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By Forever Farrah Published 2026-09-17, last updated 2026-10-17.
Traditionally the groom buys the engagement ring and the bride's band, and the bride's family buys the groom's. How couples split the cost today, and other cultures.
In traditional American etiquette, the groom buys the engagement ring and the bride's wedding band, and the bride's family buys the groom's band. Today most couples ignore that split: many buy both wedding bands together, and whoever proposes usually buys the engagement ring. Rings are also not universal. In many cultures the key marriage symbols are something else entirely, such as a mangalsutra necklace, bangles or a mahr, and in some countries the wedding ring goes on the right hand.
According to Emily Post, under the old division of wedding costs, the bride's family paid for the groom's ring, and the groom paid for the bride's engagement and wedding rings.
| Ring | Traditional buyer (old US etiquette) | Common today |
|---|---|---|
| Engagement ring | The groom | Whoever proposes, or both together |
| Bride's wedding band | The groom | Both, from a shared budget |
| Groom's wedding band | The bride's family | Both, from a shared budget |
This was always just one tradition. It never applied everywhere, and it assumed a man proposing to a woman.
They are two different rings.
Many people wear both together after the wedding. Some couples skip the engagement ring altogether and put the money into the bands, the wedding or savings.
The diamond engagement ring is much newer as a mass custom than most people assume. The Wikipedia article on engagement rings records Archduke Maximilian of Austria giving Mary of Burgundy a diamond ring on their betrothal in 1477, but for centuries diamonds were for the very rich.
The modern expectation owes a lot to advertising. Sotheby's describes how the De Beers slogan "A Diamond Is Forever", written in 1947, reshaped the market. That's worth knowing if you feel pressure to buy a particular kind of ring: the "rule" is partly a marketing campaign.
We don't give a figure for how much to spend on a ring. Any rule of thumb about a number of months' salary traces back to jewellery advertising, not to etiquette. Spend what fits your budget. How to prioritize your wedding budget can help you decide where rings rank.
Which hand, which ring and whether a ring matters at all all vary.
Right hand or left hand. In the US and UK, the wedding ring usually goes on the fourth finger of the left hand. The Wikipedia article on wedding rings notes that in several Northern and Eastern European countries, including Norway, Denmark, Russia and Poland, it's more commonly worn on the right hand, and that the Eastern Orthodox ceremony places the rings on the right hand.
Germany. The same article describes a custom in Germany and nearby countries of wearing the band on the left hand during the engagement and moving it to the right at the wedding, so one ring serves both purposes.
India. A wedding ring is common today, but it's not the traditional marker of a Hindu marriage. The Hindu wedding ceremony centres on rituals such as the seven steps around the sacred fire. Other symbols of marriage, such as necklaces and bangles, vary by region and community. Indian wedding traditions covers them.
Jewish weddings. In a traditional Jewish ceremony, the groom gives the bride a ring, often a plain band, as part of the ceremony. Jewish wedding traditions explained for guests walks through the ceremony.
Muslim weddings. Rings are common but not required. What the marriage contract does require is the mahr, a gift from the groom to the bride that becomes her property, according to the Encyclopedia of Religion. A ring may form part of it.
A few common approaches:
The one thing to agree early is whether rings come out of the wedding budget or separately. It's an easy line item to forget. Hidden wedding costs lists others.
In old American etiquette, the bride's family. Today most couples buy both bands together or each buys the other's.
Traditionally no, but it's increasingly common for both partners to wear an engagement ring, or for whoever proposes to buy one for the other.
The left hand in the US and UK, but the right hand is more common in several Northern and Eastern European countries, and in Orthodox Christian ceremonies.
No. The diamond engagement ring was popularised by 20th-century advertising. Many couples choose other stones, plain bands or no engagement ring at all.
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