Find Out How to Put a Ring On It in Style at 2pm Today!

Think you may be getting engaged over the holiday season?  Check out today's Hangout with the proposal experts: Sarah Pease a/k/a The Proposal Planner, Blue Nile's Josh Holland, Stacy Tasman editor of How He Asked and The Man Registry's Chris Easter! 

We'll tell you how to plan a memorable marriage proposal, find out what ring she really wants -- and ladies, how to let him know what ring you want, -- how to get your proposal published, and much, much more. 

We're live at 2pm EST, but if you can't make it don't worry! The video can be watched any time below:

Is He Putting a Ring On It Over the Holidays?

Do you think he'll be popping the question over the holidays?  Or are you thinking of planning a proposal?

39% of couples get engaged this time of year, so find out how to plan the perfect marriage proposal -- and find her dream engagement ring -- with the help of this week's expert panel: Sarah Pease a/k/a The Proposal Planner, Blue Nile's Josh Holland, Stacy Tasman editor of How He Asked and The Man Registry's Chris Easter!

You can RSVP, send us your questions and watch the hangout over at G+.  Here are the details:

What Should We Have Engraved On Our Wedding Bands?

There was a recent story in The New York Times on tattoos and one of the tattoo artists interviewed gave the following advice (I’m paraphrasing):

If you go into a tattoo parlor and ask the artist what should you get, don’t get anything.

The same goes for jewelry engraving.

You don’t have to have your rings engraved but if you want to do some research and find something that is meaningful to you and your fiance go ahead.  You don't have have a lot of room so keep it simple. Some timeless ideas are your names, initials, married monogram and/or wedding date. Ask your jeweler how much space you have, and remember that character count means the limit of space you have using any combination of letters, numbers, symbols and spaces.

Does My Wedding Band and Engagement Ring Have to Be Bought and Worn as a Set?

It’s up to you if you want your rings to match and be worn on the same finger. Some brides will buy a wedding band to wear on a different finger or hand than their engagement ring. Or buy a plain band to wear with their engagement ring and buy a second eternity band for their right hand.

Many jewelry designers make wedding bands that match an engagement ring, which is great if your engagement ring’s design makes it difficult to find a band that lies flush against your engagement ring band.

Always check with your officiant if your wedding ceremony calls for certain types of wedding bands to be exchanged. For example, Jewish ceremonies require that the rings exchanged are solid metal with no breaks, meaning no stones. In this instance some couples will buy two bands or borrow their parents’ or grandparents’ bands for the ceremony and after put their, what I call the, fancy ring on.

Just as you did when you shopped for your engagement ring, take your time browsing and trying on wedding bands. See what feels comfortable and looks right either with your engagement ring or alone, and don’t rush the purchase. Just like your engagement ring you’ll be wearing it everyday for many, many years.

If We Decide Not to Get Married Who Gets the Engagement Ring?

The engagement ring goes back to the person who owned it originally.  Here's a list of who gets it:

• If the groom bought the ring and proposed with it, it’s his. 
• If the bride bought the ring, she keeps it. 
• If the ring was a family heirloom it goes back to the family. 
• And if the groom tells his former fiance to keep it, then the bride can keep it, but to avoid a lawsuit I’d get that in writing.

One Wedding To-Do You Must Do!

I know I harp on this a lot but I swear on Aggie this is a true story.

I was at the dentist and the doctor told me that she was had just sent her engagement ring to be cleaned for her daughter’s bat mitzvah, and not two days after she got it back the stone fell out and was lost forever.

So I said: Please tell me you had insurance.

And she said: No, I didn’t.

I couldn’t believe it. She got $500 from her homeowner’s insurance but because she didn’t have a separate policy for the ring with an appraisal, there was nothing she could do about. And the jeweler refused to tell the insurance company that he had just cleaned the ring, to prove the value, because he didn’t want to get blamed for not tightening the prongs.

Anyway, what’s the moral? Make sure to have your ring under your home owner’s policy with an amendment for it’s appraisal value so if g-d forbid something happens to it you’re covered.

If You Get Engaged On Christmas Eve or Christmas...

Don't forget to call the insurance company, if your fiance hasn't already, to add your engagement ring to your homeowner's policy.

With all the excitement of getting engaged making sure your ring is insured is probably not at the top of your list but it's important that this gets taken care of right away.

The January issues of bridal magazines are hitting stands this weekend if they're not already available so pick up a few and start tearing out pages for ideas.  Visit wedding websites and blogs and bookmark your favorite pages.

Don't think you need to plan everything in the next few days and weeks.  Take your time and enjoy your engagement.  There will be lots of fun bridal events to attend and parties to celebrate your upcoming wedding.

And as for your wedding dress, check your local bridal salons trunk show schedule to see which designers will be popping by with their latest collections.  You may want to wait until salons get the Spring 2011 dresses in before making your appointment because you'll have more to look through and try on.  They should arrive between January and early March.  The Fall 2010 and even Spring 2010 dresses will still be on the floor so you won't miss anything if you wait.

Jessica Simpson's Ruby Engagement Ring

I'm sure you've heard that Jessica Simpson is engaged to Eric Johnson and that the groom proposed with a ring that has a ruby as the center stone and diamond side stones.

It used to be that sapphires were the colored stone of choice for brides and grooms looking for something different (Princess Diana, Monica on Friends), but you can get an engagement ring with any colored stone - sapphire, ruby, emerald, etc...

Try on colored stones at the jewelers as you begin your search for the ring. And if you're already wearing an engagement ring maybe you want to try on some wedding bands with colored stones instead of diamonds.

Don't be afraid to be different from your friends.  Get the ring or band that suits your personal style.

Your Engagement Ring Can Be Any Style YOU Want It To Be

A friend got engaged a few weeks ago.  Her fiance bough her an antique ring they came across while vacationing upstate.  She loves it.  It's very deco and unique and when she took it to her local jeweler for sizing he told her that it was not an engagement ring.  Her sister said the same thing.

Your engagement ring can be anything you want it to be.  It can be a colored stone instead of a diamond.  I even know two women that chose rings that are more in the style of an eternity band than a traditional diamond engagement ring.  And you know what, their rings are lovely and what's more important is that they love them.

You are the person that has to wear the ring daily and it's a gift from your future husband, so pick a style that reflects your personal style and tastes.  It doesn't matter if others do or don't like your engagement ring as long as you do.

Inheriting an Engagement Ring

Whether you're inheriting an engagement ring from his family or yours there are number of things to consider and do:

1.  Decide if you like the ring as is.  Maybe it's not really your style.  Maybe it's round and you always wanted a pear-cut diamond.  If you love the ring as is great!  If not, you can always take the stones and have it reset or you can always decline the ring and pass it to a sibling or cousin.

2.  Have a jeweler determine if it has to be reset.  Depending on how old the ring is the prongs holding the stone may need to be tightened or the setting may be too loose to salvage, in which case you can reset it the stone(s) in the same design or create a new setting.

3.  Make sure it's always insured.  Before you or your fiance take possession of the ring make sure that you have it added to your home owner's insurance policy.

4.  Make it yours.  Even though it's touching and important that you are receiving a family heirloom it's important that you love the ring and want to wear it everyday.  Don't be afraid to change the setting to something that fits your style.  You could add side stones or choose a band with diamonds.

Will You Wear your Wedding Ring?

There's all this speculation in the media about Elin Woods - whether or not she'll stay or get a divorce - and a lot of the questions are based on whether or not she's wearing her wedding ring.

Someone told me today about a woman who doesn't wear her ring when she has a fight with her husband.  I guess it just seems strange to me not to wear my wedding ring.

Not that I'm giving an opinion re: Tiger Woods' philandering but I guess it's the idea of not wearing your wedding ring as a sign that you're not happy in your marriage.

What do you think?  If you fight with your fiance do you take off your ring?  Do you call off the wedding?  Just asking.

Who Keeps the Ring When the Engagement is Broken?

Have you heard War of the Roses on 103.5 KTU in New York? I listen to KTU at work all day and LOVE this segment – it’s at 5:40 every evening. Basically the DJs pretend to be a flower site and offer an unsuspecting man or woman (though it’s usually a man) a free delivery of a dozen roses to send to anyone in the country. These cheaters are targeted by the person they are cheating on – the idea is to discover whether or not their suspicions are right? In addition to name and address the suspected cheater can send a message with the flowers.

And of course, the cheater always sends it to someone other than his girlfriend, fiancé or wife. Once the message is given the girlfriend/wife confront him on the phone.

Today it was an engaged couple and the bride dumped her fiancé who told her the cheating would end once they are married – she didn’t believe him. She told him the wedding is off and that she’s keeping the ring, selling it and having a big party with her girlfriends.

Technically the ring is not hers to keep. Etiquette dictates that no matter who cancels the wedding, for whatever reason, the ring goes back to the guy who paid for it. If the ring was a family heirloom on the bride’s side she keeps it.

Of course etiquette is a set of guidelines and not rules that are set in stone. If I was her I’d probably keep and sell the ring too. Wouldn’t you?

BTW, this guy's message: Dear Natalie: I land Friday am and plan to land in you Friday pm. (He's a pilot.)

I'd dump him just for thinking of that cheesy message.

Happy New Year!

Just a quick post to wish everyone a happy and healthy new year.

If you get engaged tonight congratulations and don't forget to call your homeowner's insurance company to add your ring to the policy!

Just a Reminder If You Get Engaged on Christmas or Xmas Eve

After sharing the news of your engagement with your parents and his leave a message on your insurance company's voicemail that you need to insure your ring.

It would be a horrible way to start off the new year (and your engagement) if your ring was lost, stolen or damaged and it wasn't covered.


And if you do get engaged tonight or tomorrow, congratulations!

What To Do If He Doesn't Propose Over the Holidays

There’s always a lot of talk around this time of year about all the engagements that take place around the holidays but even if you’re expecting a proposal on or around Christmas and New Year’s that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. (Take it from me – I thought a proposal was going to happen on many a Christmases – and I’m Jewish!)

If a little blue (or black) box is not in your stocking or under the tree or a ring isn’t "floating" in your glass of champagne on December 31st do not make a scene and freak out – especially in front of your boyfriend.

You don’t know what his plans are for an engagement. Maybe he didn’t want to propose at such an obvious time. Maybe he’s still saving money for your ring. Or maybe he’s not ready yet.

Causing a fight and making a scene will not force him on his knee. Remember what happened to Charlotte on Sex & the City when she yelled at Harry to propose? (I know they eventually did get married, but at first he broke up with her.)

So here’s my advice – and yes, I realize I’ve already said “I do” – you can hope all you want but don’t pout about not getting engaged over the holidays. When he finally does propose you’ll forget about the times you waited for a ring because it’s now on your finger and you’ll be so excited it won’t have mattered that it took longer than you would have liked. And even though 2010 is not a leap year, there’s no reason you can’t propose to him if you want to. It is the 21st century and you are a modern gal, right?

How to Ensure You Get the Ring You Want

Think an engagement ring might be hiding in your stocking Christmas morning? When Dave and I were dating there were a few Xmas mornings I was hoping a diamond ring would be among the presents I would be opening—remember the diamond razor “joke”?

I knew what my ring looked like because I inherited it from my great-grandmother but most brides will be getting new rings so here are some tips on how to ensure it’s a style you like.

1. Not a fan of yellow gold? Simply mention that you don’t like it by commenting on someone else’s jewelry or even pretend you’re allergic to gold altogether


2. Did a friend or relative get engaged recently, or even a celebrity whose engagement ring has been in the press? Casually mention that you love or don’t like the style of her ring to your boyfriend


3. If you’ve already had the discussion and you know he’s saving for a ring you can always tell him which cut and side stones you want or show him a photo of a ring you saw online or in a magazine


4. Why not go ring shopping together so you both get an idea of what your style is and he can get a better idea of how much an engagement ring will cost

No matter what the style is remember that he went to a lot of effort to shop and save up for a ring for you. Yes getting engaged is exciting and wedding planning is a lot of fun, but the most important thing to remember is that you have found each other and are going to spend the rest of your live together. Don’t ever forget that!

Engagement Ring Reminder

I went to a family event on Saturday and my aunt announced that she was engaged and showed off her gorgeous engagement ring. She said she had just gotten the ring that week. After wishing her all the best and telling her how beautiful the ring is - which it is - I asked her if she had gotten it insured.

Her answer: not yet.

I reminded her what happened to two members of the family: her mom and my sister who didn't have insurance on their engagement rings and how that was a big mistake. Grandma's center stone fell out and I think the story goes that it went down the drain and my sister's apartment was robbed and hers was stolen.

So I reminded Aunt Beth: After you get engaged you tell your parents, your friends and then your insurance salesman.

So congratulations Aunt Beth and Tony! I know you read the blog so please remember to call your insurance man today.

xo

With This 4-Carat Ring

So today was my first day back at Brides.com and I learned about a recent poll on the Wedded Bits blog based on the Millionaire Matchmaker's recent engagement.  The new bride-to-be told Us magazine that she has a rule regarding engagement rings:  The carat size of the diamond received should go up a full carat for every year the couple dates.

Now I'm not writing this post to comment on this "rule" but to talk about engagement rings in general.

Assuming that some of you are still waiting to get engaged - I know I started dreaming and planning my wedding before the ring was actually on my finger - there's no reason to just hope for a certain ring.  You should feel comfortable explaining to your soon-to-be fiance what type of ring you want: stone, cut, setting.  I would stay away from dictating carat size because if his budget won't allow a 4-carat ring then you are probably not going to get one and you should never say anything to make him feel uncomfortable about what he can or cannot afford.

If you don't want to just come out one day and say, "I want a brilliant cut diamond with baguette side stones on a platinum band", then you can show him rings that you like, or don't like, by commenting on rings you see in magazine, online and even on your friends hands.

Of course going shopping together is probably the safest bet to ensure that the ring you get is the ring you want, but if he does surprise you and you accept his proposal and you don't like the ring, just smile and enjoy the moment and even the next few days with this ring on your left hand.  If after a few days you still don't like the ring style you can bring up the idea of changing it but I'd give it a chance.  You don't want to hurt his feelings.