Tis the season: rules for brides

[LadyAndreca]

I would have loved a classic setting, in white gold (I'd worry about silver tarnishing). What I got was platinum with a big diamond and ten blue topazes (my birthstone) that my husband desiged himself, and the wedding ring was designed to match. Beautiful, yes, but so hopelessly flashy...

Ah well. I get compliments all the time on it, and it may not be what I wanted, but it is pretty.

[Shpepper]

Well, I have to admit, I did have a couple of moments of insanity but I never got to Bridezilladom. I made all the clothes for my wedding, my engagement ring came from the MIL and I got our wedding bands at OZZFEST last year. $36.00 for two celtic knot silver bands. They are kickass. and how many people can say that they got their wedding rings at Ozzfest?

[hawkchick11]

If you wait until four weeks before your wedding to pick dresses for yourself or your bridesmaids, you may have to choose from what's in stock, or pay a rush fee to have it sent quicker.

I have something to add to this:

First, if you are getting married, do not wait until 2 DAYS!! before your wedding to order your dress off of our website, have it sent Next Day delivery, then freak out on us because the the delivery carrier routed your package to the wrong state and you won't get your dress until Monday, 2 days after your wedding.

Second, do not wait until 9 p.m.! the day before the wedding to call us, screaming your head off, that you never received your dress.

Third, it would be nice if you thanked us for contacting a store manager (at home, I might add) to see if she could go to the store before it opened, so you could find a dress the morning of your wedding. Even just a simple thank you would be ok, instead of screaming some more about how we're ruining your wedding. Nope, we aren't ruining your wedding, you did that.. especially when it came out in the conversation that you've been engaged for almost a year!

[friendofjimmyk]

*sigh* I should've kept my engagement ring. It was platinum with a three stone setting about 1.3 carats. It was beautiful. I originally didn't want something so flashy, but when I saw that one, I got all girly.

The marriage didn't last. Once you get married, the ring remains the woman's - so I've heard. He tried to get it back. His logic, "Since your father and my mother spent so much on this wedding, give me the ring back and I'll make something nice for my mother." Uh, what about my dad?

I ended up selling it and financing a trip to Cancun. In the future, I will stick by my guns about the "not so fancy" rule. For an engagement, just give me your word, for the wedding, just a plain ol silver band and I'll be happy.

[workerbee222]

I have something to add to this:

Second, do not wait until 9 p.m.! the day before the wedding to call us, screaming your head off, that you never received your dress.

There is a story about a bride who picked out a dress at 9 p. m. on a Friday night, and was furious that no one was going to hem it and have it waiting for her, before the store opened, on Saturday morning.

I worked with a woman from a country in northern Europe, and the custom there was for the engaged couple to wear bands on their right hands while they were engaged, and switch them to the left when they married.

[siead_lietrathua]

wow, you guys are maing me glad i;m just getting a tattoo done for my wedding band. goes much better with the stainless steel engagement ring (plus i hate wearing more than one ring, stumpy fingers n all)

[blas]

I hate rings......I should thank my lucky stars there's no Mr. Right out there then, shouldn't I? I've lost every ring I've ever owned, even my fake engagement ring I wore at the gas station. We can't wear any jewelery on our hands at work.

Is there any way a dress wouldn't need to be hemmed or altered?

[Samaliel]

If you hate rings, obviously, Mr. Right For You won't bother you with one.

As for dresses needing to be hemmed or altered, I think there's a small chance for that to happen, yes.

[Stormraven]

Bronze for me. Plain. Unless I can get my Clan ring made for me (thick silver band with mother-of-pearl inlaid), but alas I can't seem to locate someone to make the damned thing for me.

You might try MacManus and Sons. It's where my lady and I got ours. Hers is gold and mine white gold in a nice celtic design. I know when we worked with them, that they did some original work, I don't know if they still do, though.

[Apathy]

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.

Me too. What a stupid practice.
My wife doesn't like diamonds. (woohoo!) She has an obsidian ring. Way cheaper and she got real comments on it. As in, "Wow, that's cool and unusual!" as opposed to, "Yes, that surely is a nice and fancy ring."

[SuperB]

You might try MacManus and Sons. It's where my lady and I got ours. Hers is gold and mine white gold in a nice celtic design. I know when we worked with them, that they did some original work, I don't know if they still do, though.

Or take your design to a jewelry school. The school I went to would have welcomed a project like that.

[Shangri-laschild]

Count me in with the not getting the obsenely priced ring thing (among many other things I don't get about a lot of weddings). My current best friend gave me a ring (not with any marriage type meaning behind it) when we were dating. It's got a lot of sentimental value and unless my fingers are feeling odd or I'm really really pissed at him, it's still on my finger. It's also all scuffed to hell as I'm bad at being gentle with things. Considering that, why would I want something high priced? And old friend of mine once told me she would love a guy who proposed with a vending machine ring or one of those prarie diamonds (the horse shoe nails bent into a ring)

[BlaqueKatt]

Once you get married, the ring remains the woman's - so I've heard.

actually since mariage is considered a contract-contract law applies-whoever breaks the contract gets nothing-so if you broke it ff legally he could've sued in court and won, if he broke it off the ring is yours. The only way around that is if the ring is given on a birthday or some other holiday as gift(valentine's, x-mas, haunakah), or if it is a family heirloom.

IANAL-just know several peeps that have gone through this.

[vman]

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 are, if you count them all, 3 rings.

There's the engagement ring, for when (in general) the man asks the woman to marry him and she accepts.

Then there's the wedding bands. In general both the husband and wife will wear them.

[Kirachan]

im hoping to be able to make my own wedding ring. my bf (kinda fiancee? i dunno, we know we are gonna get married, but he never specifically asked me *shrugs*) gave me a small gold ring with a tiny diamond in it as a promise ring, it was his mother's. very sweet, but im not sure if im supposed to wear that later or take it off or what. since im a jewelry major as long as i can afford the materials i should be able to make the ring ok, might need the teachers help though. im looking at mokume gane stlye rings. though if i go with that i may have to order the premade metal since we don't have a forge.