When a bride and groom get married, they see their wedding rings as a reminder of their commitment to each other. It’s no wonder people will use up about three percent of their wedding budget on their rings. Marriage is a permanent commitment, so wedding rings must be high quality. But this doesn’t mean that couples can’t save on this purchase. Joanna Saltz writes for theknot.com, “The average price for a gold band is around $150. For a platinum band, the average rises to $600 or $700. Diamonds can add considerably more to the cost.”

When spending this kind of money, it is necessary to determine what’s right for you in terms of quality, form and function, and style. With these in mind, here are some of the best places to purchase cheap wedding rings:

Bluenile.com - This Company has become the largest online retailer of certified diamonds and fine jewelry. They have been featured in The New York Times, Money, and Forbes. Also, they earned the Bizrate.com’s Circle of Excellence Platinum Award. Blue Nile has received this reward consistently since 2002, and can boast to be the only jeweler to have ever received this award. You can search by product and price to meet your wedding budget goals.

Overstock.com - This place has discounts on rings, some sold up to eighty percent off the retail price! To give you an idea of what that looks like, a ring sold for $650.00 at retail only costs $179.99 at overstock.com (72% off). Each wedding ring shows the markdown percentage, retail price, as well as the overstock price so you know exactly what you are saving. Overstock has a search function where you can search by metal type, bride’s rings, groom’s rings, or top sellers. Overstock.com prices because manufacturers create too many of a certain item, have cancelled orders, or have to reduce inventory and Overstock buys the excess at below wholesale prices.

Goldspeed.com - This online store specializes in discount wedding rings. It has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, and even Internet Retailer’s Top 50 retailers (Best of the Web 2006). They have over 28,000 items up to 78% off retail price. They also offer free shipping for purchases over $200.

Finally, another option is to look for wedding rings at antique jewelers, estate sales, or froogle.com if your wedding budget is small and you wouldn’t mind having used rings. Many people like this option for those on a small wedding budget and then purchasing new wedding rings on the 3rd wedding anniversary.