You’ll never forget when you place a wedding ring on your partner’s finger during the vows. No other piece of jewellery comes with such sentimental value, a sign of the lifelong commitment between you and your spouse. As a ring that may be worn every day, there’s a lot to think about when you’re choosing the band. And, inevitably, you will ask, how much does the average wedding ring cost?
According to Queensmith, the average wedding ring cost in 2024 was £1,333. On average, a woman’s band cost more than a man’s at £1,500 for her and £1,230 for him.
The average wedding band cost can be a helpful guideline for establishing your budget, but it should not dictate how much you spend. You can buy a very attractive plain precious metal band for a few hundred pounds or set aside a much higher budget for a diamond-studded piece.
The simplest answer to “How much should I spend on a wedding ring?” is however much you can afford! The wedding band cost is just one of many expenses you must balance when organising a wedding. Each couple will have their preferences regarding where they want to channel their money. For some, the engagement and wedding rings are a top priority, but others may prefer to cut back a little on the ring expenditure and focus on an amazing day for family and friends or perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime honeymoon.
You will probably wear a wedding ring every day, so you need to love its aesthetic and choose a timeless or versatile style that will work with your fashion preferences. You may also want a durable metal that is compatible with your engagement ring if you wear one. Within those parameters, you can then set your own budget.
Historically, engagement rings tended to be more expensive than the wedding band because they featured a precious stone, such as a diamond. Today, it is becoming more common for wedding bands to feature precious stones, too, and therefore, you may end up choosing a wedding band that is close in value to an engagement ring. There are no set rules here, but many couples prefer to budget more for a higher-impact engagement ring and spend less on their wedding bands.
Learning about the factors that influence the average wedding ring price will help you understand the price points of wedding bands.
Materials
The most popular materials for wedding bands continue to be the precious metals platinum and gold (including white alloys), with titanium now starting to make waves on the wedding band scene.
Because platinum is so rare, it is your most expensive option but it does offer superb value retention. If you can afford it, you’ll benefit from its durability and captivating white-silver appearance. You can opt for a highly polished look, choosing to have it repolished as needed, or you can allow the platinum to develop its natural patina, which gives the coveted antique look. Platinum is hypoallergenic, making it a great choice for those with skin sensitivities.
With its luxuriously rich hue, yellow gold has long been a popular choice for wedding bands. For practicality purposes, 18 carat or lower is best, as anything higher will make the ring too soft and prone to damage.
White gold offers a more affordable white metal alternative to platinum, offering an attractive high-shine finish and superb scratch resistance. To achieve the silvery colouration, white gold has to be plated with rhodium; over time, this will fade away, exposing the gold-coloured alloy beneath. You will need your white gold wedding ring to be re-plated every few years to maintain the silvery finish, and while this process isn’t overly expensive, it’s something to factor into your lifetime wedding ring cost.
Titanium is an affordable but highly durable metal for a wedding band, with a darker hue that works well within contemporary ring designs. Modern designers have been pairing this metal with both platinum and gold, showing us that it’s possible to wear a titanium wedding band attractively alongside a platinum or gold engagement ring.
Worth a mention among these materials is the rare precious metal, palladium, which sits at a similar price point to platinum. It belongs to the same family as platinum and looks very similar. If you’re not a fan of heavier-feeling rings, a palladium wedding band is a lighter alternative that offers the coveted white metal hue. It’s worth noting that palladium rings can be tricky to resize due to the physical nature of the metal.
Where you buy your ring
The average wedding ring price will be higher from a small independent jeweller than it would if you went to one of the larger high street brands, and it will cost more to have a custom-made wedding band. Another option to consider when buying a wedding band is the pre-owned market. This can be especially useful if you’re looking for a vintage piece or simply want to find a more valuable ring at a slightly lower price.
It’s worth noting that because the wedding season runs from late spring through the summer, you may find buying your bands a little more expensive during this peak demand period.
Size and design
Rings with a greater band width are more expensive, simply because they use more metal. Naturally, wedding bands with inset precious stones are significantly more expensive. Diamonds are the most costly wedding band addition, with rubies and emeralds not far behind. Choosing a more intricate wedding band design will cost you more than a plain band.
Finding the right wedding rings comes down to meeting your wants and needs within your budget. Remember, wedding ring costs should be calculated according to what you can comfortably afford.
If you wear an engagement ring, it is common to wear a wedding band crafted from the same material for a cohesive look. While mixing metals is a current trend, it’s worth noting that you can’t really sit a white gold band next to a platinum engagement ring because these two white metals look tonally quite different and could be jarring.
Plenty of colour options are available, especially when choosing a gold band. In addition to yellow and white gold, you can also explore rose gold and the edgier option, black gold.
For some people, a wedding band will be the first ring they wear regularly. This means they may not know whether they prefer the feel of light or heavy rings. It’s worth trying on different metal rings in a jeweller’s to see what feels comfortable on your finger. You may find the heaviness of platinum distracting while for some, a lighter metal like titanium or white gold feels equally as imbalanced.
Be allergy-aware when choosing your ring. Some people are sensitive to the metals used in white gold alloys. Though the rhodium plating is hypoallergenic, as this thins, sensitive individuals may end up with itchy, swollen fingers.
If you have a job or a hobby where you use your hands a lot, it’s good to be aware that platinum is more easily scratched than white gold. That said, platinum is highly durable, and it’s easy to buff out scratches without losing any of the metal. If you want a gold wedding band, remember, the higher the carat of gold, the softer the metal is, so if you want something a little hardier, go for a lower carat – and the good news is, this is the cheaper option.
Wide bands are one of the trending styles for 2025, and if this appeals to you but might push your budget, think about using a cheaper metal like titanium or white gold.
If you’re thinking about placing larger, more valuable stones in your wedding band, it is worth noting that platinum will offer the strongest hold and security for these stones.
Whether you’ve under £1000 to spend or over £10,000, you should still try to maximise your budget.
If you’re thinking long-term, it’s a smart move to invest your money in a precious metal that holds its value well, such as platinum or gold. Likewise, though they’re more expensive, natural, mined diamonds will retain their value better than lab diamonds.
A plain metal band is by far the best choice if your wedding band costs need to be lower. An unadorned band is classic and sophisticated, and you could always make it feel more personalised by adding an engraving.
If you’re keen to add bling to your ring, a white gold band may leave space in the budget for precious stones, and it’s worth noting that lab diamonds are chemically and visually identical to mined diamonds but cost much less. There are further savings to be made by turning to white moissanite instead of diamonds, which offer plenty of twinkle for a fraction of the price.
Although there is something rather special about visiting a jeweller and trying on wedding bands together, you can save money by sourcing your rings online. Just be sure to purchase through a respected jeweller with good reviews.
As you plan a wedding, the outgoings can be enough to keep you up at night. If you don’t have much room left in the budget for wedding rings, you could always purchase two affordable temporary rings and then buy more valuable “forever” rings once your bank account has recovered from the wedding. Silver or titanium would be a good choice here.
Does the three-month wages rule apply to wedding bands?
For a long time, the popular rule of thumb was that an engagement ring should cost three months of wages. This was actually a clever marketing ploy by a diamond company, and there is absolutely no need to apply it to engagement rings or wedding bands. Indeed, all the statistics show that most people in the UK are spending much less than a month’s wage on a wedding ring.
Does an engagement ring and wedding band have to be the same metal?
No, they don’t have to be, but the aesthetic may be more appealing if you either use the same metal in both or choose a high-contrast combination of metals. It’s also worth considering whether a harder metal like platinum might damage a neighbouring softer metal.
Which type of wedding band is the easiest to maintain?
Platinum and yellow-gold wedding bands are the easiest to maintain. The cheaper titanium is also wonderfully low maintenance. You will need to re-plate white gold wedding bands with rhodium over time, and if you opt for silver, it will quickly tarnish, making it better suited to being a placeholder band while you save up for a precious metal wedding ring.
Do I need to insure my wedding band?
Although your home insurance covers jewellery up to a specific value, the policy may not cover your jewellery sufficiently outside the home. That’s why many people choose to turn to a specialist insurance policy to protect their sentimental pieces, like a wedding band.
When you take out insurance with TH March, your wedding band is covered inside the home, outside the home, and abroad. Should you need to make a claim, a dedicated claims handler will always endeavour to repair or replace the original jeweller to help ease the process. Get a fast, free quote today and see how TH March can keep your most precious jewellery safe.