1. Budget
It is important to be truthful to yourself here. I know you want to throw all your money into this "proof" of love. I know that wedding bands/rings will not "depreciate in value". But remember you are not going to "sell" your wedding band/engagement rings even when things are going really really bad. Your children/grandchildren may or may not appreciate this "inheritance" of rings. So it is essentially an "investment" that is not yielding back any dividend. Just remember that when you think about the budget of your wedding band/engagement rings.
The salesgirl at the jewelry shop would "advise" you to purchase a ring at around 3.5*monthly income of the guy. Don't take that too seriously. It is more of a sales tactic. Your husband doesn't need to "prove" his love to you by throwing out 3.5 monthly income right? The best strategy is probably...imagine 2 years later when thinking back at the amount of money you spent on the wedding bands/rings. If you would regret thinking "oh wish I spent less on the ring so now we can afford a bigger house", reduce the budget; if you would think "might as well get a bigger ring if I knew it is just 10 days of Daycare", increase the budget.
You need to think about the wedding ring budget together with other wedding relate expenses too. You don't want to throw everything into one basket and forget about the overall big picture. One way to increase the wedding band budget is to save some money from the wedding dress by renting.
2. Choose a shop
There are more than one jewelry shop than Tiffany & Co. Also besides brick-and-mortal jewelry stores now there are many online jewelry retailers like Blue Nile, which will typically give you up to 30% discount. Remember that unlike handbags or clothing, it is very unlikely for people to recognize the ring "brand" when you are wearing it day by day. The more important things are actually convenience and your own feelings for it. Bigger diamonds indeed would be more cumbersome to your day to day life. Many wives in the end never wear their engagement rings on a daily basis because they don't want anything happen to these delicate jewelry during many household chores such as cooking and washing.
Many beautiful wedding bands and engagement rings are not necessarily that expensive. Feel free to explore different designs and get something that feel right to you. Some young couples chose to purchase something equally significant but much more affordable like these minimalist style jewelries.
3. Involve important people
Although it is your own engagement ring/wedding band, it might still be a good idea to involve important people in making the decisions. The list can include your own husband-to-be, future mother-in-law, your own mother, or even a bride maid that you want to show special friendship. You don't have to involve them from the very beginning. Just after you've nailed down to several options and have them help you pick up the final decision. This will help to nourish the "ownership" of your wedding from them and will win a lot of support down the road.
4. Make the purchase
Now you can make the purchase. If you are going to buy it from an online retailer, remember to check about potential coupons and discounts. If you are buying from a local jewlery store, check a few out so that you have the bargain power. Ignore the upsells about other jewleries, you can always buy equally good looking ones later.
Source:
[1] http://www.theplunge.com/groomduties/wedding_budget/
[2] http://judithbright.com/jewelry-store-nashville-tn/
[3] http://continuumweddings.com/weddings/langdon-farms-portland-wedding
[4] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-s-bunton/the-appraisers-guide-to-p_b_5445518.html
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