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Almost 3 in 10 men who married recently or are engaged spent more on their wedding band than they planned, and 1 in 5 set no budget for it at all, according to a new survey of 379 US men.
The groom's ring gets far less attention than the engagement ring, but the survey suggests it carries its own surprises. Among married men, 14% have lost a wedding band, 28% have needed one resized and 16.9% have needed a repair or a replacement.
The survey was run by FoundryCut, a US direct-to-consumer jewelry brand selling men's rings for all occasions, on the Pollfish online panel from November 1 to 5, 2026. It covered 243 men married in the last five years and 136 men who are currently engaged, all aged 18 to 54.
Budgets slip, and plenty of men skip them
42.2% of respondents set a budget for the band and stayed within it, and 5.5% spent less than planned. 29.6% set a budget and went over it. Another 20.3% never set one.
Looking back, most married men are content with what they spent. 65% said they would spend the same amount again, 20.6% said they would spend more and 8.6% said they would spend less.
Lost, resized and repaired
Nearly half of married men have had at least one problem with their band since the wedding. 14% had lost one, 28% had needed a resize and 16.9% had needed a repair or replacement. 53.1% said none of these had happened.
The shower is where the band comes off most often. 34.6% of married men take it off to shower or wash their hands, 26.7% at the gym or while playing sports and 23% to sleep. 35% said they never take it off.
Who picks the ring
Most men still choose their own band. 42.2% said they mostly chose the style themselves and 32.2% chose it together with their partner. In 24.3% of cases, the partner mostly chose it.
Many decide quickly. 11.1% spent less than an hour choosing and 29.3% spent one to three hours. 30.6% took a few days, 17.7% a few weeks and 8.4% a month or more.
Where men buy, and what they buy next
Chain jewelry stores still lead. 40.1% bought or plan to buy there and 28.8% at a local independent jeweler. 12.9% bought from an online jewelry brand and 6.9% from a custom or independent maker online, which puts online at about 1 in 5. 5.3% used Amazon or another marketplace.
Gold is still the most common choice. 42.5% chose yellow, white or rose gold, 16.6% platinum and 11.3% silver. Titanium, tungsten and stainless steel together made up 20.6%.
The wedding band is rarely the last ring. 74.9% of men bought or received at least one other ring for themselves in the last three years. 28% got an anniversary ring, 25.1% bought one just for style and 11.6% received one for Father's Day.
How the survey was done
FoundryCut commissioned the survey on Pollfish, an online non-probability panel. 379 US men aged 18 to 54 completed it between November 1 and November 5, 2026. Respondents qualified by saying they had married within the last five years (243) or were currently engaged (136). Results are unweighted. The margin of error is about plus or minus 5 points at 95% confidence for the full sample and about plus or minus 6.3 points for married respondents. Questions about owning and wearing a band were asked of married respondents only.
This story was produced by FoundryCut. Full survey results and method: FoundryCut Men's Wedding Band Survey 2026.
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<h1>3 in 10 Grooms Go Over Budget on the Wedding Band, Survey Finds</h1> <p>Almost 3 in 10 men who married recently or are engaged spent more on their wedding band than they planned, and 1 in 5 set no budget for it at all, according to a new survey of 379 US men.</p> <p>The groom's ring gets far less attention than the engagement ring, but the survey suggests it carries its own surprises. Among married men, 14% have lost a wedding band, 28% have needed one resized and 16.9% have needed a repair or a replacement.</p> <p>The survey was run by FoundryCut, a US direct-to-consumer jewelry brand selling men's rings for all occasions, on the Pollfish online panel from November 1 to 5, 2026. It covered 243 men married in the last five years and 136 men who are currently engaged, all aged 18 to 54.</p> <h2>Budgets slip, and plenty of men skip them</h2> <p>42.2% of respondents set a budget for the band and stayed within it, and 5.5% spent less than planned. 29.6% set a budget and went over it. Another 20.3% never set one.</p> <p>Looking back, most married men are content with what they spent. 65% said they would spend the same amount again, 20.6% said they would spend more and 8.6% said they would spend less.</p> <h2>Lost, resized and repaired</h2> <p>Nearly half of married men have had at least one problem with their band since the wedding. 14% had lost one, 28% had needed a resize and 16.9% had needed a repair or replacement. 53.1% said none of these had happened.</p> <p>The shower is where the band comes off most often. 34.6% of married men take it off to shower or wash their hands, 26.7% at the gym or while playing sports and 23% to sleep. 35% said they never take it off.</p> <h2>Who picks the ring</h2> <p>Most men still choose their own band. 42.2% said they mostly chose the style themselves and 32.2% chose it together with their partner. In 24.3% of cases, the partner mostly chose it.</p> <p>Many decide quickly. 11.1% spent less than an hour choosing and 29.3% spent one to three hours. 30.6% took a few days, 17.7% a few weeks and 8.4% a month or more.</p> <h2>Where men buy, and what they buy next</h2> <p>Chain jewelry stores still lead. 40.1% bought or plan to buy there and 28.8% at a local independent jeweler. 12.9% bought from an online jewelry brand and 6.9% from a custom or independent maker online, which puts online at about 1 in 5. 5.3% used Amazon or another marketplace.</p> <p>Gold is still the most common choice. 42.5% chose yellow, white or rose gold, 16.6% platinum and 11.3% silver. Titanium, tungsten and stainless steel together made up 20.6%.</p> <p>The wedding band is rarely the last ring. 74.9% of men bought or received at least one other ring for themselves in the last three years. 28% got an anniversary ring, 25.1% bought one just for style and 11.6% received one for Father's Day.</p> <h2>How the survey was done</h2> <p>FoundryCut commissioned the survey on Pollfish, an online non-probability panel. 379 US men aged 18 to 54 completed it between November 1 and November 5, 2026. Respondents qualified by saying they had married within the last five years (243) or were currently engaged (136). Results are unweighted. The margin of error is about plus or minus 5 points at 95% confidence for the full sample and about plus or minus 6.3 points for married respondents. Questions about owning and wearing a band were asked of married respondents only.</p> <p><em>This story was produced by <a href="https://foundrycut.com/blogs/foundry-cut-insights/grooms-wedding-band-survey-2026-free-to-republish">FoundryCut</a>. Full survey results and method: <a href="https://foundrycut.com/pages/mens-wedding-band-survey-2026">FoundryCut Men's Wedding Band Survey 2026</a>.</em></p>
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3 in 10 Grooms Go Over Budget on the Wedding Band, Survey Finds Almost 3 in 10 men who married recently or are engaged spent more on their wedding band than they planned, and 1 in 5 set no budget for it at all, according to a new survey of 379 US men. The groom's ring gets far less attention than the engagement ring, but the survey suggests it carries its own surprises. Among married men, 14% have lost a wedding band, 28% have needed one resized and 16.9% have needed a repair or a replacement. The survey was run by FoundryCut, a US direct-to-consumer jewelry brand selling men's rings for all occasions, on the Pollfish online panel from November 1 to 5, 2026. It covered 243 men married in the last five years and 136 men who are currently engaged, all aged 18 to 54. Budgets slip, and plenty of men skip them 42.2% of respondents set a budget for the band and stayed within it, and 5.5% spent less than planned. 29.6% set a budget and went over it. Another 20.3% never set one. Looking back, most married men are content with what they spent. 65% said they would spend the same amount again, 20.6% said they would spend more and 8.6% said they would spend less. Lost, resized and repaired Nearly half of married men have had at least one problem with their band since the wedding. 14% had lost one, 28% had needed a resize and 16.9% had needed a repair or replacement. 53.1% said none of these had happened. The shower is where the band comes off most often. 34.6% of married men take it off to shower or wash their hands, 26.7% at the gym or while playing sports and 23% to sleep. 35% said they never take it off. Who picks the ring Most men still choose their own band. 42.2% said they mostly chose the style themselves and 32.2% chose it together with their partner. In 24.3% of cases, the partner mostly chose it. Many decide quickly. 11.1% spent less than an hour choosing and 29.3% spent one to three hours. 30.6% took a few days, 17.7% a few weeks and 8.4% a month or more. Where men buy, and what they buy next Chain jewelry stores still lead. 40.1% bought or plan to buy there and 28.8% at a local independent jeweler. 12.9% bought from an online jewelry brand and 6.9% from a custom or independent maker online, which puts online at about 1 in 5. 5.3% used Amazon or another marketplace. Gold is still the most common choice. 42.5% chose yellow, white or rose gold, 16.6% platinum and 11.3% silver. Titanium, tungsten and stainless steel together made up 20.6%. The wedding band is rarely the last ring. 74.9% of men bought or received at least one other ring for themselves in the last three years. 28% got an anniversary ring, 25.1% bought one just for style and 11.6% received one for Father's Day. How the survey was done FoundryCut commissioned the survey on Pollfish, an online non-probability panel. 379 US men aged 18 to 54 completed it between November 1 and November 5, 2026. Respondents qualified by saying they had married within the last five years (243) or were currently engaged (136). Results are unweighted. The margin of error is about plus or minus 5 points at 95% confidence for the full sample and about plus or minus 6.3 points for married respondents. Questions about owning and wearing a band were asked of married respondents only. This story was produced by FoundryCut. Full survey results and method: https://foundrycut.com/pages/mens-wedding-band-survey-2026 Original: https://foundrycut.com/blogs/foundry-cut-insights/grooms-wedding-band-survey-2026-free-to-republish
