50 wedding ring engraving ideas for a personal touch

Personalising a wedding ring is a special way to add a personal touch to an already meaningful piece of jewellery. Engraving a message on the ring that your other half will (hopefully) wear forever is a romantic notion in itself – not to mention a smart way to ensure that the ring you purchase is totally unique. Of course, the tricky part is deciding what the engraving on your ring should say! Luckily, we’ve collated a selection of wedding ring engraving ideas that will make your piece feel one-of-a-kind.

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When it comes to choosing a wedding ring engraving, a good place to start is with the wearer: what do they like? Do you share a personal story together? Would they prefer a traditional phrase, or something on the funnier side? They’re going to wear it on their hand forever, so it’s important the engraving fits their style and character.

Speaking to Laura Suttie, Ring Design Expert at Queensmith, she explains that personal messages tend to be the most common. 'The most popular wedding ring engravings are things like the couples’ wedding date or the date they first met. Many have their partner’s name or initials engraved into their ring. We also see lots of sweet, private jokes or nicknames that may make absolutely no sense to us, but mean the world to those wearing the rings!'.

It's easy to put a lot of pressure on choosing an engraving because it's permanent, but actually, as long as it's personal and meaningful to the couple, you can't go wrong.

'My advice is don’t overthink it', says Suttie. 'Yes, your engraving will last a lifetime within the ring, but any sweet and romantic ideas that spring to mind will be perfect. Keep it simple and personal. You only have space for around 25 characters on a typical ring, so your wedding date, a short phrase or each other’s name is ideal.'

In our handy guide, we explain everything you need to know about having a wedding ring engraved, from how much it costs to the best time to do it. It might seem a little daunting having a phrase or symbol set indefinitely in stone (or, should we say, metal), but we’re here to ensure you feel confident in your choice of engraving. You can find lots more handy tips and advice down below too, including when's the best time to get your ring engraved and how long your message should be.

So, whether you like the idea of getting each other’s initials marked on your rings, or would prefer a symbol that speaks for itself, like an infinity sign or a simple heart, our curated list of wedding engraving ideas is sure to spark some inspiration.

How much does it cost to have a wedding ring engraved?

The cost of having a wedding ring engraved varies from jeweller to jeweller, but it usually depends on the character count of your message. Some charge a flat rate, others charge by the number of characters, while others offer engravings for free when you purchase particular items. You'll be pleased to hear that having a wedding ring engraved isn’t very expensive - usually between £30 and £70. We've reviewed a few retailers and listed their prices below, so you can get an idea of what is costs to have a wedding ring engraved:

- Samara James: From £70 for up to 30 characters
- Ernest Jones: £21 flat rate for engraving the inside of a ring
- H Samuel: From £30 for up to 30 characters
- Wedding Rings Direct: From £24 for up to 30 characters
- Star Wedding Rings: From £13.99 for up to 25 characters
- Queensmith: £75 flat rate

When should I engrave a wedding ring?

Should you get your wedding ring engaged before or after you buy the ring? If you already have an engraving in mind and you know your partner is happy with it too, then there’s nothing to stop you from engraving your ring at the time of buying. Take care not to rush the process though. If you’re still undecided on the best engraving, you can add one at any time. It’s important to be sure. Besides, you might decide you don’t want to engrave it once the ring arrives!

Suttie shares her advice: 'It’s a better idea to engrave your rings once you’ve tried them on and are sure they fit. If you resize your ring, you’ll most likely need to have the engraving re-done. We always invite our clients to try on their wedding rings, ideally in good time ahead of the wedding to ensure breathing space to resize and add an engraving if they wish.'

How long does it take to engrave a wedding ring?

It’s possible to engrave a wedding ring on the day if you visit a physical store and ask a jeweller to do it for you. If you're ordering a wedding ring online though, you’ll usually need to wait anywhere up to 10 days for the piece to be engraved and shipped, although it can be considerably less than this.

Engraved rings
Engraving inspiration: Initial and heart design via Etsy

How do you engrave a wedding ring?

There are three ways to engrave a ring: by hand, by machine and by laser. Originally, jewellery could only be engraved by hand which, although it sounds romantic, is a fairly unreliable method and could often yield imperfections. Machines and lasers are the most popular tools used nowadays, ensuring a clean, practically perfect result.

Queensmith, for example, use lasers for their engravings. Laura Suttie elaborates: 'We’ve recently moved to laser engraving. It’s an incredibly neat, precise way to add engravings to rings. You can actually see our laser engraver at work when you visit Queensmith, nestled away in our in-house workshop. Couples can either choose from a regular font, or have something hand-drawn by our design team which incurs a slightly higher cost.'

How long can my wedding ring engraving be?

Wedding ring engravings usually allow room for up to 30 characters, but this might be less if you have a particularly small band or ring size.

Best wedding ring engraving ideas

Still not sure what you want your wedding ring engraving to say? Take a look at our suggestions below, from traditional messages to funny, symbolic and 'his and hers' ideas.

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