Engraving Ideas for Two Grooms or Two Brides: What to Put Inside Two Rings

What fits inside a band

A narrow wedding band holds a short line of fifteen to thirty characters, enough for a date and initials or a few words, according to our engraving guide. A wider band holds more, or two lines. Script fonts take more room than block fonts. Graphics such as a fingerprint, a handwriting sample or a sound wave are laser engraved from a scan or file. Engraving goes on the inside of the band, where it lasts; anything on the outside softens over years of wear.

Ideas that use both rings

One phrase, split in two

Half a sentence inside each ring: "I am my beloved's" in one and "and my beloved is mine" in the other, "still" and "yours", "you" and "me". Each ring is complete only with the other, which uses the fact that there are two.

The same words, two handwritings

Each partner writes the same short phrase or date on paper, and each ring carries the other partner's handwriting. You wear your partner's hand on yours. Handwriting is laser engraved from a scan of a note, a card or a signature, which can be an old one: a line from the first card your partner ever wrote you works.

Each other's fingerprint

A fingerprint engraved inside the band, from a clean scan or a high-quality ink print; at our studio we can take the scan. Two rings, two fingerprints, each worn by the other partner, invisible from outside.

Two coordinates

The coordinates of where you met in one ring, and of where you proposed (or married) in the other. A pair of coordinates such as 49.2827°N, 122.7913°W takes 21 characters, so it suits wider bands.

Dates with a Canadian meaning

Your own dates come first: the day you met, the proposal, the wedding. Some couples add a date that made their marriage possible.

• 08.07.2003: the day the British Columbia Court of Appeal's ruling in Barbeau v. British Columbia made same-sex marriage legal in BC, when the court amended its May 2003 judgment (University of Saskatchewan Library, citing [2003] BCCA 251 and [2003] BCCA 406).
• 20.07.2005: the day the Civil Marriage Act received royal assent and same-sex marriage became law across Canada.

A date takes ten to sixteen characters depending on the format. Write it the way the two of you write dates, day first or month first, so you read it the same way in thirty years.

Words

Short beats long. Ideas couples choose:

• Both names or both initials, with a plus sign or a heart between them.
• "Mr & Mr", "Mrs & Mrs", or the titles you actually use.
• A nickname nobody else uses.
• The first words one of you said to the other, if either of you remembers them.
• A line from the song you danced to, cut to its shortest form.
• A word in the language one of you grew up speaking.
• The promise you made, in five words or fewer.

If your message is longer than the band, trim it to the word that carries it. "Still choosing you" says what a sentence would.

Symbols

A small symbol engraves well beside a date or initials. The doubled female sign (⚢) and the doubled male sign (⚣) have both been part of the Unicode standard since version 4.1 in 2005 (U+26A2 and U+26A3), and both can be laser engraved. Other symbols couples choose: an infinity sign, two interlocking rings, a small star, a heart, a symbol from a shared interest. A symbol can carry what words would make too public.

Other languages and scripts

A couple from two languages can put one language in each ring, or both in both. Farsi, Chinese, Korean, Punjabi, Tagalog and other scripts can be laser engraved from a file, the same way handwriting is. Send the text as an image written or checked by someone who reads the language, because a single wrong stroke changes the meaning and an engraving cannot be undone.

Ideas for a commitment without a wedding

If you are exchanging rings without a legal wedding, engrave the date of the promise rather than a wedding date. Some couples leave space for a second date later, or engrave only initials and add a date if plans change. A ring can be engraved at any time, so nothing has to be decided now.

Fonts

A block font, with plain upright letters, is the easiest to read at small sizes and holds the most characters on a narrow band. A script font, joined like handwriting, reads softer and takes more room. Hand engraving gives each letter small variations that a machine does not, which suits short words and initials; laser engraving reproduces any font exactly, and any real handwriting from a scan. If a message has numbers and letters together, such as a date with initials, choose a block font so the numbers stay clear when the ring is twenty years old.

Examples by length

• 3 to 5 characters: initials, such as J + K, or a single symbol beside them.
• 6 to 12 characters: one word or a short phrase in each ring, such as "always" and "forever".
• 10 to 16 characters: a date with or without initials.
• 15 to 30 characters: a short line, two names and a date, or one half of a split phrase.
• Graphic: a fingerprint, a handwriting sample, a sound wave of a recorded voice, laser engraved from a scan or a file.

If both rings are different widths, the narrower ring sets the limit for a matching message. Plan the words for the narrower band, or put the longer half of a split phrase in the wider ring.

Outside engraving and patterns

Engraving can also go on the outside of a band, as a pattern rather than words: a milgrain edge, a line pattern, a small motif repeated around the ring. Outside work is visible, so it carries style rather than a private message. It wears softer over the years, because the outside of a ring rubs against everything the hand touches. Couples who want two rings that read as a pair from across a room sometimes put the same outside pattern on two bands of different widths, and keep the private words inside.

Practical points before you order

• Timing: hand engraving at our shop takes a day once the ring is made and sized. Ask about laser engraving times when you order. Allow a week before a wedding in case the text needs a correction.
• Proofs: we confirm the exact words, spacing, font and position with you in writing before engraving. Check spelling letter by letter.
• Returns: engraved and personalised pieces cannot be returned, so the proof matters.
• Resizing: if a ring is resized later, engraving near the seam at the bottom of the band may need to be re-cut, so tell your jeweller it is there.
• Metal: gold and platinum can be hand or laser engraved. Tungsten and titanium are too hard to hand engrave and take laser only.
• Later: engraving can be added after the wedding. Some couples wait until they know what they want to say.

Ordering engraving at Vanhess

Bring the words, the scan, or the idea, and the rings if you already have them. We tell you what fits on each band and in which font, take fingerprint scans in the shop if you want them, and send a proof before anything is cut. Shipping is free in Canada on orders over $60, and every piece has a 2 year warranty. Our page on engraving and personalisation covers hand, machine and laser methods in detail.

Bands with room to engrave

Wider bands hold more words. Every band is made to order in any size, and engraving can be added when you order or at any time later.

Wedding Band - TFM4mmFrom $870 CADWedding Band - TFM3mmFrom $690 CADWedding Band - TFF8mmFrom $1,710 CADWedding Band - TFF7mmFrom $1,500 CADWedding Band - TFF6mmFrom $1,260 CADWedding Band - TFF5mmFrom $1,050 CADWedding Band - TFF3mmFrom $690 CADWedding Band - TF8mmFrom $1,710 CAD

Sources

• University of Saskatchewan Library, Gay and lesbian law in Canada, 2003: Barbeau v. British Columbia (Attorney General), [2003] BCCA 251; [2003] BCCA 406. Accessed 2026-10-18.
• Civil Marriage Act, S.C. 2005, c. 33, Government of Canada. Assented to 2005-07-20. Accessed 2026-10-18.
• Compart Unicode reference: U+26A2 Doubled Female Sign and U+26A3 Doubled Male Sign, added in Unicode 4.1, March 2005. Accessed 2026-10-18.
• Vanhess Jewellery, Ring Engraving: Ideas, Fonts and How the Process Works, on character limits, hand and laser engraving, and resizing.
• Vanhess Jewellery, Wedding Band Engraving and Personalisation, on fingerprint scans and timing.

Frequently Asked Questions