Tis the season: rules for brides

[edible_hat]

Now if two people get married, are two rings required? I never understood the whole deal. There is an engagement ring, AND a wedding ring? Also, does groom get ring too or what?

There's no legal requirement regarding rings, it's just tradition.

That said: The whole Spend-Two-Month's-Salary-On-A-Wedding-Ring is stupid and I pity any man who has to do it.

Our engagement ring cost $150, it's one my fiance picked out so I know she likes it. It has an old fashioned style setting with a garnet (that most people think is a ruby) and two tiny diamonds.

[tropicsgoddess]

Our engagement ring cost $150, it's one my fiance picked out so I know she likes it. It has an old fashioned style setting with a garnet (that most people think is a ruby) and two tiny diamonds.

That's gorgeous! I just want a wedding band with etchings on it. No stones or anything flashy. Aside from that, something that won't break the bank. Same for the wedding, reception and the attire. I just don't see how some brides go for the whole uber long train and veil with poofy dress thing. No train on mine and a short veil. Just something simple and elegant.

[Stormraven]

My engagement gift to my lady was a pendant, purchased at a small gift shop in England after we finished touring the grounds of Blenheim Palace, where I proposed outside the temple of Diana.

[Shpepper]

I once met a couple who had the most unusual wedding set I've ever seen. They were heart shaped pendants. She wore her''s around her neck. I had commented on how pretty it was and she said it was her wedding ring. Her husband asked if I wanted to see his and so I said ok. He lifted his shirt up. His wedding ring was a nipple ring with his heart pendant on it. Just to note, this couple was in their 50's or 60's. I thought it was very cool.

[LadyAndreca]

My husband claims he was laughed out of two jewelry stores because he wanted a sapphire engagement ring for me. He ended up purchasing a beautiful one from a small family-owned jewelry shop run by a man who looks like an aging Hell's Angel. The first time hubby went in the owner was out, buying an old police cruiser at auction because he wanted a car that looked like the Blues Brothers'. Hubby decided THIS guy gets his business no matter what! And he didn't laugh!

Huh. My rings have blue topaz (my birthstone) in them--originally, my husband tried to get them to do opal (my favorite stone), but they flat out told him that opal was too fragile for constant wear. He decided that if they cared enough about their work and their customers' satisfaction to tell him that, they were getting his business.

I did manage to chip one of the topazes in the engagement ring at work, but it was easy enough to get it replaced, since they still had a few loose stones from making my wedding ring around.

I love that store. It has lots of custom and quirky jewelry and they really work with you to make sure you're getting what you want.

[Misanthropical]

I do have an expensive engagement and wedding band, you know, with the diamonds and gold, but in my defense I didn't think my husband was serious.

He took me to the jewelry story in a mall and asked me to pick out the ring I would want to have. I thought he was kidding, so I looked at one set and said "that one!" He had the saleslady take it out and hand it to him. He then got on one knee and asked me to marry him. I was but stammered out a yes.

The store sized it down to fit my finger for free though and they replaced a diamond in it a few years ago that fell out for no cost. The engagement ring hooked into the wedding ring, so they put them together as one ring right before I got married.

My wedding dress didn't cost me a penny. It was my grandmother's and when I tried it on it looked like it had been tailored made for me. The only thing that needed to be done is to have it dry cleaned. I have it in a keep sake box now in case my daughter wants to use it.

[Mamadrae]

Ah the insanity of weddings and engagements. I hate all of my girlfriends since they all go "I'm doing a simple wedding with no fancy dress." but then I kinda let my girly side out for my wedding. I'm a very practical and no frills person normally. Rarely wear jewelry even. For my 22nd birthday my husband (then boyfriend) asked if I wanted a sapphire bracelet or a playstation 2. My exact words were "Are you stupid? GIMME THE PLAYSTATION!"

Hubby originally had a grand x-mas plan that got shot down when the jewelers screwed him and he had no ring for x-mas. He still asked me in joke like he had been for months though, he just was shocked when I said "Sure let's get married!" instead of my normal "Ask me when a year is up" which would have been in May.

He took me ring shopping on Valentine's Day and later said he was glad I went with. Apparently the white gold vine design with the tiny diamond flower was nothing like what he ordered. I had to point out to him that he really didn't have much to go on since I didn't have any fancy jewelry for him to figure out my tastes with.

Sadly though we would have loved a small private and cheap wedding, we were overruled. I was the ONLY daughter out of 6 kids and my hubby was the first one out of his family's side of grown kids getting married. It took alot of planning but we did good and everyone had fun without killing each other.

I will however admit that it took me MONTHS to get a dress. I really wanted a fancy dress and stressed over it some because I was a pain to find clothes for as it was. I lucked out and found a good store and actually got a dress totally different from what I pictured for myself. I had the whole thing set at least a month before my wedding.

Only thing we actually didn't have was my husband's ring. It was arriving the next day and the jeweler was really good in loaning us a ring to use for the day. We had ordered it in plenty of time but when it came in it wasn't the right size. Only bad thing about special orders, can't do quick repairs. Day was still great and memoriable though, even with our DJ's equipment suddenly exploding on him. roll: