Braided wedding bands use interweaving strands to create timeless looks, as well as to represent two people who are being woven together into one, never to be torn apart. And, just as a braid is stronger than any of the strands that comprise it, a husband and wife are stronger together than they are apart. The 14K White Gold Braided Wedding Band Ring is a classy example of braided style. This gleaming ring combines three textures to create a unified symbol of your inextricable bond with the one you love. A braid of flat strands wraps around the center of this ring, framed by thin rope-like accents and smooth, polished borders. This 14K white gold band measures 7.5mm wide, making it substantial but not overwhelming, and its elegant design renders it a ring with lasting appeal—and a lasting message.

Celtic wedding bands also use interweaving strands as they portray centuries-old Celtic knot motifs, as well as represent the intertwining of two hearts. Many people have adopted these designs as symbols of eternity, making them lovely ways to celebrate love that never comes to an end. The Titanium Celtic Knot Wedding Band Ring adapts one of these motifs to a flat band crafted of aircraft-grade titanium, and carves it simply into a sleek surface. This contemporary take on Celtic style is available in your choice of widths (6mm to 10mm) as well as your pick of finishes (matte, polished or satin). The metal from which this ring is made adds an additional touch of symbolism: titanium is incredibly strong, making it a perfect way to represent love that can stand up to whatever life throws at it.

Two-tone wedding bands use two contrasting metals, not only to create an eye-catching look, but also to represent two different people who come together to form a one beautiful whole. Each metal in these designs makes the other stand out, just as a husband and wife can complement one another and make one another better. The Two-Halves One Flesh Wedding Band Ring pairs 14K white gold and 14K yellow gold to create a unified representation of love. These two metals seamlessly form this flat, 7mm-wide band, the border between them curving gracefully as each color ebbs and flows.

Obvious symbols are far from your only options when you want a wedding band that’s rich with meaning. Consider a braided wedding band, a Celtic design or a two-tone style for a subtle symbol of love, presented with beauty.

Wearing matching wedding bands is one way to celebrate your bond with your spouse, and when those rings display unique designs, they serve as symbols that the love you share is far from ordinary. Every time you look at your left hand, you’ll be reminded of that one special someone who’s wearing the same style.

Many of the rings in Apples of Gold’s collection of Celtic wedding bands are perfectly suited for both the bride and the groom. These styles utilize centuries-old knot motifs, designs that many have adopted as symbols of eternity, to create pictures of your endless love.

The Caer Celtic Knot Wedding Band Ring in 14K Gold is an excellent pick for you and your better half. A raised, intertwining Celtic knot motif wraps seamlessly around this piece, creating a picture of the way that you and the one you love are woven together for life. This design is striking in 14K yellow gold, though it’s available in several other metals, as well as a two-tone option. And, since this 7mm-wide band is also available in a wider width by request, the groom can select a slightly larger version to coordinate with the bride’s ring.

Hammered wedding bands can also be great picks for both husbands and wives. Their pounded texture provides rugged yet sophisticated appeal, while disguising any dents or dings that they incur over time. For instance, the 14K Two-tone Gold Hammered Wedding Band Ring is a great style for men and women as it combines two colors and two textures in one winning design. The center of this ring is crafted from 14K yellow gold with a hammered texture and a brushed finish that provides a sense of understated sophistication. Smooth, polished edges of 14K white gold add eye-catching contrast and frame this band with class. This timeless style is available in a number of other metals and several two-tone combinations, making it easy to select rings that fit your style.

Braided wedding bands provide another option for brides and grooms in search of matching rings. These bands’ interweaving motifs are both stylish and meaningful: their intertwining strands create pictures of the inextricable bond between husband and wife. The 14K White Gold Wide Braided Wedding Band is a lovely example. Elegant braided strands of 14K white gold are wrapped around this classy ring, and framed with polished edges. At 7.5mm wide, it’s a size that works well for men and women.

Plain wedding bands are far from your only options when you’re looking for matching rings for the bride and groom! Consider one of these rings to celebrate your connection as husband and wife.

As he explored the meaning of life in the Biblical book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon, the wisest man in history, wrote about the importance of having another person with whom to walk through life:

“Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
 If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

The concept that “a cord of three strands is not quickly broken” is beautifully captured in Apples of Gold’s collection braided wedding bands. These wedding rings are stylish symbols of your connection to the one you love, creating a picture of the way that the two of you are weaving your lives into one.

The 14K White Gold Wide Braided Wedding Band uses fluid, interwoven strands of 14K white gold to create a graceful symbol of the way you’re woven together with the one you love. Polished edges frame this braid and add a sense of class.

Braided wedding bands that utilize more than one metal allow the designs they contain to really pop, as their multiple colors create a picture of the way that you and the one you love complement one another despite your differences. The 14K Tri-Color Gold Braided Wedding Band Ring is a striking example. Like all tri-color wedding bands, this ring draws the eye by contrasting three different metals within one unified design; however, this ring also stands out for what it symbolizes. This simply styled but bold ring braids three ribbons of brushed-finish 14K gold—one of white gold, one of yellow gold and one of rose gold—to create a three-dimensional style that communicates the beauty of your connection.

The 14K White Gold 7.6mm Braided Wedding Band Ring combines three textures to create an extraordinary symbol of your connection. Flat, shining strands of 14K white gold are tightly braided together to form the continual motif that wraps around the center of this ring, while two distinct edges add textural contrast and class. Both an inner rope-like border and gleaming outer edges cooperate with the central braid to create a look that emulates sophistication. This designer wedding band is both exquisite and meaningful.

Any of these braided wedding bands is a stylish and beautiful reminder that you and the one you love are no longer walking through life as individuals, but together. Choose one to celebrate that a cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Vintage wedding rings were much-loved picks over the past year. For instance, the Paisley Engraved Wedding Band in 14K White Gold is inspired by the feminine motifs of the Victorian Era. An expertly-carved paisley design wraps around this ring in lively fashion, bordered by fine lines of milgrain and smooth edges.

Hammered wedding rings allow sophistication and rugged good looks to meet, and when they do, the result is a simple but powerful picture of the resiliency of your love. Several of the most popular styles of 2012 were hammered pieces. For instance, the 14K White Gold Hammered Wedding Band Ring combines a brushed, pounded-finish center with smooth, polished edges. It’s a great pick for both men and women.

Many of the top wedding rings of the year contained extra touches of significance that make them even more meaningful. For instance, braided styles provide a picture of the way that two lives are woven into one. The 14K Tri-Color Gold Braided Wedding Band is a particularly stunning example, braiding strands of yellow, white and rose gold into an eye-catching motif that wraps the band as a symbol of your connection. Yellow gold borders pull the look together and add a big dose of class.

Several Christian wedding bands were also top picks in 2012, including the Song of Solomon Cross Wedding Band in White Gold. This simple style serves as a reminder of the faith that’s central to your relationship. A thin outline of a cross accents this flat, polished 14K white gold ring, but that’s not the only way that it communicates your dependence on God and your gratitude to Him for bringing the two of you together. The inside of this band is engraved with your choice of verses, allowing you to add a personalized message of faith. Choose one of several sample verses, such as “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine,” or opt for any verse of your choice, up to 225 characters.

Titanium bands were another popular option for wedding bands, as were Celtic designs. The Titanium Celtic Wedding Band Ring exhibits both. This sleek style is wrapped with a modern version of the infinity knot, a Celtic motif that many have used to represent love without end. The titanium from which it’s crafted is incredibly strong, making it an ideal symbol of the fortitude of your relationship. This ring is available in a matte, satin or polished finish for a variety of contemporary looks.

These may have been some of the best wedding rings of 2012, but that doesn’t mean that they’re on the way out. Any would be a fitting symbol of love—for a 2013 wedding and for a lifetime.

Love isn’t just a commandment, however—it’s also a gift. In fact, Paul tells members of the Corinthian church that it’s the greatest gift: “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” The love that Paul is talking isn’t just a feeling of affection. Rather, it “suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;  does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” It’s a love that’s willing to put the other person first and that molds two hearts together.

Braided wedding bands wrap the wearer’s finger in a simple but elegant picture of the weaving of two lives into one. Together, the strands in a braid form a beautiful design that a single strand could never create alone, adding extra symbolism to the already meaningful wedding band.

Diamonds accent the Entwined Diamond Wedding Band in 14K White Gold, adding sparkle as well as a symbol of love that’s forever. In between each twist of the two strands that form the straightforward and striking motif that surrounds this band is a round stone, allowing this ring to glimmer from every side.

If a braided style with a touch of modern edge is more your style, check out the Braided Wedding Band in 14K White Gold. This satin finish, hand-braided style is minimalistic but hard to ignore.

Two-tone braided wedding rings add even more symbolism as their colors complement one another. The elements of these styles form the perfect partnership, a picture of two people who make one another better and celebrate each other’s strengths. For example, the 14K Rose and White Gold Wide Braided Wedding Band Ring frames a flowing white gold braid with wide shining rose gold edges.

The 14K Tri-Color Gold Braided Wedding Band exhibits exquisite contrast in more ways than one. Yellow, white and rose gold strands are intertwined to form the braid that wraps around the center of this ring, creating a picture of the way that two individuals can combine to form a thing of strength and beauty that’s greater than the sum of its parts. This classy motif is framed by yellow gold twisted-look borders and smooth, polished edges, rounding out the perfect collage of color and texture.

Love between a husband and wife is both a command and a gift. Braided wedding bands create stunning pictures of this love that weaves two lives together.