Bridebox: Engagement Ring vs. Wedding Ring: What’s the Difference?

One of the most important aspects of a marriage proposal is the engagement ring. This ring is traditionally a beautiful gemstone set on a band and is what has come to be known as a symbol of wedding culture. This piece of jewelry is oftentimes mistakenly referred to as the wedding ring, and the two terms seem to have become interchangeable in everyday vocabulary. But, what really is the difference between an engagement ring and a wedding ring? Do you need to have both?  We answer these questions and more to help clear things up.

What is an engagement ring?

An engagement ring is given to someone at the time of a marriage proposal. Traditionally, women receive the engagement ring and are expected to wear it starting from the time of the proposal. Having a ring on her finger will indicate to the world that she is taken and is committed to her partner. These rings can vary greatly in terms of extravagance and price, but the most common type of engagement ring has a diamond or another gemstone set atop a pretty band. The engagement ring is worn on the third finger of the left hand (the one next to the pinky).

wedding ring versus engagement ring

Photo Credit: Flameville

What is a wedding ring?

Wedding rings are exchanged between partners during the wedding ceremony. They are typically more simple bands in comparison to the engagement ring and do not have a center diamond or prominent gemstone. Both partners receive a wedding band during the ceremony and they each wear them on the third fingers of their left hands. Because the wedding band is placed on the same finger as the engagement ring, many brides choose to move their engagement rings to their right hands for the ceremony and then move them back to the left hand afterwards so that their two rings are stacked.

wedding ring engagement ring set

Photo Credit: Weddingbee

The meanings behind the rings

The tradition of the engagement ring dates back many centuries, when a man would ask for his lady’s hand in marriage by giving her a valuable ring in exchange for the father’s  approval and exchange in “ownership” of this lady. These rings became more and more extravagant over time because they came to represent the man’s wealth, which was very desirable for both the man and the woman and her family. Although this notion is clearly very dated, the tradition of offering a ring for one’s hand in marriage has lived on.

In addition to the historical meaning of the wedding ring, there is also a symbolic aspect as well. The circular shape of a ring represents eternity and infinity, and the hole through the ring signifies a doorway leading to events in the future. To give someone a ring indicates the commitment of never-ending and immortal love.

engagement ring vs wedding ring

Photo Credit: Robbins Brothers

Do I need to wear both an engagement and wedding ring?

Because the engagement ring is traditionally the flashier and more extravagant ring of the two, most women wear the engagement ring on their left hand ring fingers. Many women will wear their wedding bands stacked underneath the engagement ring as well, while some women choose to only wear one ring to represent both. Many jewelers sell engagement rings and wedding rings as a set so that they match one another and look stylish when worn together. However, this is absolutely not a requirement and you and your partner can choose to buy wedding bands at your own leisure if you wish to have them at all.

bride and groom wedding rings

Photo Credit: Gigmasters

Men typically receive wedding bands on the day of their wedding ceremonies. These grooms wedding bands are generally thicker in width than bridal wedding bands and are usually made of one type of precious metal, such as gold, silver or platinum. Some men’s wedding bands may contain small diamonds or jewels and the design and style of the band is up to their personal preference.

How much do wedding and engagement rings cost?

Wedding rings and engagement rings can vary greatly in price depending on the materials used to make it, the size and your location. Most engagement rings include at least one diamond and most wedding bands do not have any gemstones, so engagement rings are usually much more expensive than wedding rings. A general rule of thumb that many people choose to follow is to spend about two to three months’ salary on an engagement ring. Of course, how much you choose to spend on any of your wedding jewelry is entirely up to your preference and tastes.

bride and groom wedding bands

Photo Credit: Onewed

Your engagement ring and wedding ring both represent the unity and bond that you’ve committed to one another on your wedding day. Whether you choose to go with an extravagant jewel or an understated band, this piece of jewelry is something that will indicate to the world and to yourselves your commitment to one another as a married couple. There’s so many different types and styles of both engagement rings and wedding rings, guaranteeing that you and your partner will surely be able to find the perfect ones for you.

Article sourced from The Bride Box Blog

Hot and Tasty Beef Chili

Here in Toronto, we were blessed with a period of dry, mild, winter weather. Now that things have changed, and we’re watching large white snowflakes fall heavily from the sky, it’s time to think of something to eat that will warm our bones. We made a delicious pot of beef chili in our Kitchen Charm cookware, and think it was the perfect addition to our winter dinner repertoire.

1) Brown your ground beef over medium-high heat.

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2)Add sliced white mushrooms to the nearly cooked-through meat.

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3)Add a packet of your favourite seasonings- we used President’s Choice Chili. Stir.

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4)Add one whole can of crushed tomatoes and one whole can of diced tomatoes.

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5)Let cook for 8-10 minutes and then turn heat down to low.

6)Rinse and drain one can of corn nibs and one can of kidney beans. Add to pot and stir to combine.

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7) Serve and enjoy!

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Warm Udon Noodle Soup

The mercury in our thermometer is dropping, so we are now collecting the best soup recipes to make for the cold winter nights. Next time you are home late from work – because the roads were so bad, of course – whip up a steaming bowl of warm udon noodle soup. You can omit the chicken and use vegetable stock for a vegetarian-friendly family, or swap in beef with beef stock for a slightly different flavour. We made this after a long day, and it was just what we needed!

1) Slice raw chicken breast, season with salt and pepper and cook until done.

cooking chicken

2) In a separate pot, stirfry mixed vegetables, and once soft, add stock of your choice. Bring heat up until soup boils.

vegetables in broth

3) Once the soup is boiling, add liquid sauce of your choice to chicken. We used hoisin sauce, soy sauce and hot sauce.

cooking chicken and vegetables for soup

4) Combine chicken in its sauce to soup and stir together. Before serving, separate and add udon noodles. Stir until noodles soften.

soup and noodles all mixed

5) Serve and enjoy!

noodle soup

#KitchenCharmCookToWin

Until Sunday, November 30th, we will be collecting pictures of the different meals our customers have made in their cookware! We are giving away an 8-PERSON PLACE SETTING of casual china (32 pieces) of your choice!

Post your pictures to our Facebook page, and be sure to add the tag ‪#‎kitchencharmcooktowin‬. Every photo counts as one entry, and there is no limit to the amount you can post!

Check out our product page HERE to choose your favourite.

THE LUCKY WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON DECEMBER 15TH.

You are already cooking, you might as well win too! #kitchencharmcooktowin

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Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Coffee Cake

With Canadian Thanksgiving having passed, we still have the thought of pumpkin in our minds and the taste on our tongues. Hot and sweet pumpkin pie, freshly carved pumpkin jack-0-lanterns, and salty roasted pumpkin seeds. No matter what form they take, pumpkins truly are the icon of autumn. Here is a recipe for a delicious Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Coffee Cake taken from Flavor Mosaic.

Ingredients:

Cake
  • 1¾ cups of all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • ½ tsp vanilla
  • 6 ounces pumpkin puree (about ½ a can)
  • ½ cup milk
 Cinnamon Swirl
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter (1/2 a stick of butter), melted
 Glaze
  • 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon milk

Directions:

1) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2) In a medium sized bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin spice. If you don’t have pumpkin spice, which we did not, we used a pinch of ground ginger as a substitute.

dry ingredients in a bowl
3) In another bowl, mix together the vegetable oil, sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin puree and milk.

wet ingredients in a bowl
4) Add the dry mix into the wet ingredients and mix together until batter is combined.

combined batter
5) Take an 8″ by 8″ cake pan and spray lightly with Pam or grease lightly with butter. Add cake batter into cake pan.

cake batter in the pan
6) Melt your butter completely in a small bowl and once melted add in the cinnamon and sugar and mix until smooth. (Side note: we made this cake twice- the photos are from the first time when the butter was not melted completely before adding sugar and cinnamon and the result is a much more clumpy cinnamon sugar mix. It was much more difficult to swirl through the cake).

7) Drop small spoonfuls of the sugar/cinnamon mix onto the cake. Take a toothpick or knife and distribute the mix throughout the cake batter. We dropped spoonfuls in each corner and swirled towards the middle of the cake.

the cake before the oven
8) Bake cake for 35-30 minutes in oven until a toothpick that is inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

the cake after the oven
9) After cake has cooled (about 15 minutes) mix together powdered sugar and milk until you have a smooth, runny consistency. Drizzle glaze over the top of the cake and let dry completely before serving.

pumpkin cake
10) Slice and enjoy!

Read the original recipe HERE!