Image by Claire Lacey Photography
Let’s face it, your engagement and wedding rings are likely to become your most often-worn pieces of jewellery. In fact, my wedding band is the ONLY jewellery I wear on a daily basis. So, it’s important to make the right choice when you’re browsing for rings.
When you consider what wedding bands symbolise and combine this with the fact that you’ll be wearing it all the time, it’s no wonder that many couples decide to spend vast sums of money on choosing the perfect designs. But you don’t have to splash the cash to get something beautiful that you will love to wear – it’s possible to find the same style of jewellery on a budget too.
Did you know that there are many things you can do to reduce the cost of wedding rings? Of course, you don’t want to have to compromise such an important piece of jewellery BUT what if you could get exactly what you want at a great price? No compromise needed?
There’s plenty of advice out there about how to choose the perfect wedding rings and I’ve previously shared some tips to choose an engagement ring on a thrifty budget. But here are some specific ways you can save money on a pair of beautiful wedding bands while still choosing pieces that you and your partner can proudly wear for the rest of your lives.
Choose your gems carefully
Precious stones like diamonds can significantly increase the cost of a wedding ring before you even start looking at the design or quality. However, diamonds are also often the first thing that comes to mind when you think about engagement rings and popping the question.
Likewise, many couples wish to have wedding rings that closely resemble their engagement ring – so that means double diamonds if you’ve chosen them for the engagement ring AND the matching wedding band. This could add up to quite a large part of your wedding budget being spent on the rings.
But the good news is that it IS possible to keep costs down by considering other precious stones which might provide a cheaper option. More affordable gemstones include amethyst and topaz or perhaps you could choose pearls or your loved one’s birthstone.
Another savvy option is to go for lab-grown wedding bands that still have sparkling diamonds but are up to 50% cheaper than regular wedding rings. They sparkle just as brilliantly as mined diamonds and are physically and chemically exactly the same as diamonds but there hasn’t been a labour-intensive process to extract and refine the stone, which ultimately saves time and therefore money.
Don’t put it on finance
Even though some jewellers offer the option of paying monthly, it’s better to pay for your rings outright if you can. You can take money out of your overall wedding budget and pay for the rings straight away. And be sure to avoid any upselling in the jewellery shop, such as extra-fancy ring boxes or insurance.
If you put your rings on a credit card or use the finance options, this could entice you to choose a more expensive option than you would have chosen if you’d been parting with cash – it doesn’t feel ‘real’ if you’re not paying for it straight away. Plus, high interest rates will ultimately mean that you’ll end up paying much more for your wedding rings over time.
You can avoid this temptation to overspend by setting your budget for all the rings before you go anywhere near a jewellery shop. That way, you’ll only browse designs within your budget – if you don’t even look at the more expensive rings, you won’t be tempted to splash out more than you planned. Your personal finances and mental health are linked, so consider this when choosing what to spend on and what to save on.
By the way, it’s always worth asking for a discount. You don’t always have to pay the price that’s on the label, especially if you’re buying multiple rings, such as an engagement ring plus two wedding bands. Why not see if you can get a deal? There’s no harm in asking and it might mean you can afford other must-haves such as…
Personalising the piece
Engravings or customised designs are always possible for wedding rings but that inevitably means the price will increase. You might be determined to have the wedding date etched into the band or even a special quote lasered into the surface but just be aware that they will increase the overall price of the ring.
One way to get the customised option within your budget is to find a ring that’s cheaper to start with, before you add the personalised details. So, if you think you’ve found the perfect ring and it is within your budget, you don’t have to stop looking for a better deal.
If you shop around, you’ll probably find similar or better rings at another jewellery store and the price may be even lower – which gives you money to cover the cost of customising it, or you can skip the engraving and put the savings back into your wedding budget instead.
More ways to cut the cost
- Buy a pre-loved ring – you don’t have to limit your search to jewellery stores, you could find a second-hand piece in vintage shops or antique stores, which might allow you to get a more expensive gemstone at a lower prie than buying it new
- Shop online – this gives you plenty of options for second-hand websites and, as long as you know your ring sizes, not being able to try them on shouldn’t be a problem. Plus, if the price is low enough, you could pay extra a jewellery to slightly resize the band for you if it turns up and doesn’t fit.
- Also, internet jewellers are able to sell their rings at a much lower price because they don’t have the overheads of running a high-street store to factor into the product cost. Just check the returns policy and
- Go with a thinner ring – wedding bands re available in many different thicknesses, but if the band is thicker the band, it has more gold, silver or platinum in it so the price will be higher than a more slimline design.
I hope these ideas will help you to save money when you go shopping for your wedding rings this year. Please let me know if you got a bargain on your own wedding bands in the comments below, I’d love to hear how you managed to cut the cost of your wedding jewellery.
Congratulations and I hope you have fun browsing for beautiful rings within your budget. Remember, it’s not the precious materials it’s made from or the flashy design that’s important, it’s the commitment it symbolises, so make sure you’re happy with your wedding bands – only you know what is right for you and it’s a special moment so enjoy yourselves as you discover your perfect wedding rings!
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