Engraving is perhaps the easiest way to personalize your wedding ring. Believed to have been a practice followed for years, while the history of engraving messages is not clearly known. At the same time, it's the ultimate way to personalize your rings, but not everyone thinks to do this. Engraving is a great way to personalize your wedding rings, so they aren't just wedding rings, they're your wedding rings.

Sure, planning a wedding comes with plenty of big decisions — where you want to have the event, what you're going to wear, who to include in your wedding party to name a few. But there's one major decision that's so little that it's easy to overlook: the engraving on your wedding bands! So here are a few details to consider before you decide how and what to inscribe on your big day bands.

How to do engraving on your wedding bands step by step

Engravings are usually done on the inside of the ring. That means it is the part of the ring touching your finger when you are wearing it. This way, others can't see your special message unless you take the ring off. However, some people want the world to see their engraving. Yes, engravings can be done on the outside of the ring as well at no extra cost.

When to do it? Engraving can be a quick process, but not always. Some engravers will be able to do it while you wait, while others may require up to one month. The amount of time it will take usually depends on your jeweller's other projects and general workload.

• * When you go into the jeweller to try on and order the ring, make sure you put in a request to get your band engraved.

• * You'll be able to get a sense of whether the jeweller can actually do it for you.

• * If not, ask for a referral for an engraver he or she trusts.
  
  

Regardless of who takes on the task of engraving your rings, you want to make sure you quadruple check the spelling of your requested inscription...you don't want to wear a ring for the rest of your life with your fiancé's name spelled all wonky!

Just be sure to talk to your jeweller ASAP to figure out how long yours will take, so you can plan ahead.

Messages you can engrave on your wedding bands

What to inscribe? Remember the main point: once the message is inscribed, it's hard to undo. Make sure you put some serious thought into the words you choose. We have some ideas for example:

• * Your wedding date. Simple and sweet, this inscription makes sure you never forget your anniversary.

• * The coordinates of a special spot. It will also be like a secret code between you and your partner.

• * Your new last name. Your new monogram is another great option.

• * Your names, pet names or initials. Or, if you have a special nickname for each other, it's make your partner smile.

• * A special quote or phrase from your vows that sums up your relationship.
  
  

Lyrics from your first dance song (or another tune that's special to the two of you) is the great option too. Besides text, you can engrave any symbol, picture or image.

Consider the cost of engraving on your wedding bands

Want to inscribe a quote or favourite song lyric? That'll cost you more than just doing your names or initials; the final cost is usually based on the number of characters in the message and the specific font you choose.

Another factor to consider is whether you're going to have it engraved by hand or machine. As with most things, the machine engraving tends to be cheaper, but less personal than the hand-engraving option. Laser engraving tends to be easier to read because the laser burns the metal, turning it darker, so it stands out more. However, that is not to say that a traditional engraving is hard to read.