Choosing Your Wedding Rings
Your wedding rings are a symbol of your eternal
love; a love for each other that continues and like the rings
has no ending. Your wedding rings
are something you will wear for the rest of your life so they
should not only be beautiful, they should also be comfortable
for daily wear.
Some people choose to have the Bride's
wedding ring go with her engagement
ring as a set. Some prefer to have the Bride's
and Groom's rings matching.
You can even go to the extent of having the rings
custom made. This is more costly but will make your rings special
and unique to you.
Ring Engraving
Consider having your wedding
rings engraved on the inside with something special.
Your names and the date of your wedding or a
short yet meaningful message are both good choices. For a little
extra money, the engraving will make your wedding rings
have more of a sentimental value to you.
Costume Jewellery
Costume jewellery is another beautiful
option that is affordable and accessible at most jewellers. One
of the most current trends is wearing crystal jewellery and accessorizing
with crystals in your hair or in flower bouquets. Crystals dance
in the light and reflect many colours. Look for good quality crystals
like Swarouski crystals at your jewellers. Many couples choose
to buy their attendants jewellery as a thank you for helping in
their wedding and standing up for them. They can even to be warn
in the wedding so all the attendants wear complementing accessories.
When purchasing a necklace for your wedding day always keep the
neckline of your gown in mind. The more open the neckline, the
larger and/or more elaborate the necklace can be to fill the space
on your chest.
A Lesson in Jewellery
Most rings are made
of yellow gold usually 10, 14, 18 or 24 kt. The higher the number
of karats the more pure the gold is but also the softer the gold
will be. Some other options to 
yellow
gold are white gold and platinum. Don't think you are limited
to diamonds either, many couples choose to use their favourite
stones or birth stones in their rings.
There are many choices when it comes to
the cut of diamonds. Some of the more popular cuts are round,
princess (square), oval, marquise (pointed on both ends), radiant,
pear, emerald cut (rectangular with flat panels on ridges), and
heart shape. See diagram for different shapes.
There are also many setting styles available.
The best thing to do is to shop around to familiarize yourself
with what is available and to see what your preferences are. Then
go to a reputable jeweller for your final purchase.
Things to Look for in Diamonds
Carat - is the measurement of the stone's
weight. One carat equals 1/5 of a gram.
Clarity - measures a stone's freedom from imperfections. Highest
is - FL for Flawless to lowest - I for Imperfect.
Cut - refers to the way a stone is shaped and the number of facets
it has.
Colour - ratings run form D- clear and colourless, usually most
expensive, to Z - with yellow or brown tones. Rare coloured diamonds
are becoming more popular. They come in a variety of colours including
red, pink, orange, green and blue.
Personalized Wedding Ring Pillows
Once you have your perfect wedding
bands you will want to display 
them
on a delicate and beautiful ring pillow for the wedding
ceremony. If you are intending to make your own ring
pillow, there are many options for its design. You may wish to
stay with the more traditional white satin pillow with simple
white ribbons. If you are more daring, you can make a pillow out
of any fabric, preferably out of a fabric used in your other wedding
decorations or attire. You can use ribbon, beads, pearls, dried
or silk flowers, and/or delicate appliqués to decorate
it. You can even use a T-shirt transfer to display a picture or
poem on the pillow. This works best on a light coloured cotton.
If you use a layer of chiffon on top of the image it will soften
the look. I made my ring pillow from my mother's
wedding dress and had our initials embroidered
on the satin. My mother's wedding gown wasn't
wearable and she was going to through it out. It made the ring
pillow extremely precious to me. I now display it with the memory
of her and my wedding day combined. Your ring
pillow can be a real keepsake to treasure and pass on.
