Engagement ring and wedding ring – do you need both?

Wedding and engagement ceremonies symbolize the ultimate show of love and commitment. While these are moments most of us dream of, and have this perfect picture in our minds of, there is a lot of planning and preparation that goes into them.

As couples embark on this exciting journey, they must look into the engagement ring and the wedding bands. Not a new tradition, a ring is one sure way to symbolize the bond that exists between two people. This, however, does not necessarily come cheap and the topic of whether you need both the engagement ring and wedding ring has become a bit controversial. As you can imagine, some are for the idea and as is expected others are totally against it.

Here are some of the reasons why some people think it’s important to have the two, while others don’t.

It’s a sign of approval by the family

In this society, we know how hard it can be as a man. You need to do all you can to prove to your partner’s family that they can trust you with their daughter. Because of this, the tradition of having both the engagement and wedding ring has been passed through different generations. It shows that a man can afford to take care of his partner financially so this encourages the family to approve of the relationship.

It’s a show of commitment

Generally, wedding bands and engagement rings show that you as a couple are committed to one another. As a woman wears her engagement ring, it shows the world that she is being taken seriously and that she is technically already someone’s wife. For the man, it shows that he is so committed that he is willing to invest in a ring for his wife to-be. These rings are considered a binding commitment and a warning for others to back off.

There’s a glamorous effect to it

Truth be told, every woman has a little princess in her. Women like to be pampered once in a while and treated like the princesses we’ve grown up seeing in movies. There’s no doubt that having a huge engagement ring also makes you feel special when you can show it off to your friends and family. On top of that, adding your wedding bands when you get married adds to the glitz and the glamour. To be honest, having the honor of wearing both rings is every girl’s dream come true.

Now that we have set the record straight on why it may not be such a bad idea to have both, it’s only fair to dissect whether both are really necessary? Whether you choose to agree or not, here are strong arguments opposing the thought of two rings.

In this harsh economic times, couples would rather invest the money that would have been spent on an engagement ring to meet their future goals and obligations in life. Living in a day and age where feminists have a voice and a strong opinion to go with it, questions such as why women get to wear the engagement ring and men don’t remains unanswered. Many feminists find such traditions constricting in this so called modern society we live in. Is it a ring that holds a couple together? Definitely not. If you have a strong bond with your partner, practice loving communication and have all the foundations of a lasting relationship, what’s a piece of jewelry anyway?

That said and done, men take pride in their ability to buy both an engagement ring and wedding ring. If he wants to, let him. Besides, you can never have too much jewelry. On the flip side, if you both don’t see the need of having either or both it is entirely up to you. What matters most is the two of you being together in a loving committed union.