The selection of our wedding bands was a long and arduous process, mainly because "The Noncommittal" insisted that she had to survey all the wedding bands in every Lee Hwa, Soo Kee, Goldheart, Love & Co etc before committing to a single pair. "The Wallet", on the other hand, insisted that he would pay for both the rings but eventually got veto-ed (we decided to split the cost).
The journey started in March this year. "The Noncommittal" had the following requirements for the wedding bands:
- Simple design (preferably something that looks like our existing rings)
- Diamonds are optional for the girl (but do not want to pay for an expensive diamond), strictly no diamonds for the guy.
We saw a really nice ring in Lee Hwa Wisma Atria which had a wave design embedded on it. The rings were also on sale at that time.
"The Wallet": Do you want to buy them?"The Noncommittal": No! It's only March and our wedding is not until end of next year!"The Wallet": Then why are we ring-shopping now?"The Noncommittal": So that we will know what to buy when it's time to buy!
Sometime in June, someone told "The Noncommittal" that we should consider Titanium rings because they are unique and cool. "The Noncommittal" agreed and decided that now her requirements for the wedding bands are:
- Simple design
- Made of a unique metal (i.e. not gold)
- Diamonds are optional for the girl (but do not want to pay for an expensive diamond), strictly no diamonds for the guy.
The search for the rings obviously became slightly more complicated because titanium rings can only be found online or in wellness stores like Osim, OTO etc. The most unique metal that local jewelers have is platinum. And platinum wedding bands are rather pricey.
"The Noncommittal": Since Soo Kee is already so expensive (platinum bands), we might as well get Tiffany right?"The Wallet": OK"The Noncommittal": But Tiffany bands are so plain! And too thin for your finger!"The Wallet": Uh-huh..."The Noncommittal": Hmm...but why should we pay for a metal that looks like white gold? Anyway my engagement ring is already platinum."The Wallet": Uh-huh..."The Noncommittal": I think let's just go back to white/yellow/rose gold."The Wallet": OK
*This is our effective mean of communication: One to make decision, the other to provide encouraging comments during the decision-making process. However, please use this advice at your own risk. We shall not be held liable for any negative impacts to your relationship.
Our wedding band journey slowed down in the months of July to Sept because we were both busy at work. Nonetheless "The Noncommittal" still managed to slot in impromptu visits to the jewelry shops on the pretext that "since we're here we might as well go in" and "they offer free tea & we get to sit for a while".
In October, we decided to buy the wedding bands on 5 Nov 2010 as a "-1 year wedding anniversary gift". (Note to other couples: There is no precedence for buying negative-years wedding anniversary gifts. Please do not quote us in the event of any emotional or financial impacts on your relationship). With this deadline looming, "The Noncommittal" decided to take the shopping more seriously. Unfortunately for us, we can't seem to find the perfect wedding bands. To make matters worse, the list of requirements grew as we visited each shop.
- Simple but non-boring design
- White gold (because "The Wallet" doesn't look good in yellow or rose gold)
- Preferably a mix of matt & shiny surface because "The Wallet" looks better in matt while "The Noncommittal" looks better in shiny.
- Diamonds are optional for the girl, strictly no-no to diamonds for the guy.
- "The Noncommittal" wants the bands to cost max $1200 (one pair).
Then came an unexpected event: "The Noncommittal" was going for a family holiday to Bangkok during the weekend of 5 Nov 2010. This was a last-minute decision and so our 5 Nov 2010 buy-wedding-band-date was postponed to 19 Feb 2011 (as a 1-year proposal anniversary gift).
(Another note to couples: There is also no precedence for buying proposal anniversary gifts)
The list of requirements increased with every jewelry shop visit, adding to our difficulty in finding the perfect wedding bands. Just as we were about to shelf the idea of getting the ring till January, God blessed us with a white tent at Ngee Ann City.
It was through this jewelry showcase/sale (by Lee Hwa) that a ring caught our eye. It was a white-gold half-eternity band and was on sale (60% discount!). The search for a matching guy band was slightly more complicated since this ring wasnot supposed to be a wedding band. We had to trot down to the Lee Hwa outlet at 313 to scour their counters for a matching guy band. We eventually found one that was a perfect fit! It was a white gold band, with both matt & shiny surfaces, no diamonds, and on sale as well!
(Apologies for the grainy photo, our photography skills are not too great)
-------------------------------------------
We started out with a list of requirements for our wedding bands. And the list changed and grew as we visited more shops and tried on a few more rings.
However, when we saw the ring in the white tent, the list did not matter any more. It was truly love at first sight. And us being able to find a matching guy band gave us the affirmation that the bands were meant for us.
-------------------------------------------
Advice to couples:
- Do set a budget. This will guide you tremendously and help you to focus your search. If not, you will be easily distracted by the bling-blings "pushed" by the sales personnels.
- Each store carries more than one line of wedding band. Usually one line is more expensive than the other because it uses branded diamonds.
- There are at least 2 kinds of ring fits. We have come across Standard fit & Comfort fit.
- Do ask for free engraving.
No comments:
Post a Comment