Manolo for the Brides

Lately I’ve been coming across brides shedding weight, but instead of dropping poundage of hips and thighs, these ladies and losing bulk in their ringular regions. That’s right, I’ve been seeing slimmer, smaller, more delicate wedding bands and engagement rings gushed about on more and more blogs written by actual brides-to-be.

The warm champagne diamond ring above was crafted by jewelry artist Sara Westermark and can be found in her shop, while the simple hammered wedding band below was created by Raina Lee Scott and can likewise be found in her shop. Both are stackable, but look just as lovely worn alone.

Now this is a trend I can unequivocally say I LOVE. Big honkin’ diamonds and thick gem-encrusted eternity bands have their place, but they can sometimes seem somewhat lacking in soul when compared to a simple and pretty hammered band of gold.

What say you?

Before I launch into this week’s LOVE/HATE, I have to admit that I’m not typical when it comes to rings. I had two engagement rings, both with semi-precious stones, and I wear them when they happen to go with the day’s outfit. I sometimes wear a beautiful ruby ring I received for my birthday last year in lieu of my wedding band. And that wedding band? It’s not even the one The Beard put on my finger on the day we said our vows. So suffice it to say, my opinions regarding finger baubles for the bride probably cannot be considered normal.

That said, I really cannot stand engagement ring wraps. Big HATE from NtB’s corner! I will never, ever, ever tell someone they shouldn’t wear one, nor will I look down upon those who think they are just spiffy. I’ll even smile and say I adore your ring, because I’m a sweetie like that. It’s all a matter of preference, right? You can love them, and I can loathe them, and we can all be friends and go for cocktails.

For those unfamiliar with the concept, the engagement ring wrap is basically a wedding band — with or without gemstones — sporting a hole in the middle that accommodates a solitary stone set in the usual way. They come in various metals and with various stones. They can be simple like the one shown above or rather complicated. There are single shank wraps, circumference wraps, and dual shank wraps. But whatever sort they are, their job is to make two rings look more like one for those who dislike two ring bling. Oh, and they can also safeguard more delicate rings by acting as a sort of bumper.

What say you? An easy way to customize an engagement ring? Or a great way to ruin one?

Previously, we’ve gabbed about the old wedding photography standards, like the bride applying her makeup in the mirror, the bride and groom touching foreheads, and the ringbearer sneaking a finger full of wedding cake buttercream. But how about the “look at our wedding rings” shot?

The Beard and I both thought of wedding ring photos as kind of silly, but we did it anyway and have a lovely photograph of his hand supporting my hand holding our rings on top of my bridal bouquet. And I’ll admit that I also took a picture of our wedding rings, still in their boxes, on top of our marriage license application.

While the hands of the bride and groom (or bride and bride and groom and groom) usually play a starring role in wedding ring portraiture, sometimes the rings themselves steal the show, like in this photo from Critsey Rowe Photography.

I’m leaning toward love, not just of this unique wedding ring portrait, but of ring photos themselves. Many long years ago, I didn’t really care for them, and I still don’t think that they are the kind of thing one looks back on and sighs. That’s reserved for pictures of the bride kissing her dad on the cheek before they head down the aisle or covert snapshots of quiet unplanned moments between the newlyweds. Still, I’m surprised at how much I’ve grown to like my own ring portraits, and I think they do make a fun addition to a wedding album.

What say you?

If you simply cannot bear to be away from the face of your spouse for more than a minute at a time, this might just be the wedding band for you.

The Contura wedding band by Thomas Giesen is lathe-carved from platinum, stainless steel, silver, white gold or yellow gold to resemble the silhouette of your spouse’s face. Like it? Acquiring one is as easy as submitting a profile photo along with your ring size (and $580+) to Fitzsu, which then sends your deets along to Germany where it is custom made to look like your sweetie… sort of. When viewed from just the right angle.

Is it just me, though, or would wearing this as a wedding band get uncomfortable after a while, especially if your husband or wife has a large nose or a pointy chin?

Flower girl baskets and ring bearer pillows…baskets and ring pillows…when it comes right down to it, there aren’t that many options out there for the non-DIYer. It’s not that there aren’t cool crafters making awesome wedding accessories, rather it’s that the mass-produced generic ceremony accessories get so much more play than the one-of-a-kind stuff.

That just means you have to look a little harder if you want your wedding ceremony accessories to stand out. EasterYu is on Etsy and Muscari, fighting the good fight by creating unique flower girl baskets and ring cushions out of birch wood, seashells, artificial moss, miniature birds, and velvet.

Hint hint: She also makes fabulous boutonniéres and lovely hair pins created from beautiful feather flowers.

Prices for everything from baskets to boutonniéres range from $7 to $50, and you can’t beat that!

The lovely and creative Audrey sent me a link to a rather snarky article about wedding ring tattoos that appeared in yesterday’s NY Times. While my thoughts on tattoos tend to shift with the year, I’ve always rather liked wedding “rings” made of ink. I’d never actually get one because I am a wuss about needles, but I say more power to those who have the pain tolerance for it.

The author of the article seems to disagree, even though he himself sports a wedding ring tat. When he made the decision to get it, it seems he thought he was being somewhat of a maverick. Only later did he discover that his brothers and sisters in nuptial ink include Kathy Griffin, Ashlee Simpson, Jenna Jameson, Howard Stern, Pamela Anderson, and quite recently, Bristol Palin’s intended, the self-proclaimed redneck Levi Johnston.

Squinting at a cover of People magazine, I was pretty sure I read “Linda” on Hulk Hogan’s finger. The article, which didn’t mention it, was about his divorce.

Last year, Téa Leoni and David Duchovny had theirs done for their 10th anniversary. I admire their acting. He just entered rehab for sex addiction.

I’m not really sure what the author is saying here…that precedent proves nuptial ink isn’t as strong as a traditional gold band? That all people who marry are doomed, anyway, so thank goodness for laser tattoo removal? That he feels dumb for getting his tattoo? Hey, I’m all for snark, when it actually takes us somewhere, but this article is all complaint and no substance.

In the end, the rings matter only as much as they actually matter to *you*. Some people can’t wear rings because of weird allergies or bad eczema. An uncle of mine can’t wear a ring because of his profession. Then there are the brides and grooms who just plain don’t like rings. And there are those of us who fear the tattooist’s needle. If you fall into one of these categories and find yourself taking flack from friends or relatives for choosing the ringless option, remind them that it’s the marriage that’s important, not the accessories.

One of my favorite quirks of historical jewelry is the poesy ring. Popular from the fifteenth to the seventeenth century in France and England, these rings were engraved with phrases on the outside where everyone could read them. Later the inscriptions moved to the interior of the band, but I love this particular form of wearing your heart on your…um…finger.

During their heyday, poesy rings were often given as engagement or wedding rings, as well as to symbolize friendship. The poetry was sometimes a bit questionable, but there’s a sincere charm to them that speaks to me. After all, how can anyone resist the sweetness of a sentiment like:

I DID COMMIT NO ACT OF FOLLY
WHEN I MARRIED MY SWEET MOLLY

If I needed to replace my wedding ring for some reason, I would probably want a poesy ring. Luckily, there are some modern sources so I wouldn’t have to figure out how to liberate one from the Victoria and Albert or the Ashmolean museum.

This ring, for instance, says Pulse of My Heart in Gaelic. What is there to say after that?

But if that isn’t a phrase that floats your boat, the same site carries poesy rings in: Hebrew, Chinese, French, German, Spanish, and Russian as well. The rings themselves are available in most designs in sterling silver, 14k yellow gold, 14k white gold, and platinum. Some designs are also available in 18k gold.

Now, I wonder if I can find a company that will do custom poesy rings so I can get one with that delightful verse in praise of Molly….

What’s sadder than all of the unloved, unworn wedding gowns for sale out there? I’d say it’s the rings (diamond and otherwise) that get caught in the middle when a wedding is called off or two people decide that they just didn’t like each other as much as they originally thought.

Many a jilted lover has wondered what to do with a leftover ring, which is why I was entirely unsurprised when I stumbled upon I Do…Now I Don’t, an auction site created to match those “who are looking to sell engagement rings they no longer need or want with buyers who are in the market for a great deal.” It also has breaking-up how tos and breakup survival tips.

Personally I hope that there is an article somewhere on the site that reminds anyone buying a secondhand engagement ring that they might to keep the bauble’s origins quiet. Giving your honey your beloved grandmother’s engagement ring is a beautifully romantic gesture that’s sure to warm most hearts. Giving your honey a diamond solitaire that played a supporting role in the tale of a Lothario and a devastated lady? Not recommended.

In fact, many people believe that it’s bad luck to give or wear an engagement ring that was involved in a failed relationship. The same goes for wedding bands — a secondhand band will be regarded as quite unlucky by some.

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From the comments on my recent post, it’s pretty clear that there are still those old fashioned gals who crave an out of this world rock with a price tag that makes their men feel a little uncomfortable. Ask ye shall receive, ladies…but be ready to expect the unexpected. I do indeed have some rings for you.

Out of this world? Check. A tad pricey? Check.

See that gray stuff? It’s straight up meteorite, i.e. those big old hunks of minerals that originate in outer space and survive a fall to earth. I think these are utterly gorgeous.

The ring on the left is a genuine piece of Mars inlaid in 18k gold. The chunk of the red planet was cut from a Mars rock, found in the desert and officially cataloged under the name Dhofar 019. The ring on the right contains a certified piece of the moon inlaid in 18k gold. The moon bit was cut from a larger moon rock cataloged as Dhofar461, which was classified by researchers A. Rubin and Paul Warren from UCLA. They do look kind of cheap (in terms of aesthetics, not the price tag), but might be just the thing for the astronomy buff in your life.

Okay, so it’s not the big bling…but I think there is something cool about the idea of exchanging rings made of stuff that has been outside Earth’s atmosphere in the not so distant past.