Choosing the right engagement ring can be tough. This piece of jewellery should speak to your personality and your lifestyle.
While there are many things to look out for when engagement ring shopping, there are a few things to avoid. If you’re shopping around for your future sparkler, make sure to miss making these mistakes:
Going alone:
If you’re not of the modern types who shop for the ring together, make sure to have another person close to your partner on hand. It’s like the buddy system – there is safety in numbers. Having a friend along for the ride gives you a second opinion, and is especially great if they have a deeper insight into your partner’s style and the type of ring they want.
Not doing your research beforehand:
Clarity, pavé setting, prong… Engagement ring shopping can be overwhelming with all the jargon experts throw at you. To avoid getting confused, make sure to read up on the types of settings and stones. This also helps you narrow down on how the ring will look because you can determine what your partner will like and what they won’t like.
Also read: A guide to engagement ring settings
Not considering the four C’s:
A diamond is more than just how big it is. When evaluating this stone, make sure to take the four ‘s into account: cut, colour, clarity, and carat. These refer to the standards by which the quality of diamonds are assessed and allows one to compare diamonds.
Also read: Diamonds: Understanding the 4 C’s
Buying a ring without checking ring size:
If you don’t measure your ring finger before buying your ring, you run the risk of it not fitting. While rings can be resized, it’s best to just get it right the first time to avoid this unnecessary hassle and expense. You should also take into account whether your fingers swell in higher temperatures, as this can make wearing an already tight ring even more uncomfortable.
Going for a trendy setting and/or stone:
Trends come and go, style is eternal. When shopping for your ring, focus on timeless designs that you like, not ones you think you should like because they’re trending. While you can swap out a stone and change your setting, the easiest (and less costly) option is to choose a timeless design from the beginning so that as the years go by, your love for your ring does not lesson.
Going into debt:
This one is a biggie. You need to create a budget and stick to it to avoid spending above your means. Thinking about alternatives to diamonds or expensive precious gemstones can help. For example, lab-grown diamonds are cheaper than natural ones and are the guiltless choice for those concerned about the exploitative diamond industry.
Gemstones are cheaper than diamonds, and also make for unique engagement rings. Some, like aquamarine, closely resemble coloured diamonds and can easily be a dupe for the real thing.
Also read: The guilt-free gem: Lab-grown diamonds
Also read: The perfect engagement ring based on your zodiac sign
Feature image: Unsplash
The perfect bridesmaids’ dresses are usually tough to nail down. You’ve got a group of people with differing personalities and styles, and you have to cater to all…
A wedding cake is the sweet cherry on top of an exciting day. Newlyweds slice into the cake, symbolic of the first action they take together as partners.
The wedding cake has a centuries-long history, and started as a tradition that was said to ensure fertility. Today, however, while many still choose elaborate wedding cakes, some have opted for a more paired-down experience.
A new trend has emerged for those not wanting to go big on price and drama with their wedding cake. Instead of a tiered creation, they have a gesture cake. Gesture cakes are mini, affordable cakes that still hold the essence of tradition but won’t create a massive hole in your bank account.
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Of course, this cake won’t feed an army either. It’s generally the size of a normal cake one may have at a birthday party. For those having micro-weddings, this option is perfect. You won’t have a ton of cake go to waste, and get to save some money in the process.
Just because it’s a smaller cake does not mean it has to be boring. Take a look at these stunning treats:
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Feature image: Unsplash
As weddings continue to modernise and couples begin to care less about what their older relatives might think, new ideas for the wedding as a whole are being…
A princess’s look is not complete without a tiara. Swedish royal brides, interestingly, seem to gravitate towards a specific one.
The Cameo is a famed tiara in the Swedish royal family and is believed to be one of the oldest tiaras still in use. The unusual tiara has a long, romantic history and has been worn by both Queen Silvia and Crown Princess Victoria on their wedding days.
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The crown is believed to have first belonged to empress Josephine, the first wife of Napoleon, and the first empress of the French after he proclaimed himself Emperor. The crown was reportedly made for her in the early 1800s during the final years of her marriage to Napoleon.
The crown features 7 cameos, or oval pieces of jewellery that consist of a portrait in profile carved into it. The cameos were individually made and not intended to go together, which is why they vary in size and appearance. The largest cameo at the centre of the crown depicts a scene from the famous story of Cupid and Psyche. A base of gold and seed pearls frame the cameos.
The crown ended up in Sweden via empress Josephine’s granddaughter, also named Josephine, when she married the country’s first King Oscar in 1823. The queen passed the tiars on to daughter Eugenie. Since Eugenie had no children, the crown travelled throughout the family houses until it was presented to Princess Sybilla. It was from here that the crown began to feature atop the heads of Swedish brides.
Two of Princess Sybilla’s daughters, Princess Birgitta and Princess Desiree wore the tiara on their big days. In 1972, the tiara was passed on to Princess Sybilla’s son (who became King the following year) after her passing, and his bride Silvia wore it on their wedding day as she became Queen of Sweden. Queen Silvia wearing the tiara on her big day added even deeper royal significance to this prized diadem. Their eldest child and heir to the throne, Princess Victoria followed tradition and proudly wore the crown during her 2010 royal nuptials.
Feature image: Instagram / kungahuset
Grease star Olivia Newton-John has reached a milestone with husband John Easterling. The couple recently celebrated their 12-year wedding anniversary, and seem as loved up as ever. Newton-John…
It’s not many celebrities who can maintain long-lasting, successful marriages in the spotlight. In fact, Hollywood is notorious for having countless marriages end in sensational divorces splashed across tabloids.
Some couples do however make it work amidst the pressures and high roller lifestyles of being famous. One rock star couple we all know and love is singer Pink and her husband Carey Hart.
Pink, (real name Alecia Beth Moore) met former professional motocross rider and current off-road truck racer Carey Hart at an extreme sports event in 2001. He was a contestant and piqued her interest.
The non-traditional rockstar honoured her ‘rebel’ persona by proposing to Hart during a motocross competition in 2005.
She painted a sign saying “Will you marry me?” and showed it to him on the course during the race. When he didn’t respond, she added “Serious!” at the bottom and showed it to him again. Of course, he said yes!
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They tied the knot in 2006 at the luxurious Four Seasons resort in Costa Rica. The Walk me home singer wore a tiered halter neck with a black bow belt and headband.
The power couple has not been without their fair share of marriage problems, however. The pair are as notorious for their ups and downs as they are for sticking together.
According to Goalcast, the two had a major split during their first two years of marriage but never got divorced. During this break, in 2008, Hart asked her to perform at his Las Vegas club on New Year’s Eve and she agreed. She had planned quite a theatrical surprise for him in the meantime.
“After soundcheck, I told him that he needed to come to my room,” she told Redbook. “I had made him a photo album of all the cards he had ever given me, of all the photos of our entire relationship. I spent months on this album. On the last page, I pasted a photo of me from a really bad movie I made years ago with my neck slit and blood everywhere. Next to it I wrote, ‘This is me without you.’”
They reconciled, went for marriage councelling after that, and seemed stronger together ever since.
“Both of us came from broken homes, yet we made the choice to work hard at our relationship. And look at us now! Two misfits when we met, we have grown together and now have an amazing family,” Hart posted on Instagram on their 14th anniversary earlier this year.
The couple have a daughter, Willow Sage, and a son, Jameson Moon.
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