DID I FIND THE RING?

Dammit, I fell into a designer ring line and came across this:

It's "Cascade" from Marc Schneider Design. And now that I've seen this ring, nearly all other engagement rings have been ruined.

Though admittingly, I would not be disappointed with his "Kismet" ring either, shown below.

I love that they have such a sleek, contemporary design!

Also, since I've been so concerned about cost, my bestie was telling me about man-made diamonds, also known as synthetic or "cultured" diamonds.  The benefits of cultured diamonds sound amazing!  They're typically about a third of the cost of regular diamonds, have virtually the same physical properties (and are still diamonds... not fake, just created in a lab!), can have color added to them like rare colored diamonds, and don't have the bad press of being "blood diamonds."  I still love the idea of a gemstone engagement ring, but I'm not sure if that's what I'd want for this design.  MAYBE a colored cultured diamond, but it'd have to be in very subtle tones.

Admittingly, I'm not as enthusiastic about the matching bands for these rings.  I guess I'd like a pretty traditional/plain wedding band for everyday wear.  And no Mark Schneider trademark secret heart either.

But I love them!  I think I'd need to try them on to decide!  (Or just let the mister decide and surprise me... that would make me love the ring more, I think, if he had a hand in chosing it, too... as long as I really love all the ring choices equally!)

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For mens' rings, Marc Schneider has a smaller collection.  I prefer the really simple designs for men's rings, but somehow (and maybe it's just the way they photograph, I don't know), I really like the men's rings on this page, especially "Edge."

Engagement Rings

My bestie asked me about the sort of engagement ring I'd like.  I'd love a pretty ring but know that the traditional diamond sort isn't for me.  Neither is something on the other end, like a Claddagh ring.  So, of course, that leaves the gemstone route.  And I think that's just right for me.

I'm mostly a fan of the blues.

I think of these, the first and the third settings are more my style.  But have I found the right ring like the bestie did?  No, I don't think so.  Maybe it's just one of those things where you need to just try it on--to experience--before you know it's the right one.

Also, depending on the stone, it can be a lot more affordable than a diamond ring.  All the pretty and little to none of the guilt. :)

Adorable Cake (AND CUPCAKE) Toppers!

Lollipop Workshop has the most adorable cake toppers!



Along with these expensive-but-worth-every-penny cake topper, I also love these more-affordable cupcake decals from HelloFrosting:



Saw both of these from InspiredBride.net. :)

Another beautiful gown!

More on the traditional end:

I love the ruffles cascading down this!

Integrating some culture through a second dress

In a lot of Asian American weddings, the bride wears the western-style white dress for the church ceremony and the culturally-traditional wedding dress for the reception.  I hadn't really imagined myself doing something similar, mostly because I'm not really a fan of the Vietnamese ao dai.  But I got excited about wearing a bridesmaid saree to my girlfriend's Indian wedding, and started thinking about it.  Then I saw some modern, sleeveless versions of ao dai recently that made me love the idea.  It's elegant, sexy, and more casual. 

Unfortunately, it's hard to find sleeveless, wedding ao dai online.  So I'm going to post up photos of non-wedding examples that are sleeveless and might eventually inspire a wedding version (either gold/yellow or red).




I love the "halter top" style.

Also, I like how a lot of ao dai layer fabrics with sheer embroidery on top.


Basically, I think what I'm looking for is an ao dai with a strong western spin to it (without just making it white because of the whole "white's for funerals" thing).  That would be an ao dai to best represent me.


Also, because of the nature of this dress, I'd probably have to make it a summer wedding or have it somewhere really warm.  I'm okay with that.  But I kind of wanted an off-peak month so venues and other bookings would be less expensive. :P

Men's Rings

It's hard enough to find the right engagement/wedding ring, but to find a men's ring is even harder!  However, this sweet little number caught my eye:

I saw it on InspiredBride, but the ring is from an Etsy vendor.

Hot Chocolate Vials

I love this for a winter wedding! The vials would also be great for other types of fillings if we're thinking of other seasons. From InspiredBride.