Today I’m delighted to share with you the first of two detail-oriented recap posts. These are sort of like recaps of the recap – focused on all the outfits, accessories, DIY projects, decorations, and edible/drinkable pieces of our wedding. Many of you have asked me questions about specific things that we wore, made, or did. Well, these detail posts are the best place to look for all that information, and to see new photos of all the little things that made our wedding day special.

Check it out!

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Filed under: Accessories, Ambiance, Attire, Dresses, Flowers, Hair Styles, Handmade, Here Comes the Bride, Here Comes the Groom, Paper Goods & Favors, Photos, Recap, Rings, Wedding Party on March 25th, 2009 | 1 Comment »

Heyyo! Remember me? I was all set to tell you about our Zihuatanejo honeymoon when the holidays kicked my arse!

Well, guess what I just got?? A preview disc of our wedding photos! Our photog has over 1,800 post-processed shots for us and wanted to send us something to show our folks for Christmas, so she sent us 3 of the 11 folders that are coming our way.

I’m not going to start the pro-photo recap in earnest until I have all the pics and can do a comprehensive edit. But for your viewing pleasure, I’ll share our ring shots… taken in the Lake McDonald Lodge the morning of our Glacier Park wedding…

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Filed under: Photos, Recap, Rings on December 20th, 2008 | 1 Comment »

For our wedding, I’ve decided I wanted something… firmer… than the average ring pillow. In fact, I want to forgo fabric and plush entirely for a more “natural” look. And while I think the ever-popular Paloma’s Nest Ring Bowls are beautiful, they just aren’t quite what I’m looking for.

I want something that evokes a natural, rustic, ambiance without being puffy or floofy. I’m quite taken with these moss and twig “nests”…

1. Very pretty, but a bit too “puffy.”

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Filed under: Accessories, Rings on July 28th, 2008 | 2 Comments »

When Justin proposed, I was so impressed that he’d custom-designed my beautiful engagement ring all by himself. I never figured him for the type to create jewelry!

One of our big wedding projects has been figuring out what to do about a wedding band with the unique shape of my e-ring. The design of my band, rather than being a solo project, is something we’ve undertaken together.

We brainstormed a design that we liked, based on some sketches provided to us by Greenlake Jewelry… a small shadow band to be cast in platinum with two bezel-set diamonds. It’s meant to pair with the engagement ring to create a complete set, rather than being worn individually. We gave them the go-ahead to create a wax model for us. This is what it looked like in wax:

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Filed under: Rings on July 15th, 2008 | 3 Comments »

When last you heard from me about Justin’s wedding band, I was considering a tungsten carbide ring. Because EternalTungsten.com didn’t make rings in his size, we went down to E.E. Robbins to look at the tungsten bands they had in stock.

There were plenty of options, but none were just right for Justin. Some of the designs weren’t “him,” and many didn’t have the comfortable, low-profile fit that he wanted.

Wouldn’t ya know it though, there was this absolutely beautiful platinum and 18 karat ring sitting right next to the tungsten bands…

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Filed under: Accessories, Rings on June 23rd, 2008 | 1 Comment »

I remember a while after I received my engagement ring seeing an ad in a women’s magazine for a Tacori ring design that was fabulously similar. I think I actually tore the page out and saved it but I’ve since lost it and I believe the ring is no longer in production. I was reminded of this when I was reading some hilariously vapid magazine or other at the gym yesterday.

It occurred to me that Tacori might make wedding bands to pair with their ring designs, and as I’m having some difficulty figuring out what to pair with my oddly shaped band I might be able to find some inspiration. Sure enough, they had some similar e-rings paired with very creative wedding bands! (Click for big.)

The main difference between these bands and my e-ring is that the diamond setting is much higher and more aggressive. But the concept is similar.

I like the idea of designing a wedding band similar to the one in the first Tacori picture, but without the diamond pave all the way along the edges– just on top over the central diamond. Or maybe, because my band has more pronounced “divets” on the side, small diamonds to fill those spaces and a slim band above the central stone. These ideas are similar to a few of the rough sketches we have, but it’s easier to visualize once you see something like the Tacori bands above.

What do you think?

Filed under: Rings on April 1st, 2008 | 1 Comment »

Justin is big on tungsten carbide rings for their durability and shine. Personally, I loves me some platinum, but I understand his desire to be able to wear his ring while hiking and rock climbing without scratching it up… because he won’t remember to take it off. [It also means I am saved from spending thousands of dollars on a rather plain-looking platinum band, yay!]

At the suggestion of a reader, I have been browsing eternaltungsten.com for tungsten wedding bands. I told Justin to send me a sample of the styles he liked.

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Filed under: Rings on March 18th, 2008 | 5 Comments »

My engagement ring has a unique and beautiful shape, designed by Justin and Greenlake Jewelry. I love wearing it every day and knowing there’s no other ring like it out there.

There’s just one problem… We’re starting to look into a wedding band to pair with it, custom made to fit with the shape. And, well, it’s kind of difficult to work with. A single, straight band won’t nest with the ring and causes some wacky gapping. We’ve got to be creative.

Here’s a very, very rough batch of preliminary sketches. This is just to give you an idea– some of these are seriously crazy:

Filed under: Rings on March 12th, 2008 | 7 Comments »

Recently, Justin and I swung by Tiffany & Co while running errands in Downtown Seattle. I had a necklace I wanted cleaned and a bracelet I’d received that I wanted to exchange for something more “me.”

Justin spotted this beautiful bracelet, which he thought complemented my ring in a way that jewelry rarely does:

(Ugh, my knuckles look awful. I’m 5′ 10″ but I have freakishly small hands!)

The bracelet wasn’t exactly an even trade pricewise, but I had some money on a gift card left over from last Christmas that made the purchase affordable enough. And it’s sooooo pretty!

I don’t know yet if this is a piece of jewelry that I will wear to the wedding, but it’s definitely something that I will wear regularly, even with jeans.

Have you purchased any jewelry specifically to coordinate with your wedding or engagement bands?

Filed under: Accessories, Rings on March 5th, 2008 | No Comments »

I’ve already posted these on my personal blog, but here are some photos of my ring, designed by Justin at Green Lake Jewelry Works in Seattle (with no help from me whatsoever!):

Filed under: Handmade, Here Comes the Bride, Rings on October 8th, 2007 | 2 Comments »