Clients often ask me when "engagement season" is. I'm not sure why they want to know (it's usually not an engagement customer doing the asking), but my answer is the same: it's always engagement season. While it's true that more proposals happen during the winter holidays, the rings themselves aren't necessarily purchased between November and January. We simply see an uptick in foot traffic during that time, so it sometimes feels like the diamonds are flying fast and thick.
On the other hand, I can say with some authority that there is a "wedding band season," and it's starting right about now. The most popular months for marriage are June, August, September, and October, which means we're 3-6 months out and the checklists for the intended couples are getting their boxes ticked bit by bit. Couples often want to wrap up what they perceive as important or expensive (or both), to reduce stress and long-term financial burden. It's a winning strategy, and one that's encouraged by the multitude of published and online planning tools that are so ubiquitous today.
If your style is simple or popular and your finger is stock or sample size, you could walk into and out of a jewelry store with wedding band in hand after about twenty minutes. You've probably also never missed a flight, always get green lights when you're in a hurry, and should purchase a lottery ticket immediately -- that is to say, you're one lucky duck.
For most, the wedding band search is a slightly longer process. Try them on, price them out, and then purchase or order with a minimum of one month until your wedding.*** We'd prefer two to three months, because we like tight and important deadlines even less than you do (trust me, the idea of combining a special rush order and a bad hurricane season is not an appealing one).
I want your wedding band to be perfect, and that can sometimes mean a custom creation to accommodate an estate setting that won't allow a straight band to sit comfortably on your finger. This is probably going to take longer than a month, and we'd like to take our time to get it exactly right.
Take this as a pleasant PSA, from our beautiful industry to all you soon-to-be-newlyweds: if you're getting married in the near future, come in and see me. We'll talk wedding plans and weddings bands, and get one of thing checked off that lengthy to-do list.
*** Cautionary tale: a client once told me she had two months until her wedding, but neglected to mention she'd be leaving for Mexico -- her destination location -- three weeks prior to the actual wedding date. We got the rings completed on time, but it was a pretty near thing. Keep in mind your actual plans, not just the wedding bubble. Please.