Nick and I knew we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together long before the proposal. Together we envisioned our future wedding during road trips, and Nick openly asked for my opinion on rings.
About a year ago, he invited me to Brent L. Miller Jewelers in Lancaster County. It’s a quaint store tucked into a strip mall along the highway, and I could hardly contain my excitement!
The saleswoman showed us several trays of stunning rings. At first I was drawn to a simple and classic platinum band with a trellis setting. But then the second tray arrived with hand engraved bands. They were elegant and exquisite and unique. She placed a princess cut diamond into the setting, and I put it on my finger, and I was speechless.
Five months later, Nick got down on one knee, and I found myself staring at the same radiant ring. Nick revealed to me that he had gone to the same Lancaster shop and spoken to the same saleswoman twice before he took me. (They were pretty good actors!) Both times he was drawn to this ring. He was anxious to find out if it also stood out to me. It did, which, of course, means it belongs on my finger!
The platinum band was hand engraved by Coast Diamond Jewelry in Los Angeles. It’s one of a kind! It’s delicate enough for my thin finger, but has enough bling to draw attention!
{Here’s my attempt at capturing its brilliance. All photos taken by me.}
A few months into our engagement we returned to Brent L. Miller’s to look at wedding bands. Of course there is an equally stunning band to compliment my engagement ring. It is also hand engraved and lined with diamonds. It’s beautiful, but it looked too heavy on my hand. I’m not an extravagant kind of gal — you’re most likely to find me in pearl stud earrings or a sterling silver pendant necklace. My engagement ring is the perfect amount of sparkle for my style.
Plus, and more importantly, I want a wedding band that I can wear ALL of the time. Right now I remove my diamond ring while cooking, cleaning, and exercising. And I don’t wear it to shower or to sleep. But I want a wedding band that is durable enough to handle these activities and future ones.
Also, Nick and I want matching bands. And he’s not going to wear anything diamond studded. With the exception of a watch (which he only recently started to wear again), he owns no jewelry. He doesn’t want anything feminine or flamboyant, and he wants it to be resilient and comfortable.
So what did we choose?
Well, we found two perfectly classic bands with simple milgrain edging. His is 6mm white gold with comfort fit, and mine is 3mm platinum. We know they’ll wear well into our old age.
{credits: his from amazon, hers from white fire}
I’m so happy we were adamant about our criteria. Although the saleswoman said she doesn’t typically sell a non-matching band to a girl with an engagement ring like mine, she admitted that my combination of choice looks pretty good! And I definitely agree.
We put deposits down and couldn’t be happier. Though Nick was a bit apprehensive about the shininess of his, I assured him that it wouldn’t last long! The saleswoman even offered to “rough it up” for him before the wedding.
One thing we haven’t yet decided is whether we want to add inscriptions. Here’s a fun site with suggestions like “big spoon” and “little spoon” or “forever young” and “together old.”
How did you choose your wedding band? Does it match your engagement ring or your future husband’s ring? Are you adding inscriptions?
P.S. We’re under the 100 day mark!