Whether we’re pinning, talking with our couples, gathering together details on a wedding day, or sharing pictures post-celebration, we’re always eager to talk about rings! And, we have a feeling you are too. Because most couples are already engaged when we meet, our ring conversations revolve around learning more about engagement rings. But, wedding bands are a different story!
Wedding bands are typically one of the final pieces couples will purchase during the months leading up to their wedding day, and everyone always has plenty of questions. Some are curious about where to source bands, others are wondering how to incorporate an heirloom, and many are searching for guidance about how to decide which wedding band will look best with their engagement ring. Rather than trying to guess ourselves, we called in a team of experts – L. Priori Jewelry to be exact!
We previously shared more about Lauren Priori, the designer behind the Philadelphia-based brand that has branched out to King of Prussia and Washington, D.C. Today, Julia from the L. Priori team is back to share the group’s tried and true tips for wedding band shopping, pairing, and design.
Can you walk us through the process of how you work with L. Priori couples to choose their wedding bands?
Whether a client has worked with us on their engagement ring or not, we have a variety of wedding band styles to pair with any engagement ring! The first step is to make a wedding band appointment which can be done on our website or by emailing hello{@}lpriorijewelry{.}com.
We have both women’s and men’s wedding band styles, so oftentimes couples will come in together and get both of their wedding bands at the same time. When our clients come in for their appointment they will meet one on one with one of our sales + design consultants who will show them all of our samples. We have our entire collection of wedding band samples (minus estate- that will vary by location) at each location, so our clients are free to try on as many bands as they want until they find the one that works for them. If they don’t find anything in our in-stock collection, we can absolutely design a custom wedding band for them.
Once they decide on a band, typically the production time is 4-6 weeks. We give clients the option to put half down to get the bands into production and pay the second half when they pick up.
What are the best things to keep in mind when deciding how to pair a wedding band with an engagement ring?
Much like an engagement ring, you want to make sure you’re choosing something that you can see yourself wearing for years to come. We definitely think that the wedding band should compliment the engagement ring of course, but oftentimes our clients end up wearing the band alone if they don’t want to wear their engagement ring every single day. So, we do suggest making sure it’s a band that works well with your engagement ring, but something you can see yourself wearing on its own and loving it just as much.
How do you like to transform heirloom pieces into bespoke wedding bands?
Heirloom redesign projects are always some of our favorite projects. We can rework stones from really any piece of jewelry- think small stones from a brooch, a necklace or bracelet or another band, and incorporate them into your new wedding band. We always suggest clients bring the piece with them to their appointment so that we can see what stones we’re working with. Based on that, we can mock up different designs or even use our samples as a guide to figure out how we’re going to use the stones in our client’s heirloom piece. The options are really endless!
What is the question (and answer) you’re asked most often about wedding bands by your couples?
There are a few!
Do my metals need to match my engagement ring? What about my fiance’s ring?
The answer to this is no! Mixing metals is so common now and definitely so in style! We are all for mixing metals. Your set doesn’t have to match, and your fiance’s ring doesn’t have to match your engagement ring either! It’s all personal preference on this one.
What if I don’t like how anything looks with my engagement ring?
This is when we suggest going the custom route, so you can design something to fit perfectly with your engagement ring.
How much should I budget for wedding bands?
Our bands range from about $275 and go up from there! It really just depends on how big the stones you choose are, etc. If you stick to something plain I would say about $300 is a safe bet. Our Erin rope band is $265.
We love L. Priori (many members of our team have pieces designed by Lauren!), so make sure to check out their site, follow along on Instagram, and peruse their everyday jewelry too!
