|
Titanium is very resistant to chlorine and salt corrosion, but it can still damage the ring. It's best to be careful since each piece is different.
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2010 21:31
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 18, 2024 09:00 |
|
|
jerkstore77 posted:My girlfriend and I are kind of doing this whole engagement thing backwards. We went ring shopping to get her exactly what she wanted but she's not getting it until I formally propose. How do I surprise her with the proposal and still have it be in a nice place/situation without it being obvious beforehand that I'll be proposing? My girlfriend and I did this. She knew it was coming because we'd talked about it for 2 years in advance, and we actually found her ring over a year and a half before I proposed (but I didn't buy it until a week or two before). She had an idea that it was coming some time that month or so, but I surprised her by doing it on my birthday. It was the only way I could think of taking her out to a really nice restaurant without ruining the surprise. That said, even if it isn't a surprise to her, it will still take her breath away/make her cry from happiness/best day of her life, etc.
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2010 22:05
|
|
|
jerkstore77 posted:My girlfriend and I are kind of doing this whole engagement thing backwards. We went ring shopping to get her exactly what she wanted but she's not getting it until I formally propose. How do I surprise her with the proposal and still have it be in a nice place/situation without it being obvious beforehand that I'll be proposing? Aaaaagh, my fiance is doing this. I'm just annoyed because we're already mostly done with wedding planning and everyone KNOWS we're engaged, but he wants to propose 'so we have a story to tell people'. Apparently meeting through an internet dating challenge on SA isn't enough of a story.
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2010 22:20
|
|
|
jerkstore77 posted:My girlfriend and I are kind of doing this whole engagement thing backwards. We went ring shopping to get her exactly what she wanted but she's not getting it until I formally propose. How do I surprise her with the proposal and still have it be in a nice place/situation without it being obvious beforehand that I'll be proposing? My fiance did this. We went and looked at rings and he picked one up around Christmas, and then waited until June to propose. It was actually a big surprise when I finally got it, because I didn't know when it was going to be coming. He spent about 3 weeks before the proposal going on picnics and other special dates with me, so I was almost constantly expecting it. It was wonderful when he finally proposed on his parents' dock on the lake. There are ways to make it lovely, even though she already knows its coming.
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2010 22:39
|
|
|
jerkstore77 posted:My girlfriend and I are kind of doing this whole engagement thing backwards. We went ring shopping to get her exactly what she wanted but she's not getting it until I formally propose. How do I surprise her with the proposal and still have it be in a nice place/situation without it being obvious beforehand that I'll be proposing? I knew when my now husband had the ring in his possession. He just wouldn't talk about it at all and would shrug if I asked him about it: "Did it come out just right?" "I guess." "Are you gonna ask on my birthday?" "I don't know, probably not." "HOW PRETTY IS IT OMG IS IT SO PRETTY IT'S SO PRETTY ISN'T IT?" "*shrug*" He made it such a boring sort of thing that I stopped thinking about it so much, and then he surprised me on my birthday! The whole time, the ring was not two feet from where I sat at my desk at home. I knew it was coming at some point, but I still had to sit down when I realized he was actually asking. So just brush it off, talk about it as little as possible, and just keep it really super low key.
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2010 22:44
|
|
|
jerkstore77 posted:My girlfriend and I are kind of doing this whole engagement thing backwards. We went ring shopping to get her exactly what she wanted but she's not getting it until I formally propose. How do I surprise her with the proposal and still have it be in a nice place/situation without it being obvious beforehand that I'll be proposing? Is your girlfriend going anywhere by herself some time soon (Either to another town/city or even out with her friends or family)? I was in The Netherlands for a week helping out at a conference, and my fiance flew over there (from England) to propose to me. Didn't see that one coming at all! If you do it that way, you'd definitely have the element of surprise, though possibly not the most romantic surroundings, since it all depends on where she's going 
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2010 23:40
|
|
|
elbow posted:Is your girlfriend going anywhere by herself some time soon (Either to another town/city or even out with her friends or family)? I was in The Netherlands for a week helping out at a conference, and my fiance flew over there (from England) to propose to me. Didn't see that one coming at all! Me too. I was under the assumption that he had been given a family ring to give me, so I was always thinking "is this it?" when we went out someplace. Then I go down to Disney World for my birthday with my mom, and he flew down to Florida to surprise me on my birthday in front of the castle. Shock ensued. (Also, brand new ring for me, too.)
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2010 14:28
|
|
|
elbow posted:Is your girlfriend going anywhere by herself some time soon (Either to another town/city or even out with her friends or family)? I was in The Netherlands for a week helping out at a conference, and my fiance flew over there (from England) to propose to me. Didn't see that one coming at all! The only thing I can think of is that she has a girl's night out every week. I could arrange it one week so that she thinks she's meeting them at a nice restaurant, but I would be there instead. Of course this means that her friends would have to be in on it, and that I'd be trusting that they don't spill the beans.
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2010 17:45
|
|
|
That would be really cute. I hope you can make it work. I'm sure her girlfriends would be willing to help!
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2010 17:53
|
|
|
If you don't trust her friends to keep the proposal a secret, you could always make up a little white lie to tell them, like "Oh, her grandmother is coming into town and wanted to surprise her; can you help us out by letting us take over your girls night? Just make sure you don't tell her! This is going to be such a great surprise if we can pull it off!"
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2010 18:00
|
|
|
vanessa posted:If you don't trust her friends to keep the proposal a secret, you could always make up a little white lie to tell them, like "Oh, her grandmother is coming into town and wanted to surprise her; can you help us out by letting us take over your girls night? Just make sure you don't tell her! This is going to be such a great surprise if we can pull it off!" No offense to you, but that sounds like a really good way to offend and put off her friends when you're about to start planning a wedding that will probably have them as guests at the very least, if not in the wedding party.
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2010 06:02
|
|
|
How so? It's one little white lie, and it's easy enough to smooth over by saying, "I'm so sorry, you guys. I really wanted my fiancee to be the first to know!" If I were the soon-to-be-fiancee, I'd be super pissed that my significant other was blabbing our news to friends without me knowing. An engagement is the news of the couple to share, not one person.
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2010 07:18
|
|
|
vanessa posted:How so? It's one little white lie, and it's easy enough to smooth over by saying, "I'm so sorry, you guys. I really wanted my fiancee to be the first to know!" Different people are different, then, I guess. If it were me, I think it'd feel super special because everyone is in on it but me, but I love elaborate suprises like that. I can also imagine a friend who's drama-tastic taking that and losing their goddamned mind with it. For the OP, it's just a matter of knowing his fiance and her friends, at least a little bit.
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2010 16:49
|
|
|
Do we have a goon broker? I might interested in purchasing a loose diamond and having it set for an engagement ring
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2010 17:20
|
|
|
seo posted:Do we have a goon broker? I might interested in purchasing a loose diamond and having it set for an engagement ring Yes, JohnnyRnR has done a lot of beautiful work for fellow goons.
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2010 17:52
|
|
|
How did everyone make sure they had a big enough wedding/groom's cake to feed everyone? I'm not having anymore than 100 people at the wedding (right now I'm planning on around 70). The cakes my fiance and I are looking at would have around 130 servings. Is that enough or would it be better to plan on the guests eating two slices?
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2010 18:32
|
|
|
If it's being passed out to the tables, everyone eats one slice. If it's at a central table and every picks it up themselves, people take one slice and then another if there are any left over. I wouldn't worry!
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2010 18:53
|
|
|
We've booked our honeymoon and put down the deposit on it! 7 nights in an apartment in Lanzarote, 500 meters from the beach. Cheap too, it's coming to 235 per person / 470 total. That includes flights, baggage and transfers. We have to pay extra on arrival to rent an air conditioning unit for the apartment, but it's still an absolute bargain in my eyes. We budgeted at least 600 for the honeymoon (flights and accomodation, not including speding money and food when there) and were starting to think we'd have to spend more like 700-800. The flights leave the day after the wedding, which is ideal. It means that we don't have to rush off, but equally when we feel tired we can head home with the "flight tomorrow" as an excuse. So now we have the wedding itself booked and notice given, the post wedding meal and reception both provisionally booked, and now the honeymoon sorted. So it's just; The rings (already chosen. Russian style rings in three different colours of gold.  The Dress and my suit - not chosen or even looked at much yet Flowers and stuff - Not my department! The Cake - We have a backup cake we both like, but are still planning to talk to a bakery we'd prefer and see if they can help us. Their cakes are either slightly too small or way too big and expensive though, so the backup cake is by far the more likely one, and probably just as nice. The wedding's still not until next May, but the more things we get sorted the more real it all seems.
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2010 23:38
|
|
|
Just found out, with a week to go, that a farking orchestra is going to be playing at 7:30pm on the oceanfront, about 100 yards from our venue. Right when speeches were supposed to start. This could get interesting.  At least we're inside, but it's just a glass wall. gulpOn the bright side, the area will be buzzing with people and they're bringing in Korean warships, submarines and a 90 year old steam engine boat for the event. edit: They're having tours of the Korean ships all day, meaning huge crowds, meaning we can't take photos on the pier that we set our whole wedding around.  I am really sad about this.Second edit: The event organizer said the orchestra will be rehearsing right through our ceremony for a couple hours. This could be disastrous. All I can say is do serious research about your venue and surrounding area. All this preparation and money spent on a planner and we still let something huge fall through the cracks. UnfortunateSexFart fucked around with this message at 05:35 on Jul 12, 2010 |
|
|
#
?
Jul 12, 2010 01:48
|
|
|
seo posted:Do we have a goon broker? I might interested in purchasing a loose diamond and having it set for an engagement ring Which is the part you need help with, buying a diamond or choosing a setting? For the diamond part, the best resource is Pricescope.com. I would do this before going to Johnny's site, or anyone else's, so you can get an idea of how diamonds are graded and priced. Ideally you're going to want to have the GIA report, and see the diamond in person with a loupe, under different lighting conditions before buying. You should think about what kind of qualities you're looking for. Everything gets more expensive as you approach D, flawless, ideal cut, etc. However, most people on the street will not be able to tell an H from a G from an F from a D; and an Sl1 can slip under the radar as a VS2 (which you won't be able to tell from a flawless diamond anyway). Cut I think is what makes the most difference, and of course size: if she would prefer a small .75ct diamond or something huge like a 3ct. And then again maybe your girlfriend doesn't even want a white diamond, and would prefer a colored stone such as a colored diamond, sapphire, moissanite, whatever. For the setting, it really depends on what you're into.
|
|
#
?
Jul 12, 2010 20:49
|
|
|
Low Carb Bread posted:Ideally you're going to want to have the GIA report, and see the diamond in person with a loupe, under different lighting conditions before buying. I would disagree with you on this. On viewing a stone... It is helpful but not necessary. Few retail customers have the knowledge to know if the diamond is how it is represented. What is important is having someone that you can trust who will speak honestly and deal straight. If you don't trust your diamond merchant fully then you should never buy from him. And just on a side note; don't forget that the diamond experts and dealers on Pricescope pay for the privilege to be there. I wouldn't be allowed to post on Pricescope as a merchant; they would ban me immediately (unless I paid them). That site is a business and operates like one. It isn't necessarily a bad place but know that their advice will always skew towards their approved merchants and the moderators restrict the conversation to support those who pay them.
|
|
#
?
Jul 12, 2010 23:02
|
|
|
Low Carb Bread posted:Which is the part you need help with, buying a diamond or choosing a setting? For the diamond part, the best resource is Pricescope.com. I would do this before going to Johnny's site, or anyone else's, so you can get an idea of how diamonds are graded and priced. Pricescope is useful but I've really come to feel that it develops unrealistic expectations in people with regards to what they should have in their diamond. I can't tell you the number of people I had walk into my old store who had like 3 grand in their pocket and wanted a diamond that was at least a carat, gia, triple ex, no fluor, 60-61% depth, 54-56% table, hearts and arrows, si1-2 but eye clean, and on the laser inscription registry. People look at Pricescope and think they can buy the world for a song, but they don't realize that finding a diamond that fits all of your criteria is next to impossible and that everyone has to make compromises. I suppose in the internet age one can surmise that anything is possible, but there have been times where I've sat online looking city or nation-wide for the bizarrely specific calls people have made and found nothing. To make a long story short, what I guess I'm saying is that learning everything you can about such an important purchase is definitely a good thing, but there comes a point where you're demanding too much of something that's only 6mm wide. FormerPoster fucked around with this message at 15:58 on Jul 13, 2010 |
|
#
?
Jul 12, 2010 23:18
|
|
|
Ms. Happiness posted:How did everyone make sure they had a big enough wedding/groom's cake to feed everyone? I'm not having anymore than 100 people at the wedding (right now I'm planning on around 70). The cakes my fiance and I are looking at would have around 130 servings. Is that enough or would it be better to plan on the guests eating two slices? Also, my tux just arrived. It fits almost perfectly. I'm really excited.
|
|
#
?
Jul 12, 2010 23:20
|
|
|
Still, I think it's reasonable to peruse Pricescope first to get an idea on how pricing works, and how different variables affect the price. For example, if your priority is to have a diamond of X size with Y cut, to see if you can achieve the price you want by going from E to F to G. I wouldn't recommend buying from a Pricescope vendor over any other, but I think it's a great tool when you're trying to get an idea of what you can afford. As far as looking at the diamond is concerned, the loupe part is helpful because you can match up with what you see on the GIA report. Most of us, myself included, are not experts at grading diamonds. However, even I can identify a twining wisp, etc. The loupe isn't absolutely necessary, but a casual visual inspection is good to see the brilliance and fire of the diamond, which can be subjective, and depend a lot on lighting. It's nice to take a look under natural sunlight, for example.
|
|
#
?
Jul 12, 2010 23:38
|
|
|
Rootbeer, I had a question for you. Can you shoot me a PM/Email?
|
|
#
?
Jul 13, 2010 01:54
|
|
|
Does anyone have experience with outdoor weddings where the ceremony is held outdoors and the attendees just set up tents and party into the night? My guy and I are liking that idea but we were wondering what the best way to plan something like that out would be.
|
|
#
?
Jul 13, 2010 06:24
|
|
|
JohnnyRnR posted:Rootbeer, I had a question for you. Can you shoot me a PM/Email? PM Sent.
|
|
#
?
Jul 13, 2010 15:42
|
|
|
Well, the outdoor orchestra may or may not be an issue, but the venue sure is kissing our rear end for not being aware of it. Our hotel room has been upgraded to the 9th floor penthouse suite, complete with private 40x40 foot terrace, and our entire wedding guest list gets free underground parking (normally $10 per car). It's not even their fault. I love our venue.
|
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2010 00:48
|
|
|
I need ideas, or just reaffirmation that this isn't weird: Reception is November 26th, at the church I went to when I was growing up. Neither of us are religious now, but it's free and since we're paying for most of the wedding stuff ourselves, we went with free location and splurged a bit on the catering - the catch is that we aren't allowed to have alcohol. I'm a bit apprehensive about this because there are going to be people coming from all over the country and we'd like them to enjoy themselves. We did arrange for an awesome jazz quartet to play live music for a couple hours, and I hope that most people are going to be distracted meeting new people or catching up with family members or listening to music to notice that much. Basically, is having a dry wedding reception weird? Am I worrying about nothing? There's a fuckton of bars/wineries/breweries within walking distance, so if people want booze then it shouldn't be a problem, there just won't be any at the reception itself.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2010 01:12
|
|
|
I think it's a bit weird for a non-super-fundie to have a dry reception, yeah. But it's your wedding, and you're paying for it, so whatever.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2010 01:30
|
|
|
DJJustice posted:
They're coming to see you get married, not drink, but yeah; it's a little off-putting. Could you possibly work something out with one of those breweries/bars to have run of the place for an hour or two, then cut your reception short and move over to the bar for reception, part II? You're fine either way, but were it me I'd try and find a way around it. Maybe your friends/family are fundamentally different from my own, though.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2010 01:57
|
|
|
DJJustice posted:Basically, is having a dry wedding reception weird? Am I worrying about nothing? There's a fuckton of bars/wineries/breweries within walking distance, so if people want booze then it shouldn't be a problem, there just won't be any at the reception itself. I think most people might expect a bar, but won't be disappointed if you are a good host and make sure people are having fun. Most people wouldn't have more than a couple drinks anyway, so they aren't missing much. If you can fit it in your budget, you could always have some kind of fun non-alcoholic drink available, like virgin margaritas or the like.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2010 03:34
|
|
|
DJJustice posted:Basically, is having a dry wedding reception weird? Offer unlimited margaritas and soda. Cheap and it'll make people happy
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2010 07:38
|
|
|
DJJustice posted:Basically, is having a dry wedding reception weird? Am I worrying about nothing? There's a fuckton of bars/wineries/breweries within walking distance, so if people want booze then it shouldn't be a problem, there just won't be any at the reception itself. I'm having my reception at the church and my church won't allow alcohol as well. It apparently had something to do with my church offering Alcoholics Anonymous classes there and them thinking it would be better if the church functions didn't have alcohol around. My family also has problems with alcoholism so I really don't want some of my relatives getting sloshed at my wedding and making a scene (which, one of them did at somebody else's wedding). My fiance and I are also paying for the wedding by ourselves so by not having alcohol, it's cheaper on us. I'd told all my relatives that there won't be any alcohol and everybody is fine with it so it's not a big deal. People can enjoy themselves at weddings without alcohol.
Ms. Happiness fucked around with this message at 08:25 on Jul 15, 2010 |
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2010 08:23
|
|
|
Bewildrbeast posted:Does anyone have experience with outdoor weddings where the ceremony is held outdoors and the attendees just set up tents and party into the night? My guy and I are liking that idea but we were wondering what the best way to plan something like that out would be. That sounds like fun but you're going to have to make it really clear to your guests what they're getting in to and what they'll need to bring, so they know it's not a typical wedding. I really like the idea of an afterparty for the young people once the reception is over to keep the celebration going. I would suggest, when you send out your invitations, include a flyer in all the envelopes to people you wanna camp, so your grandma gets the nice invitation but the friends your age get all the info on camping afterwards. DJJustice posted:the catch is that we aren't allowed to have alcohol. How strict is this no alcohol policy? Are there gonna be church ladies going around checking people's drinks? A lot of my friends have had beer and wine only receptions and I just bring my own flask, or a bottle of rum to share with the table. Could your guests openly BYOB, or do they need to be stealthy? PopRocks fucked around with this message at 16:52 on Jul 15, 2010 |
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2010 16:40
|
|
|
PopRocks posted:That sounds like fun but you're going to have to make it really clear to your guests what they're getting in to and what they'll need to bring, so they know it's not a typical wedding. I really like the idea of an afterparty for the young people once the reception is over to keep the celebration going. I would suggest, when you send out your invitations, include a flyer in all the envelopes to people you wanna camp, so your grandma gets the nice invitation but the friends your age get all the info on camping afterwards. We decided to go a much simpler route- nice ceremony in one of Portland's many public Rose Gardens, then a family lunch after and a houseparty sort of reception for all of the friends. It'll work out as people can crash on the floor if need be, and we can just open our liqour cabinet rather than paying for a giant reception. Also, your Shulkie avatar makes me all
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2010 17:20
|
|
|
A camping wedding sounds like a wedding I would skip.  The problem with having your guests around late into the night is that they will expect you to be there late into the night. Getting married can be a long hard day so it's best if you make a plan of "We will leave at 8PM" so you can go get some sleep.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2010 18:48
|
|
|
I'm looking for ideas for a secular ceremony. My family definitely wants a ceremony, but I don't want any hokey "gathered before God to witness this union in Christ" bullshit as I'm not exactly a religious person. Something meaningful lasting 15-20 minutes should be good, maybe some kind of non-religious philosophical analogy, things like this are cool.
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2010 20:35
|
|
|
Paramemetic posted:I'm looking for ideas for a secular ceremony. My family definitely wants a ceremony, but I don't want any hokey "gathered before God to witness this union in Christ" bullshit as I'm not exactly a religious person. Something meaningful lasting 15-20 minutes should be good, maybe some kind of non-religious philosophical analogy, things like this are cool. Not engaged but if I ever am, I'll be in the same boat. I figure I'd do readings of poems or excerpts from works (ideally ones that mean something to one or both of us) that relate to love, marriage, friendship, etc. and mix that with music and of course vows. So since I'm a big Jane Austen fan, I'd probably look for a paragraph or two to read from one of her books, or maybe I'd go a little more classy and find something in Ancient Greek/Latin poetry (read in translation of course). His favorite book is Call of the Wild so I don't know how the hell that would work, but hey, it could be interesting! No one but me thinks it's a good idea to have a Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure valediction, though: "I now pronounce you husband and wife, be excellent to each other, and to all you guests as well, PARTY ON DUDES!" edit: I also think it'd be a good idea to have a magician as a celebrant. Before you dismiss it, imagine the possibilities.  fake edit: but seriously, what about adding some of the reception speeches into the ceremony instead? Have some of your wedding party people do their bit up there? Kind of like speeches at funerals, but happy 
Eggplant Wizard fucked around with this message at 19:10 on Jul 19, 2010 |
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2010 19:02
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 18, 2024 09:00 |
|
|
Paramemetic posted:I'm looking for ideas for a secular ceremony. My family definitely wants a ceremony, but I don't want any hokey "gathered before God to witness this union in Christ" bullshit as I'm not exactly a religious person. Something meaningful lasting 15-20 minutes should be good, maybe some kind of non-religious philosophical analogy, things like this are cool. Our officiant had a big ol' binder of various ceremonies to choose from, and once we said we didn't want religious, he flipped to a whole section of secular ceremonies (in fact, they were the lion's share of the binder). There was everything from Buddhist ceremonies to pagan ceremonies to wine ceremonies to rose ceremonies and so on, and so on, and so on. It was actually sort of overwhelming. But we finally settled on one where we gave a flower to our moms and a beer to our dads as a token of our gratitude for raising us (and for our dads to RELAX a little). If you find a non denominational officiant, I bet they can help you find a ceremony that works for you.
|
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2010 19:28
|
|