Let's talk jewelry!

Have you thought of jewelry yet? Who am I kidding, of course you have :) But have you made up your mind on what to where? Rings? Necklaces? Earrings? For both the bride and groom?I have come across an absolutely awesome irish site that sells the most unique wearable pieces of art. Their designers are inspired by the landscape and beauty surrounding them in the beautyful irish countryside. If you're looking to wear something different than what "everyone else" is wearing, have a look at some of these.


Celtic Queen Caddagh Ring
Designer: Liam Shannon

Gleninsheen Emerald Ring, 14kt white gold
Designer: Boru

Shores of Amerikay Trinity Knot Ring, 10k Gold
Designer: Boru



Forever Diamond Trinity Ring, 14k gold
Designer: Boru











These are some of my current favourites from the irish heart collection. I will present more beautiful pieces at a later time. Let me know what you think! :)

Love's Comin

She had looked for his coming as warriors come,
With the clash of arms and the bugle's call;
But he came instead with a stealthy tread,
Which she did not hear at all.

She had thought how his armor would blaze in the sun,
As he rode like a prince to claim his bride:
In the sweet dim light of the falling night
She found him at her side.

She had dreamed how the gaze of his strange, bold eye
Would wake her heart to a sudden glow:
She found in his face the familiar grace
Of a friend she used to know.

She had dreamed how his coming would stir her soul,
As the ocean is stirred by the wild storm's strife:
He brought her the balm of a heavenly calm,
And a peace which crowned her life.

By Ella Wheeler Wilcox


The Kiss, 1897, Edvard Munch            

                                                               

                            

Wedding planning on a budget

More than 1/3 of couples getting married in the United States pay for their own weddings. Even more couples in the U.S. pay for at least a portion of their wedding expenses.

If you are a bride or groom reading this article, then you are probably one of the couples who are paying for or at least helping to pay for their own wedding.

Even as more couples get involved in planning for and paying for their dream weddings, the wedding price tag continues to grow more forboding. According to CostOfWedding.com, the average U.S. wedding cost was $28,800. This figure is expected to steadily rise in years to come.

Today’s bride and groom have become so desensitized to the incredible expense of planning a wedding that they hardly stop to think about how much money that really is. Let’s take a moment to put that $28,800 price tag in perspective and look at a couple ways to make your wedding more affordable.

First, let’s consider that $28,800 is more than most brides or grooms bring home from work in a year.

Now, suppose a couple wants to save up for their wedding so they don’t go into debt. If they are saving for a $28,800 wedding, they should consider how much they should feed their wedding savings piggy bank each month. If they can only afford to save, say, $300 per month, they should plan on saving for a full 8 years ($300 x 96 months [that's 8 years]=$28,800). What engaged couple is willing to wait 8 years to get married?

I haven’t even considered that it takes considerable discipline to save $300 each month. Some might need to wait longer as they can only save $150 a month or even less.

Most couples choose to get married within a year or two of their engagement. If they are paying for their own wedding as more than 1/3 of couples do, they often plan their expensive wedding courtesy Visa or Mastercard. That saves them the trouble of budgeting and saving for all those years before marriage. Instead of saving before marriage for their wedding day, they spend those delicate first years of marriage after the wedding day struggling with debt and living uncomfortably frugal lives together. Their credit card company keeps them under its thumb for years as interest piles up on interest and the poor couple barely scrapes by.

I'd wish that I was exaggerating here but all too often this is the scenario in which young couples find themselves. All so they could glory in one splendid day marking the beginning of their marriage. Hoping that somehow the perfection of the wedding day would somehow rub off on each succeeding day of marriage, the couple had poured a year’s salary into that big day. The reality is that the expense of that wedding day is paid for day after day of their married lives and they realize all too late that financial stress is the number one killer of marriages.

Americans with their individualistic attitudes tend to believe that they are special and that the rules do not apply to them. Likewise, couples planning their weddings tend to think that they will be the exception. That they will somehow spend less than most spend or that they will somehow be able to pay their credit cards off later without much problem.

Well, if you are not careful, you will soon discover that you are not exempt from the norms and that you are all too average. You will discover yourself in a quagmire of financial stress and marital disharmony day after day for years all for the sake of a wedding that was bought at a much too high of a price - I regret to say that it could even cost you your marriage.

What should you do? Stop being average. Stop planning your wedding the way most young brides and grooms plan their weddings.

Set a realistic spending allowance for your wedding - a spending allowance that you and your lover can live with. Go into your wedding planning with your eyes wide open.

You really can have a wonderful wedding day on whatever price you are able to pay - whether that be $5,000 or just $500. You would be amazed at how far that money can go when you are committed to planning your dream wedding on your chosen budget.

If you're feeling a bit lost in the world of budgetting, Tim and Lisa Spooner have written a wedding planner to guide you in your wedding planning. In the wedding planner, they guide you in creating a reasonable wedding budget and show you step by step just what you need to do to see your dream wedding come true while staying under budget.

You can’t afford to be average. Instead, be amazing!

Wedding Planning on a Budget is available as an instant download which can be read on your computer or printed at your convenience. To get your copy of this powerful wedding planning guide visit the Wedding Planner Download Page

With that said, I wish you the best and hope that you have an amazing wedding and a wonderful marriage together for the rest of your lives.

The newlywed's guide to a happy marriage

Yesterday I came across this E-book written by Tim Spooner for absolutely no cost. Totaly free. Might be worth checking out.

It's called "the newlywed's guide to a happy marriage" and is supposed to be really good. Here's what others are saying about it:

I've read your Newlyweds' Guide and enjoyed reading it.

I'm a couples therapist from Israel, happily married, and I learned some new ideas from your e-book.

May I cite some of them in my website (in Hebrew)?

~ Yehuda, A. (Israel)

"I so enjoyed and appreciated your Newlyweds e-book. I have read a lot of writings by excellent authors, but the way you wrote your ideas and why they are so important was so clear and right to the heart. I felt very supported because you validated what I have been striving to create in my relationship.
So many people think - "that's just the way it goes, the joy and connection and passion just seem to level out after a time and that is just natural in marriage or long term relationships". I thought, why bother? Why experience that joy and connectedness and then just accept that it can't continue to be that way? And I also believe that there are many folks who want something more, but don't know where to start.
Your guidance and wonderful ideas gave me the steps to start changing things today and gave me immense encouragement. I don't feel my desires are over-the-edge anymore after reading your book. You and your wife are my inspiration."
~ Starr C.

I will start to read it tonight, and let you guys know if I can agree with the good reviews it has gotten :)

Winter wedding decor

There is something about winter weddings that just touches me. The way the snow and the wedding dress sort of blends into one sparkling piece of white beauty, with the bride's red smile in perfect contrast.

Are you thinking about having a winter wedding? (somewhere snowy, that is...). Then how about making some of these? Gorgeous, easy to make and (almost) free :)

What you need:

• Balloons
• Water
• … and that's about it.

Oh, and you need it to be cold outside.

How to make them:

You simply fill a balloon with water. If you want the top to be flat, you blow in a little airboble before tying it. If you want it round at the top just make a knot and forget about the airboble.

Now you just put it outside for some hours. The amount of time for the edges to freeze depends on both the temperature outside, and the amount of water in the balloon, so it's not possible for me to give an exact time frame. Just make more than you'll be needing, and try them one by one.

Once you've gotten the walls as thick as you want them it's time to remove the balloon. Just use a knife, maybe with some warm water if really frozen, and it will come of easy.

Now you need to make the hole. I find it easiest to gently hit the top with a hammer. Use warm water if the wall is too thick. Then use som more hot water to smoothen the edge (careful not to melt the walls).

And voilá! You're done!

(If you find my instructions to be unclear, then just ask me about it.)

Remember, you can make these days before the wedding, as long as you have a freezer or similar to store them in.

So, you've finally gotten the proposal you've secretely been waiting for. You're finally able to introduce him as "my fiancé". You've told  your friends and family, and they are so happy for you!

 But somewhere along the way, their excitement starts turning into questions. Still excited, but you're starting to feel a little preassured. The "who, what, where" are attacking you from all over. You know what I'm talking about, right? In the beginning you love the attention you're being given, you want to share your newborn happiness with the entire world! …but at a certain point you begin to stress.

 "Who should be my maid of honor, my bridesmaids, the minister? Who should give speaches? What budget can we afford, what kind of wedding should it be? Where do we want to have our ceremony? The reception? Do we need to have a rehersal diner?"

It is impossible for me to advice upon all your questions in a single blog post (sadly, right? :) ). So for now I just want to share some inspirational pictures. It's a nice place to start.

 (If you want your "who, what, where"s answered, you could check out this page )