My husband is forgetful sometimes

So...we've been married for a total of 2 months (as of last Friday). 2 months=8 weeks=60 days to wear our new wedding bands.

I'll admit it: in the course of our engagement, I did forget to put my engagement ring on a few times when we left the house. In the past 418 days (yes...I did the math...nerd), I would say it happened more than 3 times, but definitely less than 10. I do happen to be one of those girls who doesn't wear her rings at all times. When I get home, they are off my hand and in their box/safe place immediately. I don't wear them to the beach, I don't wear them in the shower, and I definitely don't cook with them on. Realistically, I probably spend more time with them off than on. I'm pretty adamant about cleaning my rings regularly (aka at least every other week, depending on how much I wear them) and keeping them in amazing condition.

Anyway, back to Mr. Buttons. Before the wedding, he never wore rings on a regular basis, so I can understand how this "change" in his routine could throw him off a bit. He doesn't wear a watch, so putting on "accessories" in the morning other than shirt, pants, and shoes is somewhat foreign to him. And, he prefers to remove his ring when he gets home, much like I do...so this action does require him to remember to place the band back on his finger the next day.

So, I have to laugh and shake my head when he leaves for work in the morning and I walk into our bedroom to see this:

An abandoned...sad little ring...sitting on our dresser. I know he doesn't do it on purpose, but I do have to razz him just a bit; in the past 60 days he has forgotten his ring more times than I have in the past year. Punk. Don't worry though - I don't get mad at him for it; it is an honest mistake. But...he IS getting used to wearing the band, slowly but surely. Sometimes adjusting to a new "routine" can take time.

Does anyone else out there have trouble remembering to wear their ring(s)? How about your significant other? I know Mr. Buttons isn't the only offender.

Creating a ring for my man

If you have been following along, you will remember that I selected Mr. Buttons' wedding band from an awesome Etsy vendor: Fabuluster. But, if you don't remember, you can refresh your memory: here! Well, now that the decision had been made, it was time to get my fingerprint molded!

The artisans at Fabuluster sent me a kit with detailed instructions on how to make my imprints. After reading the instructions about 100 times to make sure I had the process down pat, it was time to begin!

To start, I had to soak my finger in water for 10 minutes to get my fingerprint to rise (aka, my finger had to get pruny!). I sat on the couch with Mr. Buttons and watched a little TV while we did this. When the 10 minutes was up, it was time to heat some water up in the microwave to get the imprint strips started! They included 4 strips to imprint, so that if you make a mistake you had backup! I am very glad that they did this, as my first attempt at making an impression was rather pathetic. As in, I didn't press hard enough to make a single mark in the strip! Oops.

After letting an imprint strip soak in the hot water for 30 seconds, it was time to press! The instructions said to press hard, and boy did you have to! I smashed my finger into the imprint strip and applied as much pressure as possible for the required amount of time.

I may or may not have made some faces during this process...

When the imprint was done, I ran my hand under cold water for 30 seconds, then slowly peeled the strip off of my finger...and voila! My imprint strip was complete.

I repeated this process for 4 strips, which I then sent back to Fabuluster to create Mr. Buttons' wedding band! They will select which of the 4 strips has the best imprint to use on the ring.
Currently, his ring is in production, and I should receive it in the beginning/middle of May (I know, I'm cutting it close...). I am so excited to see the finished product!

Did you have to wait for a wedding band to be created? Was the suspense about to kill you???

Adding more bling to my ring...

It is no secret that I think Mr. Buttons did the most amazing job at selecting my engagement ring. It is actually hard to imagine that adding anything to it would make it any more beautiful; it is so perfect the way it is!

But...who doesn't love a little extra bling???

If you recall, my engagement ring is a Michael M design. So, Mr. Buttons and I thought it would be fitting to shop their collection of wedding bands to see if something matched my engagement ring perfectly. And guess what...they did (not that I was surprised)! Our shopping experience for my wedding band was incredibly brief...once we saw this ring, we knew it was the one!

Michael M

Mr. Buttons shopped around for the most reasonable price, and we were pleasantly surprised that my ring would cost less than the quoted price because my finger is so small (size 4 1/2)! Smaller size = less gold and diamonds needed = discount! Score - this was unexpected but wonderful! The ring arrived a few weeks later, and I had to sneak a peek/try it on...just to make sure everything was perfect (haha...); it was!

I promised Mr. Buttons that I wouldn't play around with it too much before the wedding, so I was only able to snap a few shots before we stored it safely away in its box!

Did you help your SO shop for your wedding band? Did you choose a band to match your engagement ring, or a completely different one?

A ring for my man...

Ok, I'll admit it: so much of the wedding planning process is a "me me me" thing, that I sometimes can neglect Mr. Buttons a bit! My head is filled with visions of flowers, wedding dresses, bridesmaids dresses, and the like...

Oh wait...this is a day for us to celebrate our love and commitment to one another...NOT for me to look really pretty and have everyone admire the hard work I put into the event? Darn...

I kid, I kid. But hopefully you get the point! So...lets get back to the topic at hand: marriage. And...the outward symbol of that marriage that Mr. Buttons will wear on his left hand. I'll admit; I put ring shopping off for months and months. I am not sure why, because I was more than excited to hound Mr. Buttons to purchase mine (I know, I'm a jerk, right???). Plus, I love to shop...so it should have been no problem for me!

However, I was hung up. Mr. Buttons and I did go to a few jewelry stores to price out their wedding bands. The problem is that Mr. Buttons is a relatively simple guy. He doesn't want anything too "fancy," and I agree. But, the plain gold or white gold wedding band was just not doing it for either of us. It is classic...my dad has been wearing one just like it since my parents got married, and it works just fine!

Source

But, with the amazing job that Mr. Buttons did with my ring, I felt like I had to do something a bit more personal or unique.

Enter Etsy. I spent a few days scouring the vast expanse of wedding bands offered. There were some very unique pieces, and I was intrigued!

I kept stumbling upon rings featuring rosewood. I love the rich color and the unique look of it!

Hawaiititanium

ZoeAndDoyle

This ring was also very intriguing to me; if you didn't like the rosewood on the outside of the ring, you could sneak it to the inside! Apparently the wood will darken naturally over time when it is in contact with your skin; neat!

ZoeAndDoyle

Sadly, Mr. Buttons vetoed the rosewood rings; he was worried about the upkeep, and was questioning whether or not he would still want to wear it when he gets older (it might be too "trendy" for his liking). I did stumble upon a similar ring style featuring titanium and carbon fiber that had a lot of potential:

ZoeAndDoyle

I also enjoyed the hammered look...it is unique, yet still traditional enough for Mr. Buttons' taste!

Seehara

But then I stumbled upon Fabuluster, and my search came to an abrupt conclusion. My heart skipped a beat when I saw these rings. They are the perfect blend of sentimental, traditional, and funky...and I adore them! Seriously, take a look at some of the rings in their Etsy shop:

(following images are from Fabuluster)

As you can see - the outside appears to be a traditional wedding band...but wait! Look inside - what is that? Oh...its a fingerprint...and not just anyone's fingerprint...it is your own!

The artisans at Fabuluster send you an impression kit that you imprint your finger on. To make a long story short, they take your imprint, and using a wax casting process they form the ring with your fingerprint on it! The print can be on the inside, or on the outside, if you're feeling adventurous...

But, which one did we pick? I decided to opt for the classic...I'd like to think that it is business on the outside, party on the inside:

Also, I know it is really sappy, but I love the fact that my hand will essentially always be touching his...and that perhaps this ring will become a great keepsake for future children/grandchildren/etc. I'm really excited to start the impression process and receive the final product!

Did you have a hard time shopping for your SO's wedding band? Which style(s) did you gravitate towards?