What to Do with Your Rings on Your Honeymoon

You’re on your honeymoon and you are appropriately excited about it. Words like “husband” and “wife” still feel wonderfully strange to your ears. As does the presence of the wedding ring on your finger. It hasn’t quite settled in yet, so you’re worried it’s going to slip off somewhere between the zip line and the snorkeling.

It’s a valid fear. Honeymooners might see the world through rose-colored glasses, but it’s a hostile environment for wedding jewelry, from damaging pool chemicals to the pickpockets preying on distracted, starry-eyed couples. But the idea of not wearing your wedding rings on your honeymoon also feels strange! Perhaps you’ll just take it off before you head to the beach chair or the ski-lift? But what if you leave it on a bedside table in a corner of the world you might not revisit until your 20th anniversary?

Here’s a strategy guide for what to do with your rings on your honeymoon. From buying specific travel rings to keeping them secure, we have some ideas for you.

Assess Your Rings and Your Destination

The wedding band seemed to fit perfectly a few months ago. Now, not so much. It survived the reception dance floor, but it’s not really comfortable on your finger. The perfect fit is a bit of an illusion since your finger size fluctuates. But this seems dramatically off, and you don’t have time to visit a jeweler for a professional resizing because a helicopter is taking you straight from the wedding to the honeymoon.

You have a decision to make. Are you going to be in an exotic location, at a different altitude and on a different diet? Or are you treating yourself to a fancy stay downtown, walking distance from Jeweler’s Row?

Invest in Travel Wedding Rings

What if we told you that you could keep a wedding band on your finger the whole honeymoon and still be 100% confident that you would have a wedding band when you return? Even if you jump off that cliff into the Pacific Ocean (and into a future of shared adventures!)?

We are talking about travel wedding rings, baby! Lock up the rings you exchanged during the ceremony and bring a matching set of silicone wedding bands on the honeymoon instead. That way, there’s no mistaking your marital status when you swim up to that tiki bar to order another round, but you aren’t worried about searching the resort pool for a missing ring after you’ve had a few rounds.

Wear Your Wedding Rings Selectively

Or you might bring your rings on the honeymoon trip, but just not on every excursion. Candlelit dinner at that fancy restaurant? Check. Deep sea fishing expedition where you reel in and descale your supper? Might be a chance to leave them behind (or break out that travel set).

If you are slipping them on and off, make sure you are doing so prudently. It takes a while to add it to your mental checklist that includes your phone or your keys. And it won’t remind you of its absence as does walking outside without shoes or setting off on your morning commute without sunglasses.

Practice Basic Ring Care

If you do bring them, learn the basics of taking care of them. This is a little tricky because you can’t take them back to the jeweler for a professional cleaning. And you don’t have that familiar safe spot where you leave your valuables at home. But, when it comes to cleaning, a shallow bowl of warm water and a soft polishing cloth can go a long way.

If you do set off with wedding rings in tow, make sure you take precautions. Depending on how much you spent on the rings, you might consider having them insured. If they are family heirlooms … yeah, maybe leave those at home. Otherwise, keep your eyes peeled and don’t leave them lying about — over a billion dollars worth of jewelry is lost or stolen every year in the United States alone.

Upgrade Your Luggage Game

And if you’ve never thought about how to keep your valuables safe while traveling, this is a good chance to practice. Beef up on your knowledge of hotel safes, hostel lockers, and anti-theft gear like hidden luggage compartments, wire locks, decoy wallets and slash-proof money pouches. And make sure you bring a good carrying case with you — a soft pouch with a drawstring or something that snaps shut. If you are taking off your rings when you sleep — or at least when you are going to bed — take care to stow those rings away first.

Ultimately, taking your rings on your honeymoon is going to be a personal decision. If you want to show off the fact that you are married, what better place to do so than the honeymoon!?! If worrying about losing your rings will be a distraction on your honeymoon, leave them behind! If you think you need the rings to remind you that you just got married, you might want to redesign your honeymoon.