Do Wedding Bands Have to Match?

When shopping for wedding rings, you and your to-be spouse are probably shopping together. They’re thinking the two of you need to have matching couple’s rings. But damn if you don’t want something of your own — a dinosaur wedding band to let your inner paleontologist scream with joy. 

Before you run to your spouse-to-be with a URL pulled up of a dinosaur bone or meteorite ring, you need to ask yourself, to preempt their response by asking, “Do wedding bands have to match?” 

Chances are you don’t want the same exact ring as your partner — I mean, you want something you can still call your own. But hey, you can still match rings if you want to.

So what are we saying? Well, there’s no exact rule, but any rules are always meant to be broken. That’s the manly way, after all.

Do Wedding Bands Have to Match?

Besides figuring out your wedding band size with a ring size chart, you and your spouse need to understand what you’re looking for. Some key questions the two of you will have to ask include: 

• Did your fiance's engagement ring come as part of a set? Do they need to get a wedding ring that matches? 

• Is your fiance’s engagement ring unique enough that it requires a specific, complementary wedding band to go with it? 

• What are your personal styles? Would a ring look good on one of you and bad on the other? 

• Will one ring match your natural skin tone without matching the other? 

• Do either of you have metal sensitivities and need a hypoallergenic metal?

The answers to these questions will determine whether you want to get matching wedding bands or not. 

Matching Wedding Bands

If you find that, even with the above questions, the two of you can get away with the same type of ring, you might as well go ahead and do it. Why? 

On one hand, matching wedding bands are traditional as it’s a symbol of couples becoming one and the same. By sharing their love, they’re also wearing matching wedding rings. It’s a symbol of your union, coming together until death do you part. 

If the two of you have matching styles, it goes even further. 

Complementary Wedding Bands

You can have “matching” wedding rings without them necessarily matching. Sounds like a riddle, right? But it’s actually straightforward. You and your partner can get complementary wedding rings. 

It’s a simple way to still have unique wedding rings that match your relationship, while maintaining that personal charm. 

For instance, you can both get rose gold wedding rings, but they don’t have to be the same exact style. Moreover, one of you could wear a lighter cobalt chrome ring while the other wears a white gold ring. They’re technically different materials, but depending on the style, you could get two rings that are complementary to one another. 

But, then again, you don’t even have to have complementary wedding rings if you don’t want to. More simply, to heck with matching — let me have my own! 

Non-Matching Wedding Bands

If you’re comfortable enough with one another, the two of you don’t worry about ensuring you’re always lockstep with one another. The reason is that the two of you are on the same page, at all times, without having to be on the same page. You're the type of partner who is able to lead their own lives and doesn't feel jealous about the other. You have separate hobbies, individual friends and interests outside of your relationship.

For these couples, they can wear just about anything they want to. If you want a diamond ring and your partner wants a wild cerakote ring, that’s all good. There’s no stopping you from living your lives and getting the rings that fit your personal style and interest.

If you’re wondering whether your wedding rings need to match, the answer depends on your relationship and cultural tradition. If you want to match, you can go right ahead. If you’d rather have your own rings, you’re more than welcome to get the ring of your own personal dreams. 

Your perfect wedding band is waiting for you. Explore our collection of rings and find the one that fits your style and relationship.