Free tool
What a budget actually buys
The three months' salary rule was written by an advertising agency for De Beers in the 1930s. This is built on what things cost instead.
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Prices are ours and are honest about what falls out of reach. If your budget does not stretch to something, it says so rather than upselling you into it.
Budget questions
- How much should you spend on an engagement ring?
- Whatever you can spend without borrowing. The three months' salary rule was written by De Beers as advertising in the 1930s and has no basis in anything else. UK couples typically spend between £1,000 and £2,500, and plenty spend far less on rings they love more.
- How much do wedding rings cost in the UK?
- A plain titanium band starts around £150, a plain 9ct gold band around £400, 18ct around £800 and platinum around £1,150. Patterned and two-tone bands sit between £300 and £950 depending on the metal.
- Is it cheaper to buy wedding rings as a pair?
- Not usually by much, and anyone offering a large pair discount is telling you the singles are overpriced. What a pair does save is one delivery, one sizing exercise and one conversation.
- What is the cheapest metal for a wedding ring?
- Titanium, and it is not a compromise: it is lighter, harder wearing than gold and hypoallergenic. The cheapest hallmarked precious option is sterling silver, then 9ct gold.
- Should I spend more on the engagement ring or the wedding ring?
- The wedding ring is worn more, for longer, by both of you. If the budget has to bend somewhere, most people are happier having bent it on the ring that comes off least.