Many couples choose to have an inscription engraved on the inside of their wedding bands as a memento of the special occasion. One of the items you can engrave is your names. Most couples also add the date of the wedding, if it fits. If you have decided to engrave names in your wedding bands, here are the steps you need to take to get it done.

Decide how the inscription will read. You may choose to engrave your own name on your own wedding band and your husband’s name on his wedding band. You may choose to engrave his name on your band and vice versa. Your other option is to engrave both of your name. however you decide, figure out precisely how you want to names to read.

Find a jeweler or engraving company. Ask the jeweler where you’re buying your wedding bands if they offer an engraving service or ask if they can refer you to an engraving service. Once you find a company to engrave the rings, schedule an appointment to discuss the details such as cost, possible problems, etc.

Discuss options with the engraver. While most professional engravers can easily engrave your rings, things can go wrong. When you schedule a meeting with the engraver, be sure to ask all of the questions you have such as what happens if the ring is damaged during the engraving process or if the engraver makes a mistake?

Show and ask for samples. Bring engraving samples you like to the meeting with your engraver to show them how you want your engravings to look. Also, ask them for samples of their engraving work so you can judge the quality of their work with your own eyes.

Choose hand or machine engraving. If your rings have very intricate design features, you may have to opt for hand engraving over machine engraving. Otherwise, you should be able to have the names engraved by a machine, which tends to be less time intensive and cost less money.

Inspect the engraving. Ask for the engraver to provide a proof of what the engraving will look like before they start working on your rings. Once you approve the proof and go to pick your rings up from the engraver, make sure you carefully review the engravings to make sure that your names are spelled correctly and that it looks the same or similar to the proof you approved.