There are two ways you can go about choosing a wedding ring. You can either both go together to a shop and agree on a certain ring or you can give her the element of surprise by choosing a ring yourself. It's quite common for couples to choose the ring together, but it really does take the magic out of marriage. The reason you're getting married is that you know each other like the backs of your hands and fully trust in them, so why not take that leap of faith? Of course you can't just randomly go to a shop and pick up any old ring, it's still good to have guidelines to stick to when it comes to going it alone. Below are a handful of key points to keep in mind.
The Size
This is the first step towards the wedding ring and it's also the easiest step. All you need to do it take your bride to be to any retailer that sells rings and ask them politely to size her finger for you. She knows she's getting a ring, so you're not spoiling any illusions by physically taking her to get sized. If however you're planning ahead of time and you get the ring a fair few months before the big day itself then you need to take her size into consideration. If she's planning on dieting before the big day then you need to make sure her ring size is still the same, otherwise you'll either need to get it changed for a small one or pay out to have it professionally tightened/loosened.
The Style
Not every girl is the same, we all have very different tastes so you could benefit from a little trip down to a local jeweller. She may already know what she wants without even having to take that trip, but it's good to visually see the sort of rings she likes and then choose one yourself that is slightly different. You can choose between plain bands, gem set, shaped, duo-tone, engraved and inlayed rings. You want to be sure that the ring will not only look good but be comfortable for the bride, after all she will hopefully be wearing this ring for many years to come!
The Metal
This needs to be considered for several reasons. Firstly because some people are actually allergic to some types of metals, secondly because you want the ring to be strong enough to withstand everyday life and thirdly because the bride may have her own preference. Not every girl wants a gold ring with a diamond on it, some ladies actually prefer silver with more colourful gem stones. Also some metals are more expensive than others, titanium being one of the more expensive but also the most durable of metals used in wedding rings.
The Gem
As I said previously, not every girl is the same and diamonds are not always a girl's best friend. You may want to have a word with your bride to be to see what kind of jewels she likes and what her favourite colours are. The beauty of gem stones is that they come in many colours and you also need to think about the kind of cut you would like. You can cut gem stones into a diamond shape or they can be made to look circular or like tear drops.
Below is a helpful infographic by Hitched that you can use to show the budding bride as a rough guideline to what kind of ring she would like.
