• An engagement ring is not given at the same time as the wedding band

An engagement ring is most often given upon the occasion of a proposal or soon after a couple has decided to become engaged. A wedding ring (also called a wedding band) is usually exchanged at the wedding ceremony itself as the official symbol of the union of marriage.

• An engagement ring does not look like a wedding band

Traditionally, an engagement ring features a center stone (usually a diamond) as the main focus. The ring can then be adorned with further diamonds or left plain.

A wedding band is usually a simpler ring, made of plain gold. In most cases, wedding rings don't feature any diamonds or gemstones, although Eternity rings - which are nothing but a wedding band covered in diamonds - are also a very popular choice for wedding rings amongst women.

RELATED: Engagement Ring Styles

LEARN MORE: What is the difference between a wedding ring and an engagement ring?

No one said that the wedding band was a must-have. It is up to the couple to decide. There are both pros and cons to having a wedding band as well as an engagement ring.

• The wedding ring can be worn instead of the engagement ring: An engagement ring, especially with a bigger center stone, can be inconvenient to wear at times, depending on one´s job or daily tasks. The wedding band, simpler by design, is sometimes easier to wear and it is not uncommon for a woman to put her engagement ring in the safe and wear her wedding band only.
• Both partners can have the same wedding ring: most couples enjoy having the same wedding band as a symbol of their love, which cannot be achieved if the spouse is wearing the engagement ring only.
• Two rings for two different meanings! It is not unusual for women to enjoy having for each ring a special meaning. The engagement ring represents the day her significant other asked her to marry, while the wedding band is the one given on the actual marriage.
• The beauty of a stack! Some women enjoy stacking rings on top of one another. This cannot be done if there is only one ring to be worn!

DISCOVER: Our "Stack" collection - Engagement Rings designed to seamlessly stack with any wedding band

• A higher cost: thin and plain gold wedding bands are not really expensive (from € 397 to € 457 on our website). But for a couple, you need to multiply everything by two! As for Eternity rings, prices go up very quickly and range from € 2,516 to € 5,348, which is more expensive than most engagement rings.
• The "failed" stack: Some women wish to stack their engagement ring with their wedding band but depending on the engagement ring style their partner chose, the wedding band might not look good when stacked together with the engagement ring.

RELATED: How to stack wedding rings - is the wedding band on top or bottom?

You may be wondering if you can wear the engagement ring as a wedding band to cut on costs, which makes perfect sense! There are other ways to achieve this: you can propose without a ring or propose with a wedding band instead.

RELATED: Proposing without an engagement ring, is it possible? and Propose with a wedding band