Archive for March, 2014
As you already know, the engagement ring and the wedding band are the two pieces of jewelry that you are going to wear every single day for the rest of your life. By this definition, some people think that the engagement one would chose should be timeless. Before heading to the engagement ring store you should have at least a bit of an idea of what you’re looking for and of course, a budget.
There are plenty of people who want to choose the engagement ring based on the trends of that particular year. This can only mean that when choosing the engagement ring, you have to be extra careful, as you do not want to end up with the future bride hating it. You can read here tips on what to pay attention to when choosing the engagement ring. You might find that you would like to go for Black Titanium Contemporary Rings for example. In the end, the choice is yours to make. So let’s looks at a few options and see what peaks your fancy.
The engagement ring fashion of 2014 keep some of the ideas from 2013, but it also brings some new details, custom made wedding ring with colorful stones, or twist engagement rings are still popular, but floral details seem to become trendy.
Engagement rings with floral design
Flowers equal romantism, and most women in this world love romantic gestures. If you choose an engagement ring with a floral design on it, you solve two problems at the same time. On one hand you prove to your future wife that you are the romantic person she wants you to be. On the other hand, you give her something she already loves (flowers) to look at for the rest of her life.
The ring could be a flower itself, with a diamond in its center, or you can choose a ring with a classic cut stone, and a flower right next to it. Either way, your future bride will love it.
Engagement rings with colorful stones
No matter if you choose a colorful diamond (yellow, pink, or even black), or a sapphire (blue, yellow, orange), a ruby or emerald cut engagement rings, depending on the favorite color of the future bride. If you do decide to buy a colorful engagement ring, make sure that the bands are as simple as possible, to underline the ring.
Engagement rings with mix-metals
Mix-metal engagement rings are very popular among all the men who cannot decide if they want a gold or a platinum ring. If you happen to love gold, but still want to make the ring special, you can choose a ring that has the three colors of gold (white, yellow and pink) in it. You can also make combinations of white gold and platinum, or yellow gold and stainless steel.
Engagement rings with a horizontal stone
Also known as east-west engagement rings, this kind of rings are the right choice for women who love classic and elegant. Most of these rings have oval cut stones, emeralds or marquis.
Halo engagement rings
The halo engagement rings are known for the elegance they feature. They present a central stone with brilliant or princess cut, surrounded by a string of smaller elegant stones. In 2013 the halo engagement rings had just one string of smaller stones. In 2014, the ring must have two strings of smaller stones to match the trend.
Twist engagement rings
Twist engagement rings are very popular among non-conformist women. Its winding shape make it look daring, versatile and fancy at the same time. With such a ring on her finger, your future bride will be the point of attention of many other women.
Having worked in a luxury jewellers for a large part of my youth, I’ve heard more than my fair share of proposal stories – the good, the bad and the down-right weird!
I think Meatloaf said it best when he declared that he “would do anything for love” before quickly backtracking on that statement by adding “but I won’t do that!” Well it seems like the days of clambering down on one knee are all but over, as people are coming up with new and imaginative ways to propose to their significant other. It’s not enough to profess your love for your partner with a simple gesture, as there is an endless amount of people willing to take it to the next level – either you go big, or you go home!
Here are some of the most bizarre wedding proposals that I’ve heard over the years:
Hiring a theatre company and playing the star role
Every girl dreams of being swept off their feet like they do in the movies, so when a love-struck tycoon hired an entire theatre company so he could star in a play to propose, Victoria got a memory that she would never forget.
Gennady Zaleskiy, 38, paid £10,000 to have the play The Romantics staged in Zaporozhie, Ukraine, with him as the leading man. He appeared on stage in a mask where he was supposed to declare his love for his leading lady, but instead he turned to his girlfriend who sat in the audience and said: “No, the woman I love is called Victoria and she is in the sixth row. Will you marry me Victoria?”
VERDICT: She said yes!
In an art gallery
For many people, love itself is a work of art; it takes time and dedication, as well as passion in order to create something that is truly special.
This was exactly the case when George, an industrial designer, proposed to his girlfriend, Sara. George spent a total of 24 hours constructing what would soon become his engagement proposal to his girlfriend Sara, with the words “Will You Marry Me” being formed and placed into an art exhibit. The art piece was named “My Early Muir Owl”, an anagram of “Will you marry me”, and when Saraviewed it George dropped on one knee.
VERDICT: She said yes!
Virtually in a Halo game
Video games can be pretty addictive, with millions of people joining gaming communities in order to share their love of the game. Making the most of this, Moviesign (his username) created a map in Halo® 3 and set up what his girlfriend of over two years (Furtive Penguin) thought was going to be a two-on-two match with his friends.
Instead of initiating all-out war, however, Moviesign led Furtive Penguin to a spot on the map where he had spelled out a proposal using weapons from the game, before asking her to be his ‘teammate for life’.
VERDICT: She said yes!
Proposing whilst falling off a building
After four years together, Josh brings a whole new definition to the phrase ‘falling in love’ with this terrifying proposal.
Whilst standing on a rooftop proposing to Brooke, a friend throws Josh the ring and he tumbles over the edge to catch it. Luckily, this was all part of the plan, and instead of plummeting to his death Josh lands on an inflatable safety mat with a sign reading “will you marry me?” Brooke’s reaction?Priceless.
VERDICT: She said yes!
Whilst doing a gynaecology exam…
No you didn’t misread that.
A gynaecologist genuinely proposed to his longstanding girlfriend while giving her a gynaecology exam, even going as far as pretending to pull the ring out of her…! If this isn’t what proposal dreams are made of then I don’t know what is! It was daring, spontaneous and above all romantic (in a weird kind of way).
VERDICT: She said yes!
On a log flume ride
Marriage can sometimes be a bit of a roller-coaster, so when this fun-loving guy proposed to his girlfriend on a log flume, he took the well-known phrase literally! Positioning his girlfriend at the front of the ride and a cast of his friends behind, they simultaneously held up signs saying “Lindsay Will You Marry Me?” just as the roller coaster picture was being taken. If the ride hadn’t sparked her nerves, then this certainly would have!
VERDICT: Hopefully she said yes!
Getting it tattooed on your back
If you want to remember something special but you don’t have a spare pen or paper lying around, then the obvious solution is to get a tattoo draped across your back, right? Well if you’re Alex Jennings and you’re proposing to your girlfriend Caroline Summers, then this is the perfect solution for you. You have to be pretty sure of yourself to get a tattoo, especially when you’re asking for someone’s hand in marriage, so until death do them part they will always have that timely reminder that they once got engaged. Brave, brave man!
VERDICT: She said yes! (Thankfully for him)
Getting arrested
Pranks are never a great idea even when you have the best intentions, so when this guy got his police officer brother to fake arrest his girlfriend, he didn’t quite get the reaction that he wanted.
With the thought of having to spend 30 days in jail looming over her, the poor unsuspecting girl broke down into tears. After a while, the officer turns to her and proclaims that she is free to go on one condition: she takes her boyfriend’s hand in marriage. Next time he may want to take it down a notch or two?
VERDICT: Surprisingly, she said yes!
Asking Tom Cruise to do it for you
Unless your name is Nicole Kidman or Katie Holmes, then the chances are you have never been proposed to by Tom Cruise. Well for one lucky lady this was actually the case as the Hollywood actor asked her on behalf of her boyfriend, Joao Martins, who was a cameraman on a Portuguese television show Tom was appearing on.
In a clip shown on state channel RTP, Cruise said: “Sonia, you have to marry Joao. Please marry Joao. He is crying behind the camera.” Let’s hope this one doesn’t go the same way as Tom’s previous marriages…
VERDICT: She said yes!
Out of this world
How far would you go to ensure you spend the rest of your life with your loved one? Well for Alex, that meant taking his girlfriend Graciela Asturias, a 27-year-old architect from Manhattan, a thousand feet above the ground in order to give her a proposal of a life time.
To celebrate Asturias’ birthday, the couple boarded a specially designed Boeing 727 aircraft that creates the experience of microgravity during four-five minute plunges as it flies up and down between 24,000 and 35,000 feet, creating a near zero gravity effect. While they were both floating around the cabin, Alex took the plunge himself as he asked her to marry him! Best.Proposal.Ever.
VERDICT: Of course she said yes!
If in 2013 the trends regarding wedding cakes presented elegant and fancy cakes, this year’s trends come with a larger variety of themes and shapes for brides to choose from. Having so many choices, it should be easier to find that wedding cake that it is trendy and matches your wedding theme at the same time. Here are some of the cakes that should inspire you:
Cloth decorations
Cloth and cloth decorations are very fashionable among 2014 wedding season, and wedding cakes do not make an exception from this rule. So, if your wedding is rustic, or vintage, or simply casual, having a cake decorated with cloth is exactly what you need to make it perfect.
Tall candles
Although candles on a cake remind you of a birthday cake, in 2014 candles, and especially tall candles, are fashionable among weddings. Having candles on your wedding cake will be the element of surprise that you need for your special event and matches any wedding theme.
Fresh fruit decorations
There are people who do not like cakes that have too many flavors of creams in them. For all these people, cakes with fresh fruits are the perfect choice. You can have the fruits in the cake or simply decorating the cake. Either way, your guests will love it.
Uncoated (unfinished) cake
If your wedding is nonconformist and you want to make a statement with your cake too, choose one that is unfinished, that has no frosting, sour cream or marzipan on it. Let the layers of the cake to be visible for your guests. To make it look a little bit elegant, try to decorate it with some natural flowers or with fresh fruits.
Cupcake cakes
Cupcake cakes have been very popular in the past few years. Not only that they are delicious, but they allow you to create so many different designs, in so many different colors, that people keep ordering this kind of cake for their wedding. If you want to take to the extreme you can have a cake in the shape of a bridal gown. No one would expect that.
Ombre cakes
Ombre cakes or cakes with gradient colors follow the trends of 2013 wedding cakes. If you want your wedding to be colorful, and to make you smile all the time, the ombre cake is exactly what you need. If you cannot decide on the colors you can either choose from the wedding color trends of 2014 or you can match it to your wedding theme.
Custom cakes
In the past 10 years, personalizing your wedding, and your cake has been very popular among brides to be. The 2014 wedding cakes promotes cakes with 3D decorations that should be inspired by the wedding theme. Having the initials of your names, or a simple but suggestive message represent another nice choice for personalized wedding cakes.
Nature inspired cakes
For less elegant weddings, or for weddings inspired by nature, or for vintage weddings, choose a cake that is decorated with items that you can find outside. You can have a cake that shows a waterfall, or a forest, or a field of lavender. Any picture that you have in mind and represents you can be transpose on your wedding cake to make it spectacular.
