How much is TOO much for wedding band?

mjmartel

My FI and I went to look at wedding bands this weekend and I fell in love with a ring that was like $500 and his is $700. I'm thinking no big deal. if we like them, lets get them! When my parents and his parents found out how much WE are spending (with OUR) money... they gave us a hard time! My parents bands were like $50.00 each and same for my future in laws.

After their lectures i'm starting to think that maybe that is TOO much for a band... I understand that we are young and just out of college and obviously not making that much money but if we are willing to pay for them and it's what we want, then what's the problem, right?

How much did ya'll spend on your wedding bands?? How much is TOO much???

kellya01

Fiance got me a bridal set (includes wedding band) and he saved $$ on them.  I think in total it was around $350.  

I found a wedding band for him from Zales (online), on a 15% off sale, and in his size it is only $120 or so.  It is 14K gold, half-round band.  Simple, but he loves it.  I had to return it because he was measured incorrectly, but the next time Zales runs a sale I'll be ordering it in his correct size!! 

So.. all told, less than $500 on ALL of the wedding jewelry, including my e-ring. 

If your parents are giving you a hard time about spending that much $$ on rings, consider their perspective... $50 on a ring when THEY were getting married is probably more like $300 now.  Inflation, Inflation, Inflation... It's your choice, so if you can afford it, go with what you love!! 

[Deleted User]

You need to buy bands that are within your budget. If it means getting cheaper ones now and upgrading later to stay within budget, do it, esp since you mentioned that you just got out of college.

Secondly, gold is very expensive right now (assuming they are both white and/or yellow gold).

My wedding band was $750. My husband's was $900. Yes, it was a little more than we wanted to spend, but we found a way to pay for them.

GJones27

That's not too much.  I unfortunately had to spend $1500.  I really wanted to get a plain band, but no styles matched with my particular engagement ring (I looked at 20 stores, no kidding).  The only wedding band that matched was its matching set. 

I wouldn't feel bad about your cost.  Your parents bought their rings when things were cheaper.  For example, the price of gold has really gone up.  If you want less expensive rings, you should look at wholesale stuff.  My mom was able to get me access to a Gift Center with wholesale prices, and I wish I was able to find something there.  Definitely shop around; the jewelry business has been hurting in this economy, so maybe you'll find bargains somewhere.  Good luck!

shortee426

How much is too much is different for everyone.  A platinum band covered in diamonds would be a steal at $500!  But a plain titanium band with no embellishment of any kind would be overpriced at $500.  The answer is also dependent upon how much your budget is.  

If those are the rings you love and you plan on wearing them for the rest of your life, then I don't think $500 and $700 is too much, assuming you can afford it.  However, if you are looking to purchase something inexpensive while you save for a few years to buy something nicer, than I think that is too much.

MommyMarta08

You are going to be wearing that band for the rest of your life and every day for the rest of your life. $500 is really not a lot. I thought average was about 1k or 1,500. I was quoted 1,500 for a ring so far (just pre shopping). I don't want a plain band if I am wearing it for the rest of my life. It's worth it to spend a little more and get diamonds. 

Anthr0

ummm...I don't know why you would give a second thought to how your parents think you should manage your own finances. You are a working adult right? You are not asking them to pay your bills anymore?  Then it is one thing to get their opinion (if you ask for it) but it is just that, an opinion, you and your fiance should decide how you want to run your own financial life.

tldh

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_much-much-wedding-band?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:15Discussion:749f3616-4528-415a-ad48-639e6aa3e80cPost:6b015774-754f-4c13-9307-cc34f9fc3b5b">How much is TOO much for wedding band?</a>:
[QUOTE]My FI and I went to look at wedding bands this weekend and I fell in love with a ring that was like $500 and his is $700. I'm thinking no big deal. if we like them, lets get them! When my parents and his parents found out how much WE are spending (with OUR) money... they gave us a hard time! <strong>My parents bands were like $50.00 each and same for my future in laws.</strong> After their lectures i'm starting to think that maybe that is TOO much for a band... I understand that we are young and just out of college and obviously not making that much money but if we are willing to pay for them and it's what we want, then what's the problem, right? How much did ya'll spend on your wedding bands?? How much is TOO much???
Posted by mjmartel[/QUOTE]

How many decades ago?  Add in that metals are all overpriced right now, you are probably actually in their ballpark.  DH and I have platinum rings that would have been a steal at $500 and $700.

Buy what you can afford.

futurepivko

I say go for it. If you can afford it, and its what you really want, then do it. Thank them for their concern, then go ahead and get it, and then leave them out of other finance topics.

ring_pop

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_much-much-wedding-band?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:15Discussion:749f3616-4528-415a-ad48-639e6aa3e80cPost:b54743ff-c89c-4ccc-8eb8-a0c734e42e9f">Re: How much is TOO much for wedding band?</a>:
[QUOTE]<strong>You need to buy bands that are within your budget. If it means getting cheaper ones now and upgrading later to stay within budget, do it, esp since you mentioned that you just got out of college. </strong>Secondly, gold is very expensive right now (assuming they are both white and/or yellow gold). My wedding band was $750. My husband's was $900. Yes, it was a little more than we wanted to spend, but we found a way to pay for them.
Posted by MissySue20[/QUOTE]

This!! It only depends on your budget. If YOU can afford it (or if you're willing to give up something else to pay for it), then go for it. If you need to put it on your credit card, then it's too much.

FWIW we spent about $150 each on our wedding bands. And I'd suggest not talking to your parents about money matters anymore if you don't want their opinion.

lisalou402

We are getting our bands from a wholesaler that I know from elementary school.

Just to give you an idea of how much gold is right now, my FI's ring is more than my ring because of how much gold it has.  My ring will be pave diamonds in white gold, and it came to $560, and his is a 6mm white gold band in a size 12...and his is $600. 

SO bottom line, I don't think that's too much either.

JustKate

Our rings were top priority for us.  We spent more on those than anything else as we have agreed that they never come off, not for showers, not to sleep, nothing.  So we want them to be pretty enough to look at all the time.  To give you an idea, we are spending $6k on wedding/reception.  Our rings were about $1600. 

JustKate

Just saw this...

This one is free, you just pay $5 shipping.

http://dealnews.com/5-mm-Stainless-Steel-Wedding-Band-for-free-5-s-h/398144.html

kristinanddan

My ring was $1000 - white gold and diamonds. My husband picked a titanium ring he loved - total cost: $100.

aerinpegadrak

DH's palladium and diamond ring was about $1300.  My custom palladium and diamond ring was right around $1K.  We knew going in that rings were going to be a priority, since they were one of the only things we'd still have when the party was done.  We didn't really pay attention to price when we were shopping; we found rings that we liked, and then made sure that we could afford them.

emelydiaz87

I do not know how much my ring was but FI ring is white gold and has diamonds and we got it on sale for a little over $400..... I think if you can afford it than go for it!!

ashleybeth1588

My rings together were bought on a major sale (thank you Mother's Day weekend and Customer appreciation week being at the same time).  With the sale we were able to get my E Ring and band (not a matching set but look as if they were made for one another) for $2200.  Fiance wants to keep his ring around $500.  If it's in your budget and you love them then do it! 

skyler1108

FI band is a plain, 4mm wide palladium band and we paid $275 for it. My e-ring and band are part of a set but we bought them separately so my band was $345 after getting $100 off for buying both my e-ring and FI band with them. My band is palladium with pave moissanite. If you can afford them you should get them. If you can't either save up for them or finding something else you love just as much. The main thing is that you love your bands.

topchef33

Too much is whatever you can't afford.

Sure you can get a plain band for cheap, but not everyone wants that. Some people want diamonds or other jewels. Same for the guys.

lisabella7977

Everyone has different priorities when it comes to their weddings and all of the little details.
Some people will go all out on a photographer, a specific band or maybe flowers are their thing. And for some people - wedding rings
When your parents were getting married it will have been an entirely different affair to what is available today. They didn't have huge receptions, candy buffets, monogrammes etc it was all a lot simpler

I think they are really reasonable priced rings. I have a very unusual engagement ring (not picked by me - but I love it!) I thought I would just get a diamond band and that would go just fine. Oh no - even my my FI agreed that they just didn't look right,  and really made my engagement ring look not its best.
we have now got to have one made at a cost of $3000!!! I thought we would spend $1000 max on a wedding band for me. I am reluctant to pay but  after going to 17 different jewellery designers, that is the cheapest price we could get. Luckily we can afford to pay this, but i kind of feel a bit ripped off as I thought wedding bands weren't meant to be that expensive. Which is strange really as wedding bands a re so symbolic!

I said I would just get something from a jewellery store but my FI said that he has heard so many women say they don't really like their wedding band, and he wants me to like it as its for life and I will be wearing it everyday.

I haven't told a soul about the cost of my wedding band (except for you guys, but no one knows me :-) as I already know they will be horrified and I don't want to deal with it. so better to keep quiet!

Like everyone else has said, if you are paying for it, and its not stretching you financially, and you like it - then get it!!

slubkin

Do what seems right to you. 

I have allergies to impure metals (yes, even 14k gold when it's hot and I am sweating) so I knew I'd have to get platinum.  I looked on ebay and found rings I loved.  My e-ring was $650 and appraised for twice that, my wedding band was under $200 and appraised for over three times that.  I bought vintage jewelry because I find the quality is often as good or better than new items, without the hefty price tag.

FI, meanwhile, wanted a $55 (on ebay) tungsten carbide ceramic ring because he's a mechanic and would like something non-conductive.  He loves the gold band I bought him the first year we were together (and it's worth quite a bit more than his wedding band will be), but when he's working on hot engines sometimes he has to take it off so it doesn't burn his finger.

elizabetarings

The prices you quoted are definitley in the norm...  Precious metal prices are pretty high these days...  Gold is currently at 1398.50 (almost 2x what it was in 2007-2008) and platinum is at 1757.00 (again close to 70% more than about 2-3 years ago.  In these times, I think you would even be hard pressed to find plain silver rings in the ballpark of $50.00.  I appreciate your parents' sentiments, but todays wedding band prices are no where near $50...    Good luck with your ring search...  http://www.elizabetajewelry.com/our-rings/wedding-rings/

Hietaro

Wow. After reading a lot of these posts, I'm starting to think mine and FI's bands are way too cheap! Lol. Mine's only $200 and his is a whopping $90. But I guess it's whatever is in your budget. For only being $200, mine is white gold and has about 1/4 carat weight of diamonds in it, and it fits beautifully flushed with my e-ring, so I don't really care if someone would think it was "cheap."