My First Bridal Fair

Last weekend my mom and I went to the Bridal Fair. I've picked my date - March 7th, 2009 in Savannah, GA. I am still struggling to accept the fact I am uncomfortable planning a wedding without a ring (despite the fact we’ve been together 5 years). I don't feel like such a big freak (planning without a ring) because if it is a destination wedding....meaning, you need to be completely done planning early - as in I need to be basically done planning by next July.

With that said, the bridal fair was a great way to catapult myself into the right state of mind to be a bride. While not all of the vendors applied to me, since I am getting hitched in Georgia, I am now better equipped to shift through vendor paperwork and notice a deal (great prices and services) over a dud (lacks organization and not prepared to answer questions).

Bridal fairs not only gets your creative juices going – but allows you taste food, cake, and pick up brochures on different vendors. Free goodies galore.
I recommend everyone check out this website – and see if there is a fair coming your way Bridal Shows Inc .

Deciding on the bling….

Chris and I discussed wedding dates this past March. We decided on March 7th, 2009, in honor of my late grandparents (their anniversary date). Chris agreed, which much hesitation, because he wants to get married sooner than this. So, he has been saving for the ring for about 3 years now, and wanted to start looking around.

Like most girls, just the idea of ring shopping got me giddy! I began doing my research. Knowing very little about rings, only that my personal style is the antique, vintage feel; I needed to decipher the 4 C’s of rings (color, clarity, carat, and cut), and the perfect balance that would be best for both us and our budget. (*The new C added to the list of four recently, the Cost)

I immediately feel in love with an Old European 2 carat antique stone. I found it on Ebay and could not comfort the honey-to-be that buying a ring over the internet is safe. Old European cuts are typically round, from around the 1920’s and are harder to come across than one might think. In recent years, the large stones were purchased to be re-cut into a more modern shape, (think brilliant round). This cut is known for the fire (depth and sparkle) that is offers, and tends to be larger than modern cut stones, due to the crude, hand-cut style.

Now, I live in the Dallas/ Ft. Worth Metroplex. One might think an antique ring should be readily available. I scoured the internet for jewelers that would be able to meet this peculiar demand of an Old European cut. Only to turn up two. Skibell Jewelers and Chatham Jewelers Chatham Jewelers.

Here’s what I know:

After speaking to Rebecca Chatham, she offered me great advice on how to better prepare prior to meeting with jewelers.

1) Create a collage (idea board) of rings you like, including ring settings as well as shapes. Pick your top three shapes: mine were Old European, Ascher, and Cushion
2) Decide on your budget. Get an idea of how much you can afford and whether you need to make payments. It is unfair to allow the jeweler to pull out a stone/ring that is $10,000, when your honey-to-be has $3,000.
3) Be open minded. We went in thinking we knew exactly what we (I) wanted. A European-cut stone in an antique setting from around the 1920’s. Well, when she pulled out the Radiant-cut square stone and plopped her down in a vintage 1950’s setting. I fell in love all over again….

My biggest recommendation, know as much as you can gather on the internet about stones before you go shopping. There is no feeling worse than fearing that you are getting the taken by the man behind the counter.

A family jeweler offered these three tips:

Shoot for a balance between quality and size – a good quality stone will hold it’s value over time. Don’t allow a huge, flawed/colored stone to win you over based solely on the size of that bling.

Stick above J for color (any lower and it becomes noticeable) and clarity of VS1.

Happy hunting! Don’t loose hope – you will know when you find the right ring, just as you did when you found the right boy!

SLC blog is Launched!

Yes, that’s right – I created a blog! More specifically a wedding blog – because let’s be honest about this, weddings are not nearly as important to the one’s you love as you think it is. Don’t get me wrong - I know everyone in my life love’s me and is thrilled by the idea of Chris and I getting married. However, every BTB (bride-to-be)’s mind is taken over by the details, the overwhelming amount of details, that she will be inundated with once the ring slips on the finger.

I have had much experience after having helped 3 of my friends make the transformation from fabulous fun girlfriend to the intense, BTB. So, I am ready - bring on my wedding.

This blog will serve as my outlet to release my inner thoughts when planning the wedding. It will allow me to discuss in detail everything I need think through – without the fear of boring my listener, or now reader.

I promise to be diligent and detail oriented – bettering the knowledge of all readers. I expect us all to be experts by the end of this exciting wedding journey!

Please be patient - the design will get better - I promise! It's a virtue you know!

Love!

Icon Picture