Choosing your Wedding Rings and Jewellery
Whether you are wanting to buy a traditional diamond solitaire engagement ring, his and hers wedding bands, and even thank you gifts for your attendants such as engraved silver picture frames, tankards or watches, your local jeweller is likely to have a great choice and it is one of the few industries that still has a great High Street, rather than online, presence.
Most brides, and an increasing majority of grooms, wear a wedding band or ring permanently as an outward sign of their marriage, so it is key to choose one that is both comfortable and flattering. Wedding rings made from yellow gold are most conventional, but bands made from white gold, Welsh gold or rose gold, platinum, titanium or even the cheaper option of stainless steel are steadily increasing in popularity.
Engagement rings
Tradition dictates that it is correct for the groom to have spent a month's wages on the engagement ring, and to have bought it prior to proposing. Modern brides often prefer to have an input as to the style of her ring - particularly as it is such a massive investment and something that you will wear for many many years. If you don't want to go for a conventional diamond ring, the brides birthstone makes an individual alternative. Bespoke engagement rings and wedding rings are not necessarily more expensive, and ensure your choice will be unique.
Wedding rings
Your wedding rings is the most personal piece of jewellery you will ever own. Not only because of the meaning behind wearing it, and the promises you have made to each other during your wedding ceremony's ring exchange, but also because it is perhaps the only piece of jewellery that you will wear almost continuously for the rest of your life.
Engagement rings are often passed from one generation to another, but the same seldom applies to wedding rings and the chances are that you will be choosing a new one. Choose your wedding jewellery carefully; it will be with you for ever.
The Best Man should look after the wedding rings until the part of the wedding ceremony that the rings are blessed and put on your fingers, although some couples choose to have a ring bearer to carry the wedding rings on a cushion at the appropriate part of the ceremony. This ring bearer is often a small page boy, but couples are getting creative with this custom and with the celebrant’s permission might use anything from their pet dog with it tied around their collar to a barn owl with a special leather pouch tied on its leg. Custom dictates that the wedding ring is worn on the fourth finger of your left hand and it is usual for the bride to take off her engagement ring before the wedding ceremony, replacing it after the wedding ring is put on her finger.
Wedding jewellery
Careful choice of wedding jewellery can add an extra wow factor to your wedding outfit. Have you thought about your dress style, neckline and fabric? Are you wearing your hair up or down? There are some stunning necklaces with beautiful detailing at the back of the neck which will look great if your hair is up. Many brides give their bridesmaids a gift of the necklace, earrings or bracelet that they would like them to wear as part of their bridesmaid outfit.
Bridal tiaras and hair accessories
Although not every bride wears them, a bridal tiara or sparkly hair accessories can play an important role in your overall bridal outfit. It probably isn’t the time for a cheap costume tiara that risks making you look like you are dressing as a princess from the school dressing up box, so spoil yourself and invest in something really pretty that you will treasure after the big day. Whether you have chosen to wear a family heirloom or a more modern accessory, remember to make sure it is balanced with your shoes, hair and make-up, and that you take any bridal hair accessories or tiaras that you are planning to wear to the hairdresser to incorporate into your hair style.
