Wedding Bands: Matching Vs. Unmatching

There was a time when men's and women's wedding bands came in sets. That is, they matched each other perfectly. The man's ring was generally a bit thicker and larger, and the woman's ring was slightly thinner and smaller, but the design on each was the same.

Why is it so hard to find matching sets now?
To many of us who grew up with our parents having matching wedding bands, it might seem like the obvious choice when choosing your wedding rings. Upon shopping, however, you are likely to discover that jewelry stores no longer carry many sets of his and hers matching wedding bands.

There are several reasons for this. The main reason is that most women's wedding bands these days have diamonds in them, while most men's wedding bands do not. Further, many women have diamond engagement rings that they wish to match with their band. Thus, they are looking for something very specific in a band, whether that is the shape of its diamonds or the color of its gold.

Do they have to match?
Wedding bands do not have to match each other perfectly to signify your love for each other. In fact, the only real reason to get matching wedding bands is if you cannot get the idea out of your head. You may want them simply because your parents had them or because matching wedding rings are what you have always dreamed of.

Compromising
There is a great way to compromise on the issue of matching bands. The woman should choose her ring first, based on what she loves and how well it matches with her engagement ring. Then, the couple simply looks for a man's wedding band that will "go nicely" with the woman's wedding ring. This is as opposed to the ring being an exact his and hers match.

Thus, if the woman chooses a white gold band with diamonds, the man can choose a plain white gold band without diamonds. That way, the couple has the same color of gold, and the rings look beautiful when held up next to each other.