New York Magazine Wedding Guide
Wedding Jewelry Your Choice


Its Your Day

Before you start planning your wedding, you are anticipating your wedding jewelry, which, at the time, may seem to be one of your largest concerns. Your engagement ring is your first piece of wedding jewelry. Many couples select their wedding bands at the same time as the engagement ring, which is ideal, especially if your engagement ring and wedding band are meant to nest into each other.

Where to Start

There is no right way or wrong way or place to select your jewelry. For the best customer service and pricing, it is often preferable to visit the diamond districts of Boston, New York, or other major cities. For those who dont have access, any jewelry store and some major wholesale and retail establishments offer rings for affordable prices.

Two Months Salary

In the 1970s and 1980s, jewelers advertised by stressing to prospective customers that an engagement ring should cost the equivalent of two months salary. Since then, two months salary may be entirely too much money to spend on wedding jewelry. These are costly times, and a down payment on a home or gas for your automobile far outranks the priority of spending an exorbitant amount on wedding jewelry.

Bands

If you are planning a double-ring ceremony, it is not necessary that the bands be identical. Of course, tradition would suggest both rings be the same; it is your prerogative to remain tradition or to stray from the norm. If you find a matched set of bands, you can sometimes purchase them as a wedding jewelry set. Otherwise, youll have to purchase them individually.

The engraving on the inside is a more of a tribute than the ring itself. If you disagree with your fiancs choice of bands, it doesnt necessarily matteryou dont have to wear it. Of course, if the hesitation revolves around the price, compromise to find bands you can comfortably afford.

Neckwear

Many brides wear a piece of jewelry that has been handed down, or at the very least, borrowed from a currently (or previously) married relative. Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue applies to your wedding jewelry. Of course, old or new can relate to your wedding jewelry, although new really relates to your ring. If you can borrow a sapphire necklace from an older niece or grandmother, youll have something old, something borrowed, and something blue taken care of.

A necklace should only be worn if it can comfortably sit on your chest above your cleavage. You dont want anything hanging down between your breasts, or hanging on the dress over the top of a high-collared gown.

You may also want for your wedding ring to match your engagement ring, but again that is not necessary.

Wedding Ceremony Guide
There are several ways to deal with them:* Remember whose wedding it is, and put the kids interests first. Scouring the Internet for sellers is another great way to find a cheap wedding dress. Work off a checklist which includes the proper number of bouquets, boutonnieres, bridal bouquet, etc.

Whether it is as eloquent as a Vera Wang, strapless gown with sequins and a trailing veil, or as simple as a knee length white dress with a shawl, it needs to express who you are, and the type of wedding you are having.
Many churches understand the meaning behind the wedding bells, and are happy to incorporate it into the ceremony. Consider reserving the more expensive favors such as engraved money clips, printed champagne flutes, or personalized picture frames for your immediate family and wedding party, and having a simpler hand-made favor for everyone else. Bring a smile to your face and a song to your heart by putting in a CD of your favorite songs and sing along as you pick between poises or roses. You could even make it a more solemn ceremony and feed each other communion by breaking off a piece of bread, dipping it in the wine, and feeding it to the other. Traditionally, wedding ceremonies take place in a church.