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Monthly Archives: December 2012

This post is sponsored by Gemesis. We think their man-made, 100% real diamonds are the bee’s knees, and we’re excited to have the chance to introduce them to you today!

Hello, friends! The wedding industry likes to refer to the time between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day as “engagement season.” While I think that’s a little silly, it is true that bunches of guys and gals WILL get engaged over the next few weeks — which is very exciting!!

I remember when John and I first started to think about getting engaged, I was completely overwhelmed. (A wedding expert I may be, but an engagement ring expert I am not.) Just in case any of you are feeling the same way, I thought it would be fun to share a few tips we’ve picked up, in the hopes they’ll prove helpful!

1. Figure out how you’ll approach the situation. Is your guy super traditional, bound and determined to do the entire thing himself? Or would you both prefer to navigate the purchase together? You might be surprised by your partner’s thoughts on the subject, so make sure you sit down and have an honest conversation to avoid hurt feelings or misconceptions on either side.

2. Discuss a budget. Speaking of honest conversations, I think it’s entirely wise to sit down with your partner and discuss a reasonable budget for this purchase. Unromantic? Maybe. But I know that in my case, my and John’s finances were already largely entwined even before we got engaged, and our financial goals were, too. We both wanted to make sure we had a price range we were comfortable with before we stepped foot in a store and had our eyes dazzled by diamonds.

3. Collect inspiration. Hello, Pinterest! At the beginning of the process I’d recommend getting a feel for what’s out there and what styles you’re attracted to. Even if you intend to leave all of the shopping to your boyfriend, he might ask your Mom, sister, or best friend for assistance, and it’d be great if they had a few photos to reference when giving advice. If your BF is super savvy, he might even take a peek at your board himself!

4. Get educated on your options. And oh my, they’re endless. Online v. brick and mortar retailer? Small v. large store? Traditional diamond v. man-made diamond? Is there a family stone in play? They’re all important things to consider. And yep, I said man-made diamond. Gemesis diamonds are man-made diamonds, but they are real, carbon crystal-growth diamonds! We love that these beauties are conflict-free by definition, as well as eco-friendly. Approximately two tons of earth have to be moved to produce 1 carat of mined diamond, which is a huge disturbance to natural ecosystems, and there are carbon emissions associated with this process, as well. Good to know!

5. Shop together. Again, even if you plan to leave the final choice up to your partner or shop online, I’d recommend stepping into a store to see how things look in person. You could even go with a friend, or by yourself! You’ll learn which of the 4 C’s are most important to you (for example, I couldn’t tell the difference between clarity as much as I could color), as well as which shapes and sizes look best on your finger.

Any tips you might have to add, please leave them in the comments! And y’all know we love to share the exciting news about our newly engaged readers, so if you have a shot to share of yourself getting engaged or directly following your engagement, please send it to Marissa! We’ll collect them all and share them on the blog early in the new year.

emily Written with love by Emily
5 Comments
  1. avatar Katie reply

    I definitely think it’s important to go to a store and try on some rings, with or without your bf, and even if you don’t end up buying from that store. There were several cuts and styles I thought I liked, but once I put them on my finger, I realized I didn’t like how they looked with the rest of my hand. And it is definitely engagement season! Every time I’ve been to the jewelry store recently, for last minute wedding errands, there’s at least one guy there trying to pick a ring, and it absolutely warms my heart to see that!

    • avatar Emily reply

      Hi Katie! I completely agree! I thought I wanted an oval style before stepping foot in a store, but in reality I didn’t like how they looked on my finger! I was surprised by how much I liked emerald cuts in person.

  2. avatar jamie reply

    My fiance wanted to do all of the ring shopping on his own, but he did look at my Pinterest for ideas! I ended up getting the exact ring I wanted, but it was still a surprise (my ring looks exactly like the first ring picture on this post, actually!) xO

  3. avatar Paige reply

    I created a wish list for him after talking about price ranges and such so there were about five options that were all (pretty much) rings I’d love to wear-especially coming from him! I knew I’d be excited about the ring and wearing it and was still able to be surprised by his selection. We also did a round of in-person shopping for sizing and opinion purposes that was very helpful in determining both ring size and stone size. For us, this method worked wonderfully and allowed us to communicate about it without diminishing his ability to pick.

  4. avatar Therese reply

    I’m kind of in love with that canary one. also I wanted to leave this great resource here for couples on a budget http://www.brilliance.com/diamond-buying-tips-infograph. Best tips on engagement ring shopping without having to bust your budget.

Southern Weddings reserves the right to delete comments which contain profanity or personal attacks or seek to promote a business unrelated to the post.  And remember: a good attitude is like kudzu – it spreads.  We love hearing your kind thoughts!

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Y’all fell just as much in love with Blair + Brian’s sparkly, classic Georgia wedding as we did earlier this week. (That dress! Her smile!) Now, we’re so pleased to be able to bring the day to life with this film from Alex Cattarin, too. Be sure to check out the original post here!

P.S. More wedding films for your viewing pleasure.

emily Written with love by Emily
3 Comments
  1. avatar Taylor J reply

    I don’t even know these love birds, but I shed a tear or two! Beautiful wedding, adorable couple, they look like the definition of “Pure Wedded Bliss!”

  2. avatar Fran Fowler reply

    Would like to buy a copy of Brian an Blair mills magazine.do you no how and what issue it is in …thanks Blair’s aunt fran

  3. avatar Liz reply

    I’d choose the Brad and Erin calligraphy.

Southern Weddings reserves the right to delete comments which contain profanity or personal attacks or seek to promote a business unrelated to the post.  And remember: a good attitude is like kudzu – it spreads.  We love hearing your kind thoughts!

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