Buying wedding rings: everything you need to know to make the experience easy and exciting

With an engagement comes planning, and the list can get pretty long and overwhelming; inviting guests, venue viewings, catering consultations, dress and suit shopping.. everything that makes the wedding day memorable. But it’s the wedding rings that will be with you for the rest of your life, a permanent physical reminder of the celebration of your love.

Here we’ve broken down some wedding band shopping tips to make it easier for you and your partner.

When to buy your wedding rings

The earlier you start looking, the long you have to find choose your perfect wedding rings, giving yourself time allows you to research all the options.

Generally it’s good to make sure the rings are purchased three to four months before your wedding day, although many people like to have them sorted up to six months to a year before, and others short on time, or without strong ideas on their dream ring sometimes pick up wedding rings a couple of weeks before.

Lennie Beare’s wedding rings are made-to-order, so it’s best to buy them at least 8 weeks before your wedding date, as depending on the style, they can take between 4-8 weeks. Our bespoke wedding bands vary in style and we are always happe to challenge ourselves with a specific date.

How much to spend on your wedding rings

So many elements contribute to the price of the wedding bands; design choice, the metal type, the carets, where you’re buying it from, the size and width. Bespoke rings will generally be more than opting for ready made rings.

Sustainability also affects the price, rings that are consciously made, where the materials are either fairtrade, meaning the metal can be traced back to their source, or are recycled, creates rings that are more ethical. The aim is to minimise the environmental impact and carbon emissions, and ensure that the supply chain provides fair pay and safe working conditions for all those involved in the production of the ring; the price will reflect this. Lennie Beare firmly believes that the perfect ring is an ethical one, and therefore only works with either recycled silver, gold and platinum, or fairtrade metals.

On average couples in the UK spend about £1000 on their rings, so around £500 per ring. Some pick them up cheaply for £100, or it’s possible to spend thousands.

Lennie Beare creates ethical bespoke rings that range from £220 to £1000, meaning there is something to suit different budgets.

Who buys the wedding rings?

Often when planning a wedding couples delegate different responsibilities for each other. But rings seem different and here in Lennie Beare’s studio we prefer to take a collabrative approach and design the rings together, meaning they have a beautiful cohesian.

Who pays: the what’s the etiquette?

Traditionally, the cost of wedding rings has been shared between the couple and their families, or the couple buys each other's rings. However, more recently, couples often handle the expense together as part of their shared wedding costs, split the total cost, or decide that one partner will cover the rings while the other covers a different expense of similar value. Ultimately, regardless of any etiquette or traditional 'rules,' it comes down to what works best for both of you. At Lennie Beare, the cost of the wedding rings can be split over multiple payments, to make payment for the precious jewellery easier for you.

Where to buy your rings?

There are many options for where to buy your wedding bands, high street jewellery, online stores, vintage shops or luxury brands all offer something different.

Start by narrowing down where and who shares your ethical values, then begin to look at styles, metals and customisation.

At Lennie Beare jewellery the process of designing your own wedding rings is collaborative and easy. Based in the centre of Norwich, you can visit for a consultation to try on lots of different samples and discuss sizing, styles, precious metals and cost. Leaving with a great idea of what your rings will look like.

If you’re looking to buy ethical rings for you and your partner, mindfully handmade by Lennie Beare, using responsibly sourced materials, please get in touch today.