If your fiancé doesn't want to wear a wedding band, how do you change his mind? Our bride-to-be blogger Claire Adams thinks she may have found a solution...
I have come to realise I'm just not a natural accessorise-er and regrettably, I don't think I ever will be.
I wear the same simple jewellery every day. Sometimes I'll buy an unusual necklace to match my new boots or earrings to complement a new outfit but I rarely show them off.
With my engagement ring, it was a different story. Although I hadn't set my heart on a specific style I was definitely looking forward to welcoming it to my jewellery family. I was pretty sure I wouldn't have a problem wearing it on a daily basis. And I really don't.
My fiance, Lee has different views. I have always known he doesn't like wearing jewellery - at all. He has gone through phases of buying the odd leather cuff (think Proudlock style) but it doesn't last long.
However, I had always assumed a wedding ring was a given. I hadn't checked if he would like to wear one but he had asked me to marry him. Surely that meant he was happy to embrace the ring, right?
Wrong. We were chatting through things left "to do" when I suddenly remembered quite a vital job – buying our wedding bands.
"Oh yeah, about that. I've been thinking and I'm not sure I want to wear a wedding ring," he quietly muttered. Erm, sorry? I thought I had misheard him. Surely he hadn't just said he didn't want to wear a band to symbolise our impending union?
"Well I never wear jewellery and it can be really dangerous with my job. In fact Bob lost his finger because of his wedding ring," he told me.
"Oh really," I replied (AKA like I give a sh*t). "But I've met lots of your work friends who wear wedding rings?"
He looked baffled. "Well your dad doesn't wear one. And neither does mine!" Lee was seriously clutching at straws.
And then I had a brainwave. "Ok, let's compromise. You don't wear a wedding ring and we both adopt the new Adams Wilson double-barrelled surname I've been been banging on about. Deal?"
He looked at me for quite a while as he processed my quite reasonable and well planned offer.
"What about if I wear it on a thin chain around my neck?," he said hopefully.
"Now it's starting to sound like you don't want anyone to see that you're married!" I replied.
Lee looked offended. "Of course not," he said. I've just never liked jewellery and I thought you'd understand."
I pretended to mull it over. "Sorry I don't. It's really important to me we both wear a ring and if your only reason against it is because you don't really like jewellery then I think you should make the effort. Or you can take my other offer of course?"
Two days later, we were sitting in a jewellers sizing up Lee's finger, which actually looks pretty damn good with a wedding band on it, even if I do say so myself. Now, on to the engraving.
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Read all the latest on Claire's wedding prep on her bride-to-be blog here.