Wedding Breeze

While grand, $10,000 diamond-paved Liberace-style men’s wedding rings do exist, they’re few and far between. Just take a look around; you’ll see that most men’s wedding bands are stripped-down gold circles, barely noticeable unless you look for them. But don’t condemn the guys as cheap, unromantic clods; usually, the plainness of the average man’s wedding ring stems from other considerations. The average man’s reasons for preferring an old-fashioned wedding ring usually boil down to three points: 1) That plain gold band was good enough for Dad, so it’s good enough for him; 2) he doesn’t need to be a showoff himself when he’s got such a beauty standing beside him; and 3) he’d rather spend his money on his lady’s ring.

While these may be perfectly valid reasons from viewpoints both male and female, there’s nothing stopping you from you bucking tradition a little. There’s no reason the groom’s wedding ring can’t be more noticeable than forgettable; and it doesn’t even have to cost a lot to make it that way.

For example, many men find titanium wedding rings to be an excellent choice. Titanium shines with a pure, silvery luster, and it’s easy to find an attractive ring costing less than $200. Even more importantly, titanium doesn’t tarnish and it’s amazingly tough — which makes it perfect for even the most rugged work or play environments. NASA makes spaceships out of the stuff, for heaven’s sake.

Got just a little extra cash burning a hole in your pocket? Take a look at some platinum wedding rings. Although platinum was named after silver, it’s not closely related. Not only does it not tarnish, it’s much more durable than silver. Like titanium, it’s an ideal ring metal for guys who regularly find themselves in situations that gold just wouldn’t be able to handle.

If you do decide to stick with that traditional band of gold, you’ll find that your choices are surprisingly vast, especially if you’re willing to accept a little ornamentation. A few small diamonds might add a few hundred bucks to the price, but not much more. So make a break with tradition, why don’t you, and get yourself something a little out of the ordinary?