Choosing
Your Wedding Rings
Your
wedding rings are a symbol of your eternal love; a love
for each other that continues and like the rings has no ending.
Your wedding rings are something
you will wear for the rest of your life so they should not only
be beautiful, they should also be comfortable for daily wear.
Some people choose to have the Bride's wedding
ring go with her engagement ring
as a set. Some prefer to have the Bride's and
Groom's rings matching. You
can even go to the extent of having the rings
custom made. This is more costly but will make your rings special
and unique to you.
Ring
Engraving
Consider having your wedding rings engraved on
the inside with something special. Your names and the date of
your wedding or a short yet meaningful message
are both good choices. For a little extra money, the engraving
will make your wedding rings have more of a sentimental
value to you.
Costume
Jewellery
Costume jewellery is another beautiful option that is affordable
and accessible at most jewellers. One of the most current trends
is wearing crystal jewellery and accessorizing with crystals in
your hair or in flower bouquets. Crystals dance in the light and
reflect many colours. Look for good quality crystals like Swarouski
crystals at your jewellers. Many couples choose to buy their attendants
jewellery as a thank you for helping in their wedding and standing
up for them. They can even to be warn in the wedding so all the
attendants wear complementing accessories. When purchasing a necklace
for your wedding day always keep the neckline of your gown in
mind. The more open the neckline, the larger and/or more elaborate
the necklace can be to fill the space on your chest.
A
Lesson in Jewellery
Most
rings are made of yellow gold usually 10, 14,
18 or 24 kt. The higher the number 
of
karats the more pure the gold is but also the softer the gold
will be. Some other options to yellow gold are white gold and
platinum. Don't think you are limited to diamonds either, many
couples choose to use their favourite stones or birth
stones in their rings.
There
are many choices when it comes to the cut of diamonds. Some of
the more popular cuts are round, princess (square), oval, marquise
(pointed on both ends), radiant, pear, emerald cut (rectangular
with flat panels on ridges), and heart shape. See diagram for
different shapes.
There are also many
setting styles available. The best thing to do is to shop around to
familiarize yourself with what is available and to see what your preferences
are. Then go to a reputable jeweller for your final purchase.
Things
to Look for in Diamonds
Carat - is the measurement of the
stone's weight. One carat equals 1/5 of a gram.
Clarity - measures a stone's freedom
from imperfections. Highest is - FL for Flawless to lowest - I
for Imperfect.
Cut - refers to the way a stone is
shaped and the number of facets it has.
Colour - ratings run form D- clear
and colourless, usually most expensive, to Z - with yellow or
brown tones. Rare coloured diamonds are becoming more popular.
They come in a variety of colours including red, pink, orange,
green and blue.
Personalized
Wedding Ring Pillows
Once you have your perfect wedding bands you
will want to display them on a delicate and beautiful ring pillow
for the wedding ceremony. If you are intending
to make your own ring pillow, there are many
options for its design. You may wish to stay with the more traditional
white satin pillow with simple white ribbons. If you are more
daring, you can make a pillow out of any fabric, preferably out
of a fabric used in your other wedding decorations
or attire. You can use ribbon, beads, pearls, dried or silk flowers,
and/or delicate appliqués to decorate it. You can even
use a T-shirt transfer to display a picture or poem on the pillow.
This works best on a light coloured cotton. If you use a layer
of chiffon on top of the image it will soften the look. I made
my ring pillow from my mother's wedding
dress and had our initials embroidered on the satin. My mother's
wedding gown wasn't wearable and she was going
to through it out. It made the ring pillow extremely
precious to me. I now display it with the memory of her and my
wedding day combined. Your ring
pillow can be a real keepsake to treasure and pass on.
Jewellery
as an Anniversary Gift
You will have many years of celebrating your marriage. Jewellery
makes a great anniversary gift in the years to come. Link to and/or
printout our Anniversary
Gift List for future reference.
