Engagements Archives | Page 12 of 47

In Advice

Composite diamonds: The affordable engagement ring alternative

January 7, 2021 No Comments

A large diamond is stunning, but it is also costly. If you want the look without the price tag, why not consider composite diamonds?

A composite diamond is made of of many small diamonds placed together to create the appearance of one large diamond. Thanks to its setting, they often offer the same glitz and glam of a large single stone at a much cheaper cost.

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Since they are made of an array of smaller stones, composite diamonds are much more affordable than one large diamond. You also do not have to be concerned with the four Cs when purchasing these diamonds, since they are quite small so lower grade stones will work perfectly. They also allow for much more intricate detail.

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However, composite diamonds may become costly in time due to maintenance and repairs. If a stone dislodges and goes missing, it may be a struggle to find another one of the appropriate size to replace it. Replacing stones is even more difficult with an invisible setting, as they can only be replaced with notched diamonds, which are not kept in bulk at diamond wholesalers so they may need to be ordered externally.

When shopping for a composite diamond ring, make sure to speak to your jeweller about possible future repair costs so that you know what to expect.

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In Engagements

Engagement ring trends for 2021

January 5, 2021 No Comments

Not even a global pandemic can stop love. It’s engagement season at the minute, and if it seems like your social media pages are inundated with engagement announcements, you’re not alone.

It’s a new year, and with it comes new trends in the wedding world. While classic styles will always reign supreme, those wanting to be a bit more unique and current should keep an eye on these trends.

Trend 1: personal details

2020 was a crazy year, one that truly highlighted the importance of family and love. We predict couples will want to emphasise their love by incorporating personal details into their engagement rings. There are so many ways you could do this, from using a family stone to having a secret message inscribed on the band.

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Trend 2: side stones

It’s not all about the centre stone. Since Megan Markle debuted her engagement ring, people have been in love with the three-stone engagement ring. For 2021, jewellers have already had requests for a more paired down style featuring two petite stones to flank the centre stone.

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Trend 3: Pretty in pastel

Coloured stones are always a popular choice for those wanting something different. While emerald is the most popular choice, jewellers predict pastel-hued diamonds and gemstones will be big in 2021. Pink and yellow diamonds are the more expensive option, but you could find great options with aquamarine, citrine or amethyst.

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Trend 4: Tradition with a twist

Classic styles like the round, oval and cushion cut are being given modern updates with unique metal choices and settings. For example, opting for a bezel setting is an unusual touch for a round ring, blending the old and the new.

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In Engagements

Man goes down on one knee to propose after being told he may never walk again

January 5, 2021 No Comments

Brandon Devonshire (25) from Rome, Pennsylvania was told me may never walk again. Defying all odds, he walked across a room and got down on one knee to propose to his partner, Crickett LeVance (25).

In July of 2020, Devonshire suffered a terrible accident when he was crushed by a tree he had been cutting down, which ruptured his vertabrae and caused damage to his spinal cord.

His spine is now stabilised by two rods and eight screws, but he was left paralysed. Months after the accident, he began to regain movement and has been working with physiotherapists.

Throughout it all, girlfriend Crickett has been by his side supporting him. To thank her and show his love, he decided to propose.

Devonshire popped the question on August 11, 2020 in the personal training gym at a hospital. He walked across the room using a walking frame, and medical staff were on hand to help him kneel on a padded cushion and rest his upper body against a chair so that he could comfortably propose.

An unsuspecting Crickett enters the room and is shocked to see her partner kneeling with a ring box.

Watch the sweet moment here:

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Congratulations to the happy couple!

Picture: Screenshot from video

In Engagements

Man proposes while receiving COVID-19 vaccine from partner

January 4, 2021 No Comments

What began as a simple COVID-19 vaccination ended as a sweet marriage proposal for this healthcare couple.

Robbie Vargas-Cortes (31) who works as a paramedic and EMS supervisor, was one of the first healthcare workers in Canton, South Dakota to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. His partner Eric Vanderlee, a registered nurse, was one of the vaccine administrators at Sanford Health.

Vargas-Cortes then decided to use this opportunity to plan the perfect surprise proposal. During the appointment, Vargas-Cortes rolled up his sleeve to reveal his arm and receive the vaccine, but to Vanderlee’s surprise there was already tape on his arm.

Initially, Vanderlee thought it was his partner’s way of jokingly showing him where the vaccine needle should go. Upon closer inspection, however, he realised that there was a ring taped to his partner’s arm.

“It just kind of dawned on me and I was like, ‘absolutely, of course, yes.’ It was just an amazing moment after I figured it out,” Vanderlee told CNN.

“Robby got his vaccine – and an enthusiastic yes from his now fiancé. Congratulations, Eric and Robby!” wrote Sanford Health in a Facebook post.

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In Announcements

The Bachelorette’s Tayshia Adams gives out her final rose

December 24, 2020 No Comments

After a whirlwind season unlike any we’ve ever seen before, The Bachelorette’s Tayshia Adams has given out her final rose and is engaged to contestant Zac Clark.

The two-part finale of The Bachelorette was, unsurprisingly, dramatic from beginning to end. It saw contestant Brendan leave by choice during his Fantasy suite date, Tayshia send fan-favourite Ivan home and the return of Ben, who was eliminated during Hometowns week.

Ultimately, Tayshia’s heart was clearly with frontrunner Zac. She sent Ben home during their final date because she knew she was going to pick Zac at the end.

The pair then became engaged during the finale episode in a tear-jerker of a scene. Zac proposed with a 3.25 carat Neil Lane ring. Of course, Tayshia accepted and the pair rode of into the sunset in a makeshift taxi.

“If you had told me in March that I’d be getting engaged at the end of the year, I would not have believed it for a second,” Adams told PEOPLE. “But I want to experience life with [Zac] by my side. He’s what I’ve always wanted.”

As if the season was not dramatic enough being filmed at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in America, it was made even more complicated when the original lead decided to leave the show a few weeks into filming.

Adams was the second Bachelorette to lead the season, after first pick Clare Crawley left the show with contestant Dale Moss two weeks into filming. The pair formed a fast connection from the minute filming began in June and became engaged during the show’s fourth episode, right before Adams came to replace Crawley as the lead. This is the first time in Bachelor history that a lead had to be replaced mid-season.

Picture: Instagram / The Bachelorette ABC

In Celebs

Maria Sharapova is engaged to Alexander Gilkes

December 22, 2020 No Comments

Retired tennis star Maria Sharapova has some exciting news. The former athlete recently announced her engagement to British businessman Alexander Gilkes, after two years of dating.

Taking to social media, Sharapova gushed about falling in love with Gilkes at first sight.

“I said yes from the first day we met❤️This was our little secret, wasn’t it ??@gilkesa,” Sharapova wrote on Instagram.

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In his own post, Gilkes expressed how happy he is to be engaged to Sharapova.

“Thank you for making me a very very happy boy and saying yes. I look forward to a lifetime of loving you, and learning from you @mariasharapova,” he wrote on Instagram.

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Gilkes (41), is a close friend of Prince William. The pair met while studying together at Eton College and have remained friends ever since.

Sharapova and Gilkes have had a relatively low-key relationship. They went public in October 2018 when they took a trip to the Cotswolds, but had been spotted together as early as March that year,

This is the second engagement for both. Sharapova was previously engaged to former Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Sasha Vujacic before splitting in 2012. Gilkes was once married to designer Misha Nonoo, who is known for being the friendly matchmaker who set up Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. The pair divorced in 2016 after 13 years together.

Picture: Instagram / Maria Sharapova

In Celebs

Ariana Grande is engaged to Dalton Gomez

December 21, 2020 No Comments

Pop sensation Ariana Grande is ending the year off on a high note. The singer recently announced she is engaged to luxury real estate agent Dalton Gomez.

Taking to Instagram on Sunday December 20, Grande (27) shared a series of pictures of the pair cuddling up and in two of the images, her massive new sparkler can be seen.

“forever n then some.”, she captured the sweet slideshow.

According to PEOPLE, the pair have been dating since January 2020. They have been quarantining together in Grande’s Los Angeles home since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and made their public debut as a couple in May in the music video for ‘Stuck with U’, Grande’s duet with Justin Bieber.

Grande was famously previously engaged to SNL star Pete Davidson, but they ended their engagement in October 2018 following the death of Grande’s ex, rapper Mac Miller.

Picture/s: Instagram / Ariana Grande

In Celebs

Lana Del Rey is reportedly engaged to Clayton Johnson

December 17, 2020 No Comments

It appears Lana Del Rey is ending the year off on a high note. The musician set engagement rumours aflame during her recent performance on Jimmy Fallon’s show.

While performing “Love You Like A Woman” on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Del Rey shocked fans by wearing a massive rock on her ring finger.

y’all see that pic.twitter.com/hlfCrAU4hp

— peyton (@tropicoviolet) December 15, 2020

While reps for Del Rey have not commented, a source confirmed to PEOPLE magazine that the Grammy nominee is engaged to fellow musician Clayton Johnson. The pair reportedly met on a dating app.

The two officially followed each other on Instagram in August, and have since then appeared on social media together. They celebrated Halloween together and wore matching Wizard of Oz costumes, and Del Rey could be seen wearing a ring on her ring finger in pictures from the event.

Picture: Twitter

In Announcements

Mans proposal to sleeping partner grips the internet

December 14, 2020 No Comments

Being proposed to is a special moment and for some, may feel like a dream come true. Well, it seems one man took this saying quite literally and decided to propose to his sleeping partner. After sharing the moment on Facebook, social media users across the world were obsessed with finding out the outcome.

On December 9, Facebook user Michael Mayorga dedicated a post to his partner, Jamilah Williams. It wasn’t any old Facebook post, however, it was THE Facebook post to propose to her.

“It’s 5:00AM. for weeks now I been planning on how to pop the question…. you know all my moves and you are one very hard woman to surprise but the jokes on you because now you’re going to wake up with 3 surprises… a phone full of congratulations notifications and text, an engagement ring on your finger and a picture of you sleeping that you don’t want all over the internet . SURPRISE!!! I’ll let y’all know the verdict when she wakes up,” he wrote alongside a picture of the pair in bed, in which he holds up an engagement ring.

This proposal had Facebook friends and strangers obsessed and desperately waiting to find out if she accepted this creative proposal.

“I have questions!! Wait, is she up yet? Did she say yes? Did he get his ass beat for posting this picture! I need answers please!” wrote one user.

“The fact I’ve checked her page like 4 times to see if she woke up yet and I never met this lady a day in my life lol. Let us know how you feel Jamilah!!!” added another.

Luckily Jamilah said yeas. In a Facebook post of her own, she gushed about her “amazing” partner.

Picture: Facebook

In Engagements

Woman takes boyfriend to court for not marrying her after 8 years

December 11, 2020 No Comments

Waiting a long time to get married can feel almost criminal. Clearly, one woman took this quite seriously and allegedly decided to take her man to court for failing to take the next step and get married after eight years together.

According to Kenyan news site Tuko, a Zambian woman named Gertrude Ngoma (26) grew tired of waiting for her longterm boyfriend and father of her child, Herbert Salaliki (28), to say ‘I do’. Despite a dowry being paid, the pair have never lived together and no wedding is on the horizon.

She took matters into her own hands and took him to court for wasting her time. During the court case, Ngoma alleged that Salalili had promised to marry her but never followed up. In fact, she had caught him texting another woman.

“He has never been serious, that is why I [brought] him to court, because I deserve to know the way forward and our future,” Ngoma told a Zambian court.

According to Salaliki, he cannot financially afford a wedding and that is why he has not proposed. He also added that Ngoma does not give him sufficient attention in their relationship.

Zambian news site Mwebantu reports that the judge, Evelyn Nalwize, said she cannot do anything as there is no formal marriage. However, she advised Ngoma to sue for breach of marriage contract.

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