Yes, you are going to be bound legally and religiously in the love of your significant other and will get to experience the rest of your lives alongside them.
Weddings bring along a plethora of happiness and exuberance with it. Still, you can’t deny the fact that it holds the potential to invite a significant financial burden to your life, especially when planning for the perfect wedding invitation and celebration.
Especially, as we all know how expensive wedding rings can get, weddings have become financial trials for couples as much as it is a celebration of their love.
‘Who buys the wedding rings?’ might be one of such financial dilemmas you’ve encountered lately. Since there is no exact answer to this question, we’ll guide you through possible options you can consider so that you’ll be able to make a smart decision by yourself.
What has been done conventionally?
The history of wedding bands dates back around the time of world war II when deployed soldiers started the trend of wearing wedding bands as a memory of their spouses.
Brides, being financially weaker, were often backed-up by their parents or relatives such that they would be able to buy their grooms a wedding band as a gift.
In basic terms, as we say ‘exchanging wedding rings’, brides and grooms would buy wedding bands for each other as a tradition and exchange it on the wedding day. This tradition is pretty common up to this date and many couples love buying wedding bands for each other and keeping it as a surprise till the wedding.
What options do you have?
We wouldn’t define some way as ‘traditional’ if no other modern ways have been introduced, would we? Couples today share a great rapport both emotionally and financially even before the marriage.
Be it traditional or non-traditional, you can choose one of the four ways to finance the wedding rings that are mentioned below and save yourself from the further dilemma.
1. Go with the traditional way
If both you and your partner have rich traditional values and like to do it the way it has always been done, this must be a no-brainer for you. Groom buys an engagement ring as well as a wedding ring for the bride and the bride, in return, gifts the wedding band to her groom.
Though traditional, it is indeed a very sweet romantic gesture to buy a ring for your significant other. If you want to keep the spark alive by keeping the ring a surprise, it’s very thoughtful and adorable of you.
However, if one or both of you are choosy, it would be thoughtful to take your partner’s choice and opinion into consideration during the buying process. In the end, it is equally romantic for both of you to buy your dream wedding bands for each other.
2. Let your parents finance for the ring
At first thought, it might sound wrong to involve parents in your wedding finances. However, many parents dream to contribute something on their child’s big day. On top of that, nowadays, many parents love to buy wedding rings and bands for their daughter-in-law and son-in-law as a symbol of family love.
So, if your parents are enthusiastic to buy your significant other a wedding ring, they’ve full right to do so and the least you could do is to support their decision.
3. Buy the wedding rings jointly
This option is a choice of many smart and modern couples these days. They buy both of the rings from shared money. This leads to the division of the financial burden equally, thus reducing the stress.
Even if one of you earns way more than the other, opting to buy wedding rings jointly reduces the pressure that the low-earner had to handle. On top of that, shopping for matching wedding bands together can also be very adventurous.
If you’re one of those iconic smart and lazy couples, you can shop for matching wedding bands at home. What’s more, you can even have your ring engraved with some special words, dates, or nicknames.
Nevertheless, you can also choose to go for different types of wedding bands that suit your personality and lifestyle. After all, you will have full choice and freedom when you decide to buy the wedding rings jointly.
4. One of you can pay for both rings
If one earns significantly more than the other such that you’ll have no hard time buying wedding rings, it is a no-brainer that you should buy both rings.
Likewise, if your partner’s income is higher, it only makes sense for them to spend a greater share of money in buying the wedding rings. Relationships are all about balance and the person with the lower income must not be given another huge financial responsibility.
What factor should you consider before deciding on who buys the wedding rings?
As a result of open-mindedness and growing intimacy between unmarried couples, unlike older days, there are various aspects which one must consider when trying to decide on who buys the wedding rings.
First of all, if you and your partner are comfortable discussing this topic, having open communication might help solve the dilemma.
Likewise, in case you want it to be a surprise, make sure that your partner is on the same page as you. The last thing you would want is to realize that there are two sets of wedding rings or absolutely none at all.
Do you share finances?
Nowadays, many couples share their finances while dating. In case you have been sharing finances even before your wedding, it would be the best option to buy wedding rings jointly. However, you don’t necessarily have to buy matching wedding rings if you don’t want to.
You can still surprise your partner by choosing a ring for them or both of you can choose your ring on your own. Payment, however, is done from the same pot.
Who is more financially stable?
You and your partner should talk about how much each one can afford. If the bride is more financially stable, she can buy both of the wedding rings or at least contribute more while buying the wedding rings. The same goes for the groom too.
In no way, the one who earns less should be financially burdened with the payment of both of the rings or greater share in the split.
In case if you’re both overwhelmed with your wedding day bills, you can also opt to buy affordable his and her wedding sets and choose to upgrade later on your anniversaries, birthdays, or even valentine’s days.
Are your parents willing to take part in the finances?
Another main aspect you have to consider is if or not your parents are willing to play a financial role in your wedding. If they want to gift the new member of the family, a wedding ring, there’s nothing wrong with that. Rather it conveys the family love and solidarity for your significant other.
Although most parents still pay 2/3rd of their child’s total wedding costs, many newly engaged couples are reluctant to have an open conversation with their parents on this topic. However, you should have an early and specific conversation with your parents and respect their decision.
After all, gone are the traditional days when the groom’s family would take care of rings and the bride’s family were expected to pay for many aspects of the wedding including decorations and the party. Today, couples are expected to finance their weddings on their own.
What financial arrangements have been made for the other aspects of the wedding?
The next big thing you should consider before deciding on who buys the wedding rings is to plan and calculate the cost for other arrangements at the wedding including decoration, music, food, venue, and photographer.
If the wedding is being financed from your joint account, the whole ‘who buys what’ dilemma is insignificant. However, if you are putting money individually into your wedding and if your parents are also involved, you must make sure that there exists a fair financial balance between both the parties.
Likewise, If the bride is paying for venue and entertainment, the groom can buy both the engagement rings and pay for food as well as other miscellaneous costs. So, have an open conversation on how to handle all the wedding finances and make the best decision for yourself.
The Internet has answers to many questions, but ‘Who buys the wedding rings?’ is not the one. You can solve this confusion by having an open conversation with your significant other, your parents and deciding which way might be the best for you.
After all, wedding rings are not only a piece of metal and gems; it also signifies the love between partners and the strength in it. So, one should not take it as a source of confusion.
Instead, a calm conversation and a sound understanding between partners could be a beautiful way to move forward even if you could only afford inexpensive yet fancy titanium or wooden wedding rings.
