January 31, 2009
Wedding Rings - A brief guide to buying wedding rings
Wedding rings are available in such a wealth of designs and metals that it is almost bewildering when trying to choose the most suitable types of wedding rings. There is, however, a little advice that might prove very useful when shopping for wedding rings.
The first step is knowing what metal you wish to have. There is a choice between colour and quality with 18ct Gold being a favourite. The gold is very hard wearing due to the high proportion of gold in the ring and will wear very well over a long period of time. It is also available in 18ct White Gold, the white finish being achieved by plating the jewellery with a final Rhodium layer. This layer is brilliant white and very hard wearing. The process lasts for a very long time and only repolishing will take off this layer. When the ring is repolished professionally, a new Rhodium plate can be applied for very little expense. Platinum on the other hand is naturally white, but is much more expensive due to its rarity and preciousness. A combination of Yellow Gold and White Gold is a good idea when both colours of gold are frequently worn by the person.
The next step is deciding other factors such as the ring width. For plain examples, it might be consistent to aim for a similar width to the engagement ring. Men on the other hand generally have a wider wedding ring, often over 5mm. It may be necessary to opt for a wider wedding ring if diamonds are being set into the band. This will allow a small amount of gold either side of the diamonds which is always advisable. For example if 2mm (0.03cts) round diamonds are set into a wedding band, a 4mm band will allow 1mm on either side of the wedding ring.
Now we come to the profile, of which there are many. Here are some of the more popular profiles.
Court shaped � curved gently on the outside and inside.
D- Shaped � flat on the inside and rounded on the outside
Flat � flat on both the inside and outside
Flat Topped Court � flat on the outside with a curved court shape inside (ideal for diamond setting.)
Concave � This curves in at the centre giving a more contemporary feel.
When buying a wedding ring to fit alongside the engagement ring, it is best to match the profile up to the engagement ring. This will allow a much more consistent appearance. Finally we move onto how the ring will sit near the engagement ring. If the diamond setting of the engagement ring creates an awkward shape, it is possible to have a bespoke wedding ring made to fit around the engagement ring. This is easily done, the best method using a wax model, created to sit next to the engagement ring. From this the wedding ring can be made by the goldsmith. A perfect fit can be achieved in this way. This is not enormously expensive but gives the best match by far.
There are many ways wedding rings can be made to look individual. Diamond set wedding rings are very popular these days. Patterned wedding rings, two colour designs, and shaped wedding rings are just a few of the styles available. The most important thing to remember is that it all comes down to personal taste. You are, after all, the person who will be wearing the ring for the rest of your life.
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Covering a bride?s head with a veil or a hat today is purely an aesthetic decision but the history of bridal head decoration is a lot more complicated and quite bizarre.
Imagine your hair twisted and waxed into a punk-like spire coming straight from the top of your head; an attractive look for your wedding day? Well, ancient Romans used to do this to the bride in order to protect her from ?horned demons? and keep her pure. Funnily enough the trend never really took off.
Historically, hair was considered unclean and headdresses were often used to hide it since it was only fairly recently that regular bathing caught on. In the 1600s conical headdresses were placed on the bride?s head, possibly in place of the ancient Roman ?spike? look, and a full-length veil was attached at the tip.
The historical significance of the veil is three-fold. Firstly they were worn to confuse evil spirits and goblins which, for some odd reason, were thought to hang around brides on their wedding day. Secondly, as most marriages were arranged, the veil was used so that the groom wouldn?t bolt before the ceremony if he didn?t consider the bride attractive enough. It was also considered bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the ceremony so the veil helped obscure her from his vision. This latter superstition is something that many brides still adhere to today.
Time has dictated the trends in terms of what is hot for bridal headwear. In the 1920s the cloche cap veil was popular and was decorated with lace and satin or velvet ribbon. During this time, headpieces were generally more elaborate because the dresses tended to be more simple and formless.
The flappers of the 20s were fond of floral wreaths.
Veils today come in different styles, including centre-gathered, oval-cut, mantilla or drop.
All good wedding shops will offer advice on an appropriate hats or veils to complement your wedding dress.
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Find wedding planning articles available on the Bride Magazine website. Our website is about wedding dresses
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Wedding rings are one of the most recognized symbols of love and commitment from all over the world. Few things transcend the cultural barriers, such as “mama” for mother and a smile for a greeting.
It’s amazing to see how one small circular band of precious metal can instantly say so much. Funny isn’t it, that the wedding can cost thousands and the slim gold or platinum band is a few hundred, yet lasts far longer than the day itself, and is worn day after day, 24/7. A small hunk of metal divides the available and the unavailable at the glimpse of an eye.
Which Hand for Wedding Rings?
The hand that wedding rings are worn on varies from country to country and culture to culture.
By default, most people wear their wedding rings on the left hand.
Countries such as Colombia, Germany, Greece, Norway, Peru, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Ukraine and Venezuela traditionally wear their wedding rings on the right hand.
There are also certain cultures and religious beliefs such as Orthodox Christians and Eastern Europeans who typically wear the wedding rings on the right hand. And in Greece, since many are Orthodox Christians, they also wear their wedding ring on the right hand.
Jewish women will often wear their wedding bands on the right hand during ceremony, and change their wedding rings to the left hand after the ceremony.
In the Netherlands, catholic people wear their wedding rings on the left, all others on the right but in Austria, Catholic people wear the wedding bands on the right. What are Vietnamese wedding traditions? With the majority of Vietnamese weddings now being Catholic, Catholic Vietnamese families are known to exchange wedding bands at a separate church ceremony. Modern Vietnamese weddings, due to Western influence, exchange wedding bands between the bride and groom, but still include giving jewelry to the bride.
For other countries, it depends on region of the country, such as Belgium.
In parts of India - a toe-rings (bichiya) are worn instead of wedding rings on a finger - and increasingly worn along with finger wedding bands. An Iron Bangle or “loha” is worn by women in eastern parts of India, such as West Bengal.
Other customs, perhaps more modern, include either partner wearing the other’s wedding rings on a chain around the neck instead of the ring finger as more of a social statement of being married.
Materials of the Wedding Ring?
Metal, because if it’s durability is the most common material of wedding rings, and the metal of choice, in order of popularity is: gold, platinum, titanium, tungsten, nickel silver, stainless steel.
History mentions rings of long ago were also made of hemp, wood, bone … and if you remember the old TV show Happy Days - a lifesaver candy.
The metal ring often set with diamonds or other precious stones or gems.
Style of the Wedding Ring?
In French speaking countries, especially France wedding rings often consisted of 3 interwoven rings - representing the virtues of faith, hope and love.
Russian wedding bands typically consisted of 3 interlocking bands - gold, white gold and rose.
Greek & Anatolian (Turkey) wore puzzle rings, which are sets of interlocking metal bands that arrange in a specific order to form a single ring. If the spouse came home and found the ring in a different arrangement, then it may have questioned the fidelity of the other.
Celtic wedding rings are often engraved or embossed with a Celtic knot design to symbolize oneness and continuity. The Claddagh design symbolizes fidelity.
For North America, typically two rings are worn on the same finger - an engagement ring, and a plain wedding band. After first anniversary or child, a gift of an eternity ring is given, typically a three ring combination. This tradition is especially observed in the UK. In whatever culture, we exchange rings as a vow of everlasting love and commitment to our partner, to stay true to one another, and to walk down life's journey together to experience the new and exciting facets of companionship and physical union.
Stephan Bevan is an article writer for www.budgetdiamondsonline.com, the Online Diamond Wholesaler where you can order stunning gold and platinum wedding rings!
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January 30, 2009
Wedding Rings - A Buyers Guide
Wedding rings are just one more thing to have to consider amongst the array of other details when planning a wedding. They are, however, one of the most important. You will be wearing your wedding rings for the rest of your life so take a little time to find out what will suit you and it will definitely be time well spent.
Where to begin? Well, you have a wealth of choice when it comes to wedding rings, but much will depend on your budget. Always try to go for 18ct Gold or Platinum.
Both are much harder wearing than 9ct White Gold and are generally regarded as the metal of choice for wedding rings. Do you know what colour of gold? With white gold, yellow gold and even rose gold available, it is important to decide which colour you are interested in. If you are already wearing a particular colour of gold, for example with regards to your engagement ring, you will want to match you wedding ring to this. An alternative is to go for a wedding ring that combines white and yellow gold together.
Above is an example of a men’s and a womens white and yellow gold wedding ring, in a simple yet attractive style. The women’s is set with diamonds around the ring.
Taking into consideration your engagement ring, it is often best practice to keep the wedding rings simple, allowing the focus to be on the engagement ring. On the other hand, many prefer to have wedding rings to match the show of an engagement ring. This can be achieved in a number of ways, one of which is by the addition of diamonds.
Diamond wedding rings can be stunning. Make sure you match any diamonds by their colour (i.e.. their whiteness) to the diamonds in your engagement ring. To keep the cost down, choose small diamonds set in elegant designs, spaced out along the ring. This will capture interest, whilst not costing you a fortune. On the other hand, if you can afford to, it is possible to have channel set diamonds around the whole wedding ring. The example below shows three princess cut diamonds spaced along a flat court wedding ring.
One of the important considerations is to make sure you keep to a similar cut of diamond to your engagement ring. Add princess cuts if you have a princess cut engagement ring. This carries the theme and makes the combined rings look like a set. I am often asked about shaped wedding rings. Because of the settings of some engagement rings, there is often the chance you will have an awkward gap between the wedding ring and the engagement ring. It is often wise to let the jeweler have your engagement ring to shape or create a small recess to allow a perfect fit. I know how much a lady will hate to be without her engagement ring, but it is worth it for the sake of a week. It is also a great opportunity to have your ring repolished at the same time.
Amongst the many other styles, it is possible to find patterned wedding rings, many of which have intricate designs some of which incorporate a diamond set into the band. These all allow for individual tastes and enable you to find elaborate wedding rings where required. There are a fair few profiles that are basically the shape of the wedding rings. This can be a traditional court ring, which is curved slightly on the inside and on the outside, or even a flat court ring, which is curved on the inside and flat on the outside. This latter style is particularly suited to setting diamonds. The curve on the inside also provides a very comfortable fit.
Many wedding rings can be ordered online with the reassurance of a returns policy and a great deal of guidance while you look. It is often well worth while discussing your wedding rings with a jeweler who can offer some practical advice. It is also possible, especially with plain wedding rings, to have the inside engraved with a personal message or even just your names and the date of your wedding.
Hopefully some of the above information will help you whilst deciding which type of engagement ring to look at. Many online shops offer specialist advice and many styles to browse through at your convenience. Good luck and happy shopping. View a selection of wedding rings here.
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January 29, 2009
4 Traditional theme wedding favors
Theme #1: Irish wedding favor
Irish wedding favors is an awesome way to celebrate the luck of the Irish and the rich heritage that comes with it.
Irish wedding favors are usually associated with alcohol. What better way than to give away mini bottles of Baileys Irish Crème. This traditional Irish liqueur is also well known even with people who don't normally drink alcohol as it can be used in many delicious dessert recipes. Mini bottles of Baileys and other alcohol favorites can easily be search on the internet for reasonable prices and bulk pricing is available from many sites.
Alternatively, you can visit websites like Irishop.com and FavorsandFlowers.com. These sites offers a wide range of items ranging from bells, shot glasses, spoon rests to Candle, candy, ribbons, charms, golf balls, and many other items associated with the Irish wedding theme. These sites will certainly aid in the person looking for some Irish wedding favor.
Theme #2: Hawaiian wedding theme favor
What is the first thing when a Hawaiian wedding favor theme comes to you mind? Usually, you will link to the white sandy beach, the blue crystal waters and seashells. Such items are considered the essentials for a Hawaiian wedding theme wedding. It is also important to note that color scheme do play a part too.
Hence, you need to plan for the color scheme first. As the color will be the governing factor, it is best to achieve with decorations such as table linens, napkins, candles and other accessories. These items will enable you to create an island atmosphere and a Hawaiian ambience and feel.
Using flip-flop place card holders and placing on the tables is a great way to create an island feel. The summer accent will highlight the easygoing spirit of the islands and creating an immediate image of summer fun.
Tiny palm trees make a wonderful addition to any tabletop décor thus complementing a light-hearted place card holder. These tiny little palm trees contain a name card during the reception and once at home can be used to hold single summer photography.
Theme #3: Las Vegas Wedding theme favors
A Las Vegas wedding favor offers the combination of the feel of a traditional wedding with unusual themes. Presently, it is getting common to have unique weddings made up of at least 2 wedding themes and favors. The Las Vegas wedding favor theme will proved to be the most enticing and unique ideas. These weddings can be held anywhere part of the world, but are most memorable and unforgettable when the wedding is actually held in Las Vegas.
All of the large hotels and casinos have wedding planners and, of course, you cannot forget the little white and pink wedding chapels that dot the Vegas strip. Having a wedding in Las Vegas creates a unique theme all to itself. The wedding chapels in Vegas usually have a complete package from minister and flowers to Las Vegas wedding favors. But if you want to have your wedding in one of the large casino/hotels, you can be as creative and extravagant as you want to be.
Theme #4: Italian wedding theme favor
Italians have rich wedding traditions and choosing an Italian theme for a wedding is a great idea. The clothing, decorations, food and favors will all be stunning and tasty with the Italian theme as the basis. There are numerous Italian food caterers or the bride’s family may feel comfortable doing the Italian meal themselves. Decorations and clothing will all be simple to locate at bridal supply stores or on the internet.
You might want to take a look at www.blissweddingsmarket.com. and www.myitalianwedding.com. These sites offers an assortment of Italian related wedding theme favors. It includes from individual or sets of espresso cups, demitasse spoon sets to quality items like beautiful Italian crystal favors, Capodimonte favors and sterling favors. It also offers personalized biscotti, wine charms, and silver plastic candy scoops for some other alternatives. If you are feeling lavish and got some funds to spare, step into www.italian-weddings.com. This company can cover all aspects of the wedding planning including the Italian wedding favors and assist you in making travel trips to Italy for your wedding reception.
To learn more about different types of wedding favors and how to choose one, please visit http://www.floralweddingfavor.com.
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Author: Maximum Hit
If you are planning to have a beach themed wedding, then I have some tips that can make your beach wedding a perfect occasion of your life.
Beach weddings are rather more casual then formal weddings. Thus wearing casual beach wedding dress that gives you the freedom to enjoy every bit of the occasion is your best bet.
There are beautifully designed beach wedding attires available for brides and bridegrooms.
Brides can adore wearing light wedding gowns, either halter styles or backless long gowns. Wearing a waterproof wedding gown is the best pick to enjoy the beach fun and frolic with others. Brides can choose to wear trendy flip-flops that best matches their beach wedding attires or can go barefooted. The idea of wearing shoes on beach sands is rather weird. So try wearing lightweight sandals or Slip-on beach wedding shoes to set up the tone for your wedding.
Wearing light and unique pearl or elegant Oyster wedding jewelry can get you those glamorous looks in your beach wedding dress. Flower jewelry is also a good option to look exclusive altogether. Make yourself look fabulous and let others die for your charm.
As for the others who are attending the beach wedding, there are numerous options to choose from. Girls should prefer to wear linen Capri’s or linen pants topped up with linen string or flair halter or linen button up matched up with linen knee skirt.
Groom can choose to wear Italian Linen Custom Suit or Linen-Rayon Custom Suit that best suits to be the perfect groom beach wedding attire. The bridal party men can select from comfortable custom linen shirts matched up with Drawstring linen pants or shorts as desired. Floral pattern dresses are much recognized as beach occasion attires, so party people can go for these designs too.
Though beach weddings are the cheapest occasions yet the bride and bridegroom should look distinctly beautiful and charming.
About the Author:
This article is about the dresses one should choose to wear on hot sandy beach themed wedding occasions.
I have a site that has a variety of beach themed wedding dresses for the bride, bridegroom and the guests as well. Check out my site: - http://www.weddingtropics.com
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/weddings-articles/a-perfect-beach-wedding-attire-398528.html
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Author: Caroline Miller
Aside from the dress, the cake is probably the most admired element of the wedding. There’s a reason why it's placed at the center of the reception hall, so everybody who enters can admire it. The perfect wedding cake should not only reflect the personalities of the bride and groom, but also blend into the theme of the wedding seamlessly.
Decide on a design for the cake much before the actual date of the wedding. As D-day draws nearer, you might find yourself tied down with a million things to do, and not have time to look into the details of the cake.
The first thing you’ll look into is the design of the cake. Gone are the days of a single three tiered cake as the only choice for a wedding. Nowadays, cakes come studded with crystals, have roses falling all over the sides, can resemble Christmas trees, and a myriad other possibilities.
Choose a design that stands out from the rest, and blends with your personality. An elegant couple will probably do well to choose an equally elegant and traditional white three tiered vanilla cake. A whimsical eclectic couple on the other hand, will have more room for innovation. A cupcake wedding confection that consists of a number of cupcakes of different flavors all arranged to make one large tiered cake is another off beat idea that allows guests to sample different flavors of cake at a single wedding.
Make sure you pay attention to the details; rest assured guests will want to spend time looking over the cake, and appreciating its finer details. Pale green or pink ribbons of frosting draped on a white cake can make it seem extra special, while cascades of red roses all over the cake spell glamour. Look around, before you make a choice. Your cake designer will show you a catalog of various styles, but you don't have to be restricted to those. Scour the internet for one of a kind imaginative designs until you find one that appeals to you. If your favorite celebrity’s wedding cake had you swooning at the design, hunt for a picture of the cake (you’ll easily find it online), and show your designer exactly what you want your cake to look like.
Remember, a perfect wedding cake is one that people remember for long after your wedding is over, and they’ve left for home!
About the Author:
This author lives in Flemington, NJ with her husband and 5 month old daughter and is an expert contributing author for a luxury wedding favors boutique offering variety of bridal shower favors, candle wedding favors . This author and WeddingFavorStation.com is also dedicated to providing valuable and informative articles on wedding planning, wedding party ideas, wedding dresses styles and wedding etiquette.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/art-articles/a-guide-to-choosing-the-perfect-wedding-cake-372768.html
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