Many parts of a contemporary wedding require you to follow a tradition that began generations ago. That white wedding dress? It can actually be considered to be rather Victorian since it was popularised by Queen Victoria's marriage to Prince Albert of Saxe back in 1840. Throwing the wedding bouquet? Though this has been symbolic for centuries, it used to have a more practical purpose, with the bouquet containing fragrant herbs which helped to obscure the bride's body odour back before indoor plumbing. The wedding ring? Its significance dates back to ancient Rome and Greece, and it's meant to symbolise fidelity. While these traditions all have a place in a contemporary wedding, the wedding ring can be a problem for some people. No, it's not because you don't want to promise fidelity to your spouse. It can be a problem if you really don't like gold rings.

The Different Types of Gold

Nobody said a wedding ring needs to be gold, even though this is a tradition. It's not necessarily the type of metal that you might have an issue with, but you may not like the colour. Depending on your budget, you might wish to opt for a higher carat of gold, which has less of a yellow tinge. Alternatively, you could choose a wedding ring made from white gold or even platinum, if your finances permit it. And if they don't, you could have a ring made from palladium, which closely resembles white gold and platinum, for a fraction of the cost. These might be difficult to track down but are easy enough for a custom jewellery manufacturer to whip up. 

The Symbolism, Not the Material

If you want to avoid the look of gold altogether (in all its varieties), you can just choose a ring made of (almost) any type of material you want, as long as it has a suitable density and pliability. It doesn't even have to be metal. Who says you can't have a ring made of stainless steel or titanium? Or even a stone ring made of granite? It's about what the ring symbolises, and it's not about what the ring is made of. Again, it might be difficult to source a non-traditional wedding ring, but if you have your heart set on a particular material, it can certainly be custom-made. 

A Permanent Ring

When is a ring not a ring? When it's a tattoo of a ring, artfully etched onto your finger. Unless some expensive and uncomfortable lasering is involved, a tattoo is permanent, and this is a ring that your spouse can never take off. The session at the tattooist can be part of your pre-wedding festivities, and this can even take the form of a traditional gold band because a gold-coloured tattoo on your skin will look rather different to the metal itself. 

A gold wedding band might be traditional, but who says you have to follow each and every wedding tradition to the letter?

For more information, contact a custom jewellery store.