Not a lot of people realize it, but for such a short ceremony, an enormous amount of preparations goes into a wedding. After the momentous "yes" to the million-dollar question: "will you marry me?", the ball starts rolling. And with it comes a seemingly unending series of things the couple would have to attend; like counselling (for certain church weddings), dance practices, cake tastings, rehearsals, bachelor's and bachelorette's parties, and the like. Amidst all the fuss, where should the more symbolic parts of the wedding be covered? Writing vows, choosing godparents, and buying the rings are some of the things most couples hold off until they realize they barely have enough time to get them done without compromising the right amount of consideration each of these tasks deserves.

The wedding ring, after all, is the ultimate symbol of a couple's unending love for each other, going round and round in a circle, with no start and no end, through bad times and good times, in sickness and in health. Not to mention it's something you will have to wear for the rest of your married life. So to say it needs to be prioritized is rather a statement of the obvious.

There are several options for wedding rings. Although traditionally, they are made of gold, platinum, or silver, current advancements in technology have made room for more and more customization options not just in designs but in materials used. Some couples prefer similar-looking rings while others opt for styles and materials that complement each other. There are also traditional couples who use rings passed on from generation to generation and just have them altered for better fitting or in line with more recent trends.

Carvings underneath the rings are also common, usually of shortened versions of the vows exchanged (in four or five words). And of course, aside from expensive base materials, some couples spend even more on rings ornamented with precious stones like diamonds of different shapes and sizes. In most customs, the more expensive the wedding rings are, the more value they bring into the marriage.

After the wedding, the ring continues to be a symbol of the couples' undying love for each other as well as of social courtesy and of moral etiquette. Wearing a wedding ring is the most evident indication that a person is married. And although there are still marriages that follow the original custom of only the wife being given a wedding ring, most marriages now involve both husbands and wives wearing wedding rings and men in particular show their fidelity by always keeping theirs on.

There is no question about the importance of wedding rings to both the ceremony and the entire duration of a couple's married life. Fortunately, because this importance is felt in practically every nation in the world, even in varying customs related to weddings, there are means to seek assistance in finding the right wedding ring for you; your particular personalities, traditions, preferences, and budget.