As you begin planning your wedding, one of your largest concerns might be choosing your wedding jewelry. Your engagement ring is your first piece of wedding jewelry. Many couples select their wedding bands at the same time as the engagement ring, which is ideal, especially if your engagement ring and wedding band are meant to nest into each other.

Where to Start
There is no right way or wrong way or place to select your jewelry. For the best customer service and pricing, it is often preferable to visit the diamond districts of Boston, New York, or other major cities. For those who don’t have access, any jewelry store and some major wholesale and retail establishments offer rings for affordable prices.

Two Months’ Salary
In years past most jewelers suggested that an engagement ring should cost the equivalent of two months’ salary. However, two months’ salary may be entirely too much money to spend on wedding jewelry. These are costly times, and a down payment on a home or gas for your automobile far outranks the priority of spending an exorbitant amount on wedding jewelry.

Bands
If you are planning a double-ring ceremony, it is not necessary that the bands be identical. Of course, tradition would suggest both rings be the same; it is your prerogative to remain with tradition or to stray from the norm. If you find a matched set of bands, you can sometimes purchase them as a wedding jewelry set. Otherwise, you’ll have to purchase them individually.

The engraving on the inside is a more of a tribute than the ring itself. If you disagree with your fiancé’s choice of bands, it doesn’t necessarily matter—you don’t have to wear it. Of course, if the hesitation revolves around the price, compromise to find bands you can comfortably afford.

Neckwear
Many brides wear a piece of jewelry that has been handed down, or at the very least, borrowed from a currently (or previously) married relative. Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue applies to your wedding jewelry. Of course, old or new can relate to your wedding jewelry, although new really relates to your ring. If you can borrow a sapphire necklace from an older niece or grandmother, you’ll have something old, something borrowed, and something blue taken care of.

A necklace should only be worn if it can comfortably sit on your chest above your cleavage. You don’t want anything hanging down between your breasts, or hanging on the dress over the top of a high-collared gown.