Summer is peak wedding season, but some of us would rather not spend one of the most important days in our lives sweating through a heavy dress or tuxedo. For those of us who can do without the heat, there’s always autumn. What’s not to love about an autumn wedding? The feeling of change in the air, the beautiful, otherworldly colors, the decidedly non-sweaty weather: fall weddings are undoubtedly a vibe. But if natural beauty is what you’re looking for in a wedding setting, what’s more beautiful than a winter’s evening, when the sun goes down early and the snow reflects the moonlight to cast the world in a peaceful, comforting glow? Then there’s the winter destination wedding, with its romantic days of ice skating and nights curled up in a cozy cottage.

Before you get too deep into planning your wedding, you’ll want to figure out your color palette. Your colors will inform everything from the invitations to the dress of the wedding party. While you’re coordinating the colors of the décor, don’t forget the rings. One of the most important moments of the ceremony is the exchange of these symbols of everlasting love. They'll be with you throughout your journey through life, reminding you of what a special day your wedding was. Commemorate the occasion by designing custom rings that match your wedding color palette.

Choosing the Color Palette

The first thing to decide is whether the theme of your wedding is simply “winter” or if you want to associate your wedding with any of the major winter holidays that you celebrate. If you and your family celebrate Christmas, for example, you might feel like there should be a clear distinction between the two events, that your anniversary should be celebrated separately from Christmas. Whether you’re more interested in a wintry vibe or a specifically holiday vibe will help you decide on a color palette.

Red and Gold

The Colors: If you are throwing a winter wedding because you love Christmas, go for that classic red and gold palette. Red and green (or white) are probably more closely associated with Christmas, but replacing green with gold elevates the occasion to something more timeless and luxurious.

The Rings: In yellow and pink, this ring from our Twists collection evokes both the spirit of the season and the thick cords of a comfy sweater.

Navy and Silver

The Colors: Variations of blue and white or silver have become the go-to alternative Christmas color scheme for those who aren’t a fan of red. These colors are also associated with Hanukkah. Going with navy rather than royal blue adds a sophisticated flourish to this winter classic.

The Rings: All-platinum rings with a polished finish. If the stark sheen of platinum isn’t your style, add some visual interest with a groove down the center or an ice-matte finish.

Silver and Gold

The Colors: Remember the song “Silver and Gold” from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer? “Silver and Gold means so much more when I see / Silver and Gold decorations on every Christmas tree.” Today, these colors together are wintry and celebratory, but separated from red, they become less overtly Christmassy.

The Rings: Take a look at any of our collections and you’ll find a combination of white and yellow gold that suits your tastes, whether you’re looking for something modern or something elegant.

Gray and Laurel Green

The Colors: A modern combination of colors, gray and laurel green bring to mind the moods of the season without alluding to any particular holiday celebration. It’s a little bit more muted, a little more sophisticated, than some of the other winter palettes.

The Rings: A modern palette calls for a modern ring, like this ring in white, with its green center stone surrounded by a grid of diamonds.

Champagne and Evergreen

The Colors: Feeling more luxurious than modern? A palette of green and gold calls to the green bottle and golden foil of a bottle of champagne while also nodding to a wistful winter landscape: the sun, looming small and distant in an icy sky above a forest of pine trees, lending what little warmth it can give to a bright winter morning.

The Rings: A classic gold band with diamonds. Is there any better way to evoke the rich luxury of a thousand white bubbles rising through the golden glow of a glass of champagne?

Commemorate Your Day

No matter what your winter wedding looks like, you can find a design in platinum, palladium, or red, peach, yellow, or white gold to complement it. Browse our fully customizable collections here or design your own pair of rings in the Design Center.

Virgo? Love? It’s true. Virgo is as capable of deep romantic bonds as any other sign. Virgo is often stereotyped as cold and unromantic, but this Earth sign just has their own love language. Virgo isn’t about grand gestures or effusive declarations of love but something more practical: a tomato plant, not a dozen roses. Virgo has high standards for themselves and others, and the best partner for a Virgo will recognize that Virgo sees what their partner is capable of and just wants them to be their best self. Those high standards translate into an active mind, always taking in information about the world and learning about the people they love. They are organized thinkers who lead organized lives, but that doesn’t mean they are stuck-up or overly stuffy.

Element: Earth

Virgo is rock solid. Like the Earth orbiting the sun year after year, Virgo loves a well-established routine. Dependable as the seasons, as nurturing as the soil, Virgo has a loving, compassionate side that is just as important as the critical, methodical, and rigid aspects of the sign.

Ruling Planet: Mercury

Named for the fleet-footed messenger of the Roman gods, Mercury zips around the Sun every 88 days, so fast that it sometimes appears to be moving backwards through the night sky relative to the stars. In astrology, Mercury represents the intellect and communication, which is why Virgo tends to be a quick thinker with an organized mind.

Virgo Aesthetics

Just because Virgo is stereotyped as a fussy, fastidious, intellectual sign doesn’t mean that their aesthetic is plain or unfashionable. Just look at the world’s most famous Virgos, Beyoncé and Keanu Reeves. The Virgo aesthetic is intellectual yet unpretentious. It’s not crying out for attention, but it is thoroughly thought out, with a clear artistic vision. Many of our clean, modern styles would likely appeal to a Virgo.

Compatibility With Other Signs

Any pair of zodiac signs can become a powerful team if you know your own strengths and areas to work on. In any relationship, knowing yourself, allowing yourself to be honest and vulnerable, and being receptive to your partner’s needs are the keys to happiness. Understanding your tendencies and traits as well as those of your partner can help you turn any perceived point of incompatibility into a strength—as long as you don’t make Virgo change their plans at the last minute.

Aries: Fiery Aries likes to shoot first and ask questions later, which can frustrate the best-laid plans of Virgo. These two signs, one impulsive, the other methodical, may be drawn to each other in an “opposites attract” way, but quickly find their relationship mired in argument after argument. These are, however, both signs with a lot of curiosity, and Virgo in particular is interested in learning what makes their partner tick. If the connection is deep enough, these two can harness that curiosity to work out their differences.

Taurus: Taurus and Virgo, two Earth signs, both have their feet firmly planted on the ground. Pragmatic, determined, and dependable Taurus is a perfect match for detail-oriented, orderly Virgo. These two don’t do anything on a whim. When they get together, they are in it for the long haul and will enjoy a dedicated, peaceful life together.

Gemini: Both Gemini and Virgo are ruled by Mercury, but that’s where the similarities end. Gemini loves socializing, and while Virgo might be initially intellectually stimulated by Gemini, Virgo-Gemini relationships tend to end in frustration for Virgo, who craves commitment and stability, and boredom for Gemini, who sees Virgo as too rigid in their approach to life. The saving grace of this relationship is Mercury. Even though Mercury’s traits are expressed differently in the two signs, they are still both strong communicators who can work out their differences with love and respect.

Cancer: At first glance, emotional water sign Cancer seems like a terrible fit for the exacting taskmaster Virgo. But both of these signs want nothing more than a stable, loving, well-ordered family, and both bring characteristics to the table that add up to a happy, stable life. They are both nurturers, but while Cancer is always there intuitive and open, Virgo is more about providing for the practical needs of a family.

Leo: It’s always tough to make adjacent signs work, and Leo-Virgo is no exception. Outgoing Leo wants to spend a night out dancing, not just for self-expression, but for the praise and adoration that comes with having the best moves. Virgo, meanwhile, would rather sit in a dark corner and give Leo tips to improve than praise them for their creativity on the dance floor. If Virgo can elevate their nurturing side over their critical side and Leo can accept that criticism comes from a place of love, these two can grow and thrive together.

Virgo: This is one of the best same-sign matches in the zodiac. Virgo is often misunderstood (just look at how many of these paragraphs describe difficult matches that take a lot of work), and no one gets Virgo better than another Virgo. Just think of the possibilities: bullet journals, a set bedtime, whiteboards with chores laid out, and someone who understands your love language of not just doing the dishes, but stacking them in the cabinet in the right order.

Libra: Virgo’s other adjacent sign, Libra’s tendency to be flighty and detached can be too much for Virgo’s well-ordered life. Libra is going to have to come down from the clouds eventually, and supportive, nurturing Virgo is as good a sign as any to provide a safe landing. While adjacent-sign relationships take some extra introspection and open communication, Libra-Virgo is a little easier to make work than Leo-Virgo, as the two signs have more in common: they both love art (what Libra appreciates aesthetically, Virgo likes to analyze intellectually), neat, clean surroundings, and a relaxing, stress-free home life.

Scorpio: Both Scorpio and Virgo tend to be reserved, which can make communication difficult. For Virgo, it’s because they like things a certain way. For Scorpio, it’s because they have their secrets that they need to protect. The key to this relationship is trust. That means opening up and expressing emotions honestly. When trust is lacking, the war of words between the two can lead to casualties if they aren’t careful. Scorpio knows exactly where to plant their stinger, and analytical Virgo knows exactly how to take someone apart verbally. Once trust is established, Scorpio and Virgo will find they have similar worldviews and values and can build on each other’s strengths.

Sagittarius: This is one of the most volatile, difficult pairings in the zodiac. Virgo will measure twice and cut once. Sagittarius eyeballs it and declares, “close enough.” As with the other more social signs, Virgo will find an initial spark of attraction to magnetic, intelligent Sagittarius, but might ultimately find them too adventurous and unpredictable. If Virgo is willing to accept a little spontaneity into their lives, and Sagittarius can control their restlessness and focus on details, these two can learn a lot from each other, but it’ll take some work.

Capricorn: Capricorn, the third of the zodiac’s Earth signs, is almost as good a match for Virgo as Taurus. Capricorn’s earthiness comes through in an unflappable dedication to work. This outlook complements Virgo’s more nurturing nature. These two signs might be a little too intellectual and practical, however, and will have to remember to pencil in some leisure or social time into their plans.

Aquarius: You probably know where this is going. Libra? Too aloof. Sagittarius? Too aloof. Aquarius…well, Aquarius is often so lost in their own thoughts, or down whatever Wikipedia rabbit hole they fell into today, that there’s sometimes not much room for anybody else. But in the rare cases that their obsessions happen to line up, creative Aquarius and intellectual Virgo can build something beautiful together. These two can be best friends or creative partners (Aquarius comes up with the characters and ideas, Virgo crafts the script into scenes and acts) but a marriage will require a lot more understanding.

Pisces: Unlike some of the other dreamier signs, the romantic dreamer Pisces is the perfect match for a Virgo looking to access their emotions. The reason this pairing is easier to make work than some of the other, shall we say, less grounded signs is that both are, deep down, compassionate and nurturing. Earth signs and water signs tend to work well together, and Virgo-Pisces is no exception.

Your Love is Written in the Stars

Whose mess is worth putting up with? Who engages your intellect and curiosity like no other? No matter how the stars have aligned for you, you’ll find your match in our Zodiac collection. Check out the collection and design your paired Zodiac rings here. Just choose your ring sizes and your signs and we’ll take care of the rest!

Getting hitched, the bonds of matrimony, tying the knot: so many marriage idioms speak to the idea of two people being joined together as one. We see knots, ropes, and cords used in marriage ceremonies around the world as a physical demonstration of what it means to be married. Our Twists collection takes this image a step further. After you tie the knot, your lives will become entwined, braided together throughout a lifetime. When you choose a wedding band from the Twists collection, you’ll be reminded of the strength of the love that braids two lives together.

Why Is Marriage Called “Tying the Knot”?

It’s not a metaphor that needs much explanation. In marriage, two lives, two families, two stories are tied together as one. The question is, what came first, the ceremony or the metaphor? Some say the phrase has its origins in either a Celtic or Germanic practice called “handfasting,” in which the hands of the bride and groom were tied together, but there is little direct evidence for this. It’s more likely that “handfasting” referred to a handshake marriage, as the word originally referred to any formal promise. In Medieval Europe, remote villages often didn’t have a priest of their own, so couples would be married by handshake and have an official ceremony when a priest would visit the village.

While the origins of handfasting are disputed, ropes, knots, and the tying together of hands or clothing are rituals that have been performed in marriage ceremonies around the world for centuries. One version of this practice can be found in the wedding ceremony of the Orthodox Church. During the ceremony, the priest ties the right hand of the bride and groom together with a white silk cloth. Then there’s this image from the Codex Mendoza, an Aztec manuscript depicting scenes of daily life in Mexico before European contact, portraying a married couple with their clothes tied together.

While the direct evidence of ancient European practices of handfasting are scarce, the fact that this ceremony is practiced all over the world in various cultures points toward it being an ancient practice. It’s also possible that phrases like “tying the knot” existed as a metaphor in various languages before the actual tying of a knot was incorporated into wedding ceremonies.

No matter its origin, the knot or rope is a powerful symbol of two people becoming one. Go further than incorporating a handfasting ceremony into your wedding. Make knots, braids, and ropes part of your wedding décor, and incorporate the symbolism into your wedding bands with a ring from our Twists collection.

You’ve set the budget for your wedding. You’ve got the venue, the photographer, the caterer, everything. Now it’s time to find the perfect wedding band…without going over budget. This can be tricky if you’re looking at custom rings, especially if you have a vision but don’t know how exactly to express it. Many jewelers who do custom rings will give you a quote and a rendering, but the back-and-forth as you work out the details can get costly. On top of that, the ever-changing prices of precious metals and gemstones might catch the unwary customer by surprise as the design process drags on.

The Kuczora Design Center removes all of those obstacles standing between you and the ring of your dreams. As you design your ring, experimenting with different styles, metals, and diamonds, you’ll see the design change in real time. You’ll also see how the cost for each ring as well as the total cost for both rings changes as you select and deselect different design elements. Here are some things to consider when designing your custom ring to fit your budget.

Profile. Rings with different profiles contain different amounts of metal and require different techniques to craft, and prices vary accordingly. As with all design options, you can create two matching rings or rings with different profiles. You and your partner can choose the profile of ring that best fits your style and feels most comfortable on your hand.

Metals. You’ll notice that the prices between the different varieties of gold available in the Design Center don’t vary all that much. There are also metals other than gold to choose from. If you like the look of platinum but you also have your heart set on setting a few diamonds into your ring, consider Platinum 600 or Palladium 500. Check out this article for more information about these beautiful, affordable alternatives. White gold is also more affordable than platinum, but it doesn’t have the same feel as platinum and it won’t acquire that beautiful patina over the years.

Diamonds. This is probably the most fun feature in the Design Center. There are tons of options to play with as you search for the balance between value and beauty. We offer a variety of natural mined diamonds suitable to any budget. Higher-quality diamonds will be clearer, whiter, and shine brighter. For more details on diamond color and quality grades, see this article.

Experimentation is Free

Finding the perfect ring is a balance between what speaks to you and what you can afford. With the Design Center, you don’t have to compromise. Whereas some designers might charge you extra for additional sketches, you’re free to experiment for as long as it takes to come up with the perfect design. It’s the most transparent way to know exactly how you’re spending your budget and to know what the final product will look like without having to wait for the designer to get back to you with a new rendering. Try it out here.