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annaconda posted:
I would love to, however we are going down to the coast in a month and I am a college student. I pay for a lot of things at the moment. I manage money very well actually and don't spend a lot on material things. I am currently in debt with my car and school. Having to pay it off will be no big deal to me. I realize I will be spending more money. But going to the coast is about a 4 hour drive. So, having the chance to do it is more important to me. Especially since it was her idea to go to the coast. That way it doesn't look like I am going to do something. I am still trying to think of a different way that doesn't require a sea and sand though.
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Jun 15, 2009 17:46
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I'm ring shopping at the moment, and am leaning towards Moissanite. I'm going for a triple setting of round stones, with a half pave. What I'm concerned with is going overboard. Not in terms of price, but in terms of "holy poo poo" factor for both her, and those who see it. Here's the one that's really caught my eye: http://www.moissaniteco.com/15ct-6mm4mm-round-moissanite-trellis-3-stone-ring-p-6352.html http://www.moissaniteco.com/23ct-65mm5mm-round-moissanite-trellis-3-stone-ring-p-6349.html http://www.moissaniteco.com/22ct-7mm45mm-round-moissanite-trellis-3-stone-ring-p-6347.html http://www.moissaniteco.com/31ct-7mm6mm-round-moissanite-trellis-3-stone-ring-p-6345.html While she and I both like Moissanite, and she likes large and glittery, I don't want to get into a situation where she or I have to constantly hear "How did he afford that on a student's budget?", and then have to explain why Moissanite is not Cubic Zirconia. Cost is not an issue, with these examples. I've saved up 3k, and was pleasantly surprised by these prices. Opinions on carat size, with my choice of vendor, or on white gold vs palladium? Edit: Also, I'm noticing that this specific ring is not in the "engagement rings" section. What, if anything, would make this ring I've linked not an engagement ring? ixo fucked around with this message at 21:29 on Jun 15, 2009 |
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Jun 15, 2009 21:08
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ixo posted:Edit: AIUI these 3-stone rings are primarily anniversary rings (yesterday, today, tomorrow). I bought the same style for my engagement, and one big differentiating factor to think about is the height of the middle stone relative to the two others -- tough to gauge in a photo.
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Jun 16, 2009 12:14
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ixo posted:While she and I both like Moissanite, and she likes large and glittery, I don't want to get into a situation where she or I have to constantly hear "How did he afford that on a student's budget?", and then have to explain why Moissanite is not Cubic Zirconia. I'd just laugh and say "I stole it" because it's really not anyone's loving business 
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Jun 16, 2009 17:52
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covener posted:AIUI these 3-stone rings are primarily anniversary rings (yesterday, today, tomorrow). That makes sense. So, three stones of very similar size is traditionally an anniversary style, and one large stone with two obviously smaller stones is closer to an engagement style? CalamityKate posted:I'd just laugh and say "I stole it" because it's really not anyone's loving business Excellent point. The woman herself won't even know what it cost, so I don't know why I'm even considering other people.
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Jun 16, 2009 18:43
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Anyone had their cake from Publix? Care to share your experience? I'm not about to spend crazy amounts of money on a freaking cake of all things, and the ones they have on their website look pretty awesome for coming from a grocery store. http://www.publix.com/food/catalog/ProductDetail.do?id=153 http://www.publix.com/food/catalog/ProductDetail.do?id=130
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Jun 16, 2009 18:57
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maso posted:Anyone had their cake from Publix? Care to share your experience? I'm not about to spend crazy amounts of money on a freaking cake of all things, and the ones they have on their website look pretty awesome for coming from a grocery store. I have never had a wedding cake from Publix, but I have had other cakes and they have all been awesome. Publix does a great cake.
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Jun 16, 2009 19:06
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Plate or platter posted:I have never had a wedding cake from Publix, but I have had other cakes and they have all been awesome. Publix does a great cake. I can also vouch for the awesomeness of Publix cake. I had one with a strawberry filling once & it was soooo good. I don't see why they wouldn't be able to translate that into a larger tiered cake. Oh, and one of my friends had to get her cake from Wal-Mart (her baker split town with her deposit) & no one could tell that it wasn't from a "wedding cake bakery".
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Jun 17, 2009 00:44
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ixo posted:I'm ring shopping at the moment, and am leaning towards Moissanite. I'm going for a triple setting of round stones, with a half pave. What I'm concerned with is going overboard. Not in terms of price, but in terms of "holy poo poo" factor for both her, and those who see it. Just keep in mind that because she likes sparkley things she probably won't want a plain wedding band, but one with diamonds which will cost a lot more than the plain wedder. Try to pick one that goes well with a diamond band. Exelsior fucked around with this message at 03:51 on Jun 17, 2009 |
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Jun 17, 2009 03:43
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Also keep in mind that many women know they don't need TWO rings. She may be happy with a ring serving for both engagement and as a wedding band. That's what I'm doing.
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Jun 17, 2009 04:08
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^^^^ What Maso said. We're probably not going to go the ring + band route. And even if she decides she DOES want to get a band, Moissanite bands exist.
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Jun 17, 2009 05:04
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maso posted:Also keep in mind that many women know they don't need TWO rings. She may be happy with a ring serving for both engagement and as a wedding band. That's what I'm doing. We often sell diamond engagement rings with very simple wedding bands. Many women feel uncomfortable wearing a high dollar engagement ring on the bus. The simpler wedding band gets worn alone when traveling through bad neighborhoods.
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Jun 19, 2009 06:41
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Bardlebee posted:Hey guys, I am about to ask about your opinion, on the internet: Did you already buy the ring? The diamonds used in it aren't so good (especially the clarity...and it makes no mention of how good the cut is). You can build a similar ring on BlueNile with much better stones. You seem like such a sweet guy (sand seems a tad complicated*, but the rest sounds awesome!), I hate to see Jared ripping you off  *Idea-What if you go to a crafts store, buy a large-ish clam shell and a permanent marker, and write your message on the underside? You could be walking along the beach, say "hold up, I thought I felt a shell in the sand back there...wait here!" run back a bit and pretend to dig up the shell (I would say to plant it there earlier, but that might not work), bring it to her and say "check out the inside, it's all pretty and purple" and get down on one knee as she checks it. Best I could come up with v  v
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Jun 19, 2009 16:11
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Bardlebee posted:Hey guys, I am about to ask about your opinion, on the internet: Have you seen this ring in person and if so, how did it look to you? I'm a jeweler, and those diamonds are rated very poorly. I2-3, from Jared, probably means you can see the inclusions from space. In other words, it's either going to have black spots in it, or it will look like crushed ice. Spend some time and shop around your local (non-chain) jewelry stores, or just go to Blue Nile. The ring style is fine, assuming you know she wants a complicated ring. 3-stone mounting with diamonds on the shank is nice. If you don't know, then go with a solitaire. A thin mounting with the highest quality rock that you've budgeted. $3k should be able to get you a stone that's around half a carat or larger, G-I color, SI-1 clarity.
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Jun 19, 2009 17:07
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Has anyone done Save the Date magnets or postcards? We chose a Sunday for our wedding because it was cheaper and I feel like it's a good idea to warn people far in advance so they can take off work or make travel plans. Any good websites or resources for this sort of thing?
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Jun 20, 2009 21:39
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Vistaprint is really great for Save the Dates if you want more control over the design. They also run free deals a lot, so sign up for their e-mails. Magnet Street is great if you want something quick & easy. On some designs you can change the fonts & colors. But on others you just have to stick with their template & change the wording.
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Jun 20, 2009 21:59
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Kiri koli posted:Any good websites or resources for this sort of thing? Again, I keep spouting this, but again we saved a ton of money by making our own.. For ours we took some simple pictures of ourselves together holding up little signs.. 4 frames each one "Save" "The" "Date" and the fourth with the date.. Then I cropped them down, turned them black-and-white, and made classic "boardwalk" film strips out of them.. I was able to size them so I could print 3 per 3x5" picture and printed them at the local pharmacy. Some simple self-stick magnets later, we had wonderful, cheap save the date magnets. Total cost of less then $20 mailed.
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Jun 21, 2009 01:03
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FidgetyRat posted:Again, I keep spouting this, but again we saved a ton of money by making our own.. For ours we took some simple pictures of ourselves together holding up little signs.. 4 frames each one "Save" "The" "Date" and the fourth with the date.. That sounds like an awesomely creative way to do it. Where did you buy the self-stick magnets?
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Jun 21, 2009 02:15
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got the ring, now its only 12 days I have to keep my goddamned mouth shut. I think it turned out great. Thanks to all that helped. ninja edit: loving christ, clearly that drawer is not a good place, as she has randomly gone in there twice already. gently caress me i'm going to blow this before it even gets fun.
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Jun 21, 2009 04:09
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Kiri koli posted:That sounds like an awesomely creative way to do it. Where did you buy the self-stick magnets? Try any office supply or art supply store. They shouldn't be hard to find.
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Jun 21, 2009 04:25
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Guy LeDouche posted:got the ring, now its only 12 days I have to keep my goddamned mouth shut. I think it turned out great. Thanks to all that helped. Drawers are the worst place. Can't you hide it at work or something? How about stuffed into an old game case, does she rifle through your video game collection?
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Jun 21, 2009 04:29
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RedFish posted:Drawers are the worst place. Can't you hide it at work or something? How about stuffed into an old game case, does she rifle through your video game collection? Or if you have to go the drawer route, do you have a bathroom drawer or something for all your man grooming crap? In five years of living together I don't think I have ever had to go into my fiance's bathroom drawer. Especially not the back of it 
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Jun 21, 2009 07:37
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Kiri koli posted:That sounds like an awesomely creative way to do it. Where did you buy the self-stick magnets? Yes, All supplies for my save-the-dates and my actual invitations came from the craft store Michaels. You can get a standard roll of adhesive magnets there, but I noticed they sell a rolled up "sheet" of the exact same material for cheaper then the rolled up magnet strip.. It is about the size of 2 standard pieces of paper, one side adhesive, the other magnetic.. I then cut that apart into little strips.. Saved a few extra bucks and only required scissors. Just keep in mind with everything you do wedding related, there is a MASSIVE mark-up on prices, maybe because people tend to splurge on weddings.. There is a good chance you can do just as good for WAY cheaper then if you bought from an actual wedding supply place.. Even places like etsy where other people make them for you would be way cheaper. For comparison, the invitation set I put together was on a wedding site.. 100 invitations for $1500.00. I printed out the little 1" picture in the magazine, scanned it in, blew it up, and vectored over the entire thing. Then made some alterations, printed on invitation stock paper and they came out just as good for a total of $40. The blank invitation stock was buy one get one free at Michaels and I have a decent color laser printer at home. They came out beautiful. $1500 my rear end. You're already going to get raped on hall prices, flowers (Had a heart attack when I saw that bill), etc.. Might as well do as much of it yourself if you are handy at such things. FidgetyRat fucked around with this message at 15:30 on Jun 21, 2009 |
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Jun 21, 2009 15:24
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Guy LeDouche posted:got the ring, now its only 12 days I have to keep my goddamned mouth shut. I think it turned out great. Thanks to all that helped. Haha my fiance had the ring for all of 2 hours before he said gently caress it & proposed while we were watching TV. He's awful at keeping secrets.
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Jun 21, 2009 17:21
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Guy LeDouche posted:got the ring, now its only 12 days I have to keep my goddamned mouth shut. I think it turned out great. Thanks to all that helped. Yeah, the whole night I proposed I was worried that she saw the outline of the box in my pocket. It was like the Telltale Heart.
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Jun 21, 2009 17:26
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In my case, I hid the engagement ring in the jewelry box for my tie pin, which was in a drawer. Getting a little anxious over it's placement, I ended up taking the case from its usual place, and hiding it in the bottom of a junk drawer. Minutes later my fiancé came into the room holding my tie pin in a bee-line for that drawer. Crisis averted, and she was completely surprised a couple weeks later.
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Jun 21, 2009 19:28
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Narwhale posted:Yeah, the whole night I proposed I was worried that she saw the outline of the box in my pocket. It was like the Telltale Heart. I ditched the box and hit it in my suit jacket pocket. I was worried that it was going to fall out the whole night.
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Jun 21, 2009 19:32
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My guy hid it in his golf bag that was in the closet right next to my computer desk. For a good two or three months it was probably a foot away from my laptop and I had no idea where it was. He proposed after I got out the shower, while I was deciding what to wear out to my birthday dinner. It was super sweet and he had plenty of time to get it out while I was completely oblivious. He did a really good job of throwing me off on when. I kept saying he should do it on my birthday so it'll be super easy to remember and he kept shooting it down every time, giving reasons and everything. I was completely surprised when he said he had something he wanted me to wear to dinner and got down on one knee. You don't have to be too complicated for it to be sweet, but a good hiding place is anywhere she has no reason to go. I was certainly not going to be looking in the side pocket of his golf bag for any reason. Every guy has to have somewhere like that or at least a box of junk on the top shelf in the closet or something less likely to be found out than the junk drawer.
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Jun 21, 2009 20:22
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My husband proposed to me during a weekend that he was helping me with a big art show. As we set up the first morning, he told me not to dig around in his backpack for anything; there was a surprise in it. I took that to mean (and I don't know how the gently caress I got to this) that he had cupcakes. So I begged him all day for the cupcakes. He finally proposed at the end of the second day. There were no cupcakes.
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Jun 21, 2009 23:04
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I fianlly got my engagement/wedding ring today! Been agonizing over choosing one for like 5 months now and finally ended up going with the first one I found. Going up to my parents next week to find a venue (I live in CA but wedding will be in WA) and my fiance said there was no way he was letting me go to my mother's without a real ring on, so she wouldn't think he was being cheap. Haha, she wouldn't have cared, but whatever, I got sparklies   and a close up:  It's a 2kt sapphire with .5kts of diamonds. Yay! Edit: Thanks again to JohnnyRnR who answered a couple of questions I had about this earlier in the thread.
Kitten Kisses fucked around with this message at 00:40 on Jun 22, 2009 |
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Jun 22, 2009 00:38
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If you're planning a romantic date where you dress up, hide the ring in the suit jacket that you're planning to wear. If you're like me, you're never going to wear it unless it's for special occasions, and she has no need to be looking through there. That's how I did it, and it worked out fine. In other news, my wedding's in like a month ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod.
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Jun 22, 2009 04:03
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ih8ualot posted:In other news, my wedding's in like a month ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod. Yeah, mine's in less then 33 days, but I've hardly had a single heart palpitation. Probably because we've been together for 8 years and this is just more of a formality.. That or the house we're building is taking all of my attention at the moment.
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Jun 22, 2009 13:16
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Pig Boots posted:Did you already buy the ring? The diamonds used in it aren't so good (especially the clarity...and it makes no mention of how good the cut is). You can build a similar ring on BlueNile with much better stones. Of course, my idea wasn't solidified as of yet, it was more of a rambling of ideas at the time. But, actually, I am going to be using your idea. It is probably the best and she would never see it coming. She would, almost literally see the sand idea coming. Thanks for the great idea! Right now I am trying to learn about diamond grading some more, as I know nothing... Any information towards that would be helpful if anyone has any. I tried looking in the OP, but I think I may have glazed over it or there isn't any there on the subject. Kitten Kisses, beautiful ring! Congratulations!
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Jun 22, 2009 14:17
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Bardlebee posted:Of course, my idea wasn't solidified as of yet, it was more of a rambling of ideas at the time. But, actually, I am going to be using your idea. It is probably the best and she would never see it coming. She would, almost literally see the sand idea coming. Just please don't actually bury the ring/shell. Keep it in your pocket or something. Because you are gonna feel like the biggest douche on the planet if you can't find where you buried it, or if someone finds your treasure shell first!
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Jun 22, 2009 14:54
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Bardlebee posted:
https://www.pricescope.com Go there. If you want, you can ask the hordes of diamond fanatics to find you an amazing diamond within your budget. They are already spend hours a day sifting through sites for shiny things, they're really happy when you give them an excuse. Read the educational part first, and then ask them to find you something within your price range. That will give you a starting point. In terms of basics, the one thing you cannot sacrifice is cut. If it gets too overwhelming, just ask the forum to find you one, but if you're nerdy, go ahead and get into the angles, etc that make a cut good.
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Jun 22, 2009 15:38
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Bardlebee posted:Of course, my idea wasn't solidified as of yet, it was more of a rambling of ideas at the time. But, actually, I am going to be using your idea. It is probably the best and she would never see it coming. She would, almost literally see the sand idea coming. Aww, yay! And just to clarify (based on nmarie33's post), the ring should definitely be in your pocket and not attached to the shell. I didn't bother to mention that because I figured that everyone (except people in movies who lose the ring in some comedic fashion) always put the ring in their pocket. Also, you might want to practice figuring out a convincing way to pretend to dig up the shell (and also how to slip the shell out of wherever it is that you're hiding it on yourself...that will be tricky...might want to switch to something flatter, like a sand dollar (those are always at craft stores)). This setting is similar to the one you showed us: http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-engagement-ring-setting-white-gold_5846?filter_id=1&collection_id=236 If you use BlueNile, you just have to play with the sliders in the "Select Your Diamond" area. The stats I keep telling my boyfriend are "VS2 clarity or better, Ideal or Signature-Ideal cut, H (though preferably G) color or better, and then from there just make sure everything is great with the symmetry/polish/culet/etc." That's just me, though
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Jun 22, 2009 16:50
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RedFish posted:Go there. Pricescope is a great resource, but understand that it's an anonymous internet forum. Professionals like to giggle when the Pricescope crowd says things like "a GIA XXX cert is the same thing as an AGS 000 cert. They both mean that the diamond is ideal and displays hearts and arrows." (Absolutely untrue) There are a few fantastic jewelers that hang out there, but a lot of the people on Pricescope are self-certified "experts." If I gave Pricescope money I would be their recommended diamond house. The website exists to make someone money from referral sales, product placement, and advertising. It's the internet. The usual skepticism applies. Kitten Kisses posted:Thank you You're welcome! Your ring came together wonderfully.
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Jun 23, 2009 04:38
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FidgetyRat posted:You're already going to get raped on hall prices, flowers (Had a heart attack when I saw that bill), etc.. Might as well do as much of it yourself if you are handy at such things. Yeah, I totally agree. The flowers thing in particular pisses me off so I went out of my way to find a place that is pretty by itself (and their price includes roses and rose petals on the tables!) so I wouldn't have to spend a fortune. Speaking of money, any Chicagoland goons have recommendations (for or against) photographers/DJs? In particular, I've had a lot of friends get married here and be unhappy with their photographers, so I'm determined to find a good one that I can afford. I want to stay within $1000-1500.
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Jun 23, 2009 17:48
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FidgetyRat posted:Yeah, mine's in less then 33 days, but I've hardly had a single heart palpitation. Probably because we've been together for 8 years and this is just more of a formality.. 17 days and I'm anxious because the wedding is being planned by the most ferociously ruthless event organizing tag-team on God's green earth (My wife-to-be and my mother), and that's scary sometimes. She's used the knot big time, and both her engagement ring and wedding band came from Tiffany's. Thankfully she's been completely aware that Tiffany's is a huge mark-up, and has been very proud of the tiny solitaire we could afford.
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Jun 23, 2009 19:19
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| # ? May 12, 2024 16:48 |
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I am going to propose to my ladyfriend of 4 years when I get back from my internship this summer. I've read the thread and done about as much research as I can stand over the last couple weeks. I have the diamond picked out no problem. However, the ring is killing me. I must do platinum (hypoallergenic) and the lady will be a vet tech so I am looking for a durable, no-fuss setting. This thread has assuaged my fears over shopping at Bluenile, and I think I found something that I like and (based on conversations with her) I think she will like. Link here: http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-engagment-ring-setting_8120?metal_filter=platinum&setting_filter=solitaire&show_all_pages=0&set_shape=PR However, I have issues. Issues: 1) The 3rd view (zoomed in) on the linked page above makes the setting look awkward in my opinion. Anyone of the same opinion, or do you think the image is just poorly fabricated? 2) This is a lot of money to put down and I am having trouble pulling the trigger. Though this is a rationally stupid question, I may be at the point of ditching reason: What do you all think of this ring? When I psychoanalyze myself (yeah it has gotten to this stage), I think maybe I like this ring because it looks sleek/manly. Do any of the ladies out there think this ring looks swell? Am I over-thinking this? Anyway, any comments will help.
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Jun 24, 2009 05:52
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