are different designs, there is a sense of history and ritual that loved ones carry into their future.
In most western cultures, a ring is placed on the third finger of a woman’s left hand to symbolise togetherness, loyalty and love.
The reason wedding bands were placed here was that it was once believed a vein from your wedding ring finger ran to your heart.
However that theory has been debunked, and the tradition remained one of the most popular in western wedding culture.
For anyone wondering if wedding bands should match, let's discover whether how you spend your day may be a deciding factor in choosing rings to match.
Consider how you spend your day
When matching wedding rings it’s worth taking into consideration the fact that for both partners, the type of job or how you spend your day may play an important part in your choice.
Historically men's wedding bands were simple metal bands to fit with the fact that many men worked manual jobs. A very intricate design could be effectively worn away with those working with their hands.
Wedding bands for men, although were offered in more precious metals, were also readily available and fairly common to be made from stainless steel, tungsten or other hard metals such as titanium. Essentially harder metals can stand more wear and tear.
This might be a factor if one of you has a manual job, so maybe in this case a more simple less intricate design may work better for everyday wear or try a platinum wedding ring which is more durable
than softer gold.
This might be a factor for either couple if, for instance, you work with nature or in manufacturing
industries where your hands may work extra hard.
So mismatched rings in this instance might help keep your symbol of togetherness in better condition.
You might want to buy two wedding rings
Those couples who want to show their individuality and also keep to tradition may want to enjoy the best of both!
It could be that for photographs or more formal parts of the ceremony you feel that having matched rings is a better choice but may want to choose one for everyday use that either fits with your personality more or as above, you may need a more rugged style for work.
When deciding on whether you should have matching wedding rings, it’s ok to have a set that matches and then each chooses another for everyday wear.
“For those couples who want to show their individuality and also, keep to tradition may want to enjoy the best of both!”
Colour
In every major purchase, whether it’s a car or a special outfit, matching colours is an important consideration!
It could be that you both want to match your wedding band colour to your overall wedding theme hue or you just may want to go for a colour that you both like, such as the subtlety of a traditional gold wedding band or maybe the more silvery look of a platinum ring.
It could be that you love an 18ct rose gold wedding ring set with 15 gorgeous diamonds but a fully rose gold ring might not be the choice of your partner.
If that’s the case you might like to choose a complimentary ring with a flash of rose gold through the centre with the rest of the ring in white gold.
The options are endless!
Matching your wedding bands by colour may be important to you or you both may prefer to choose a colour you like individually, so as with any wedding ring decision, the choice is purely yours.
“It could be that you both want to match your wedding band colour to your overall wedding theme hue”
Choosing matched rings
If you and your fiancé decide that matching rings is perfect for you then you will no doubt be spoilt for choice!
With such a huge range of white bands, rose and traditional gold bands there will no doubt be a ring that you both will love!
Matched rings are more traditional and as we mentioned above, may have a more formal feel for
important parts of your wedding day such as the photographs and exchanging the rings.
“With such a huge range of white bands, rose and traditional gold bands, there will no doubt be a ring that you both will love!”
Choose complimentary wedding rings
Although matched wedding bands are more traditional, many couples decide to choose wedding rings that complement each other.
By doing this you can ensure you both can express your own individuality, along with making sure your partner doesn’t feel pressured. The style they aren’t comfortable with or doesn’t suit them.
You can also make sure that the design not only matches your individual personality, but you can also choose rings that compliment your size and skin tone which is important for a wedding band you will be
wearing for a considerable number of years.
It could also be that one of you prefers a matched set and the other prefers to show your individuality.
This is a time when the skills of negotiation that you will need in your life together might need to be practised!
Either way, there’s no right or wrong answer and it’s always each couple's personal choice.
Think about proportions
Thinking about each partner's size and proportions will be a consideration when deciding to wear matched or complementary style wedding bands.
It could be that a style for a petit partner might look out of place on one who has larger hands, for instance.
The best quality jewellers will be able to show you wedding bands in different widths so you will be able to find the perfect sized matching or complementary ring.
Some jewellers may be able to offer rings custom designed, this might be an option for either a matched or complementary set of wedding rings.
And to finish on…
Although wearing a matched set of wedding bands is the traditional choice, contemporary couples can decide what suits them best. Whether you decide to wear identical wedding bands or mix them up, the choice is entirely yours.
Wearing contrasting rings which harmonise together in style, colour and types of metal can be a great choice for any couple to be and can also showcase your individuality.
Head over to our store for some of the finest wedding bands in matched and complementary styles for your special day.
