Wedding Ideas

While shopping for wedding ring sets online is a relatively new convenience, the wedding rings themselves belong to a tradition that dates back thousands of years.

The wedding ring was first used in ancient Egypt, where grasses and reeds were woven into circles symbolic of eternity and completeness. The Egyptians were also the first to place the ring on the fourth finger of the left hand, believing that the vein from that finger led directly to the heart (the Romans called this the vena amoris, or “vein of love”). Over the course of time, temporary grass rings were replaced by rings made of leather, bone, and eventually soft metals.

Romans chose to use iron in their wedding bands, believing the strength of the metal to symbolize the strength of their love. Gold gained popularity in later centuries, and by the Middle Ages, the diamond was routinely used in wedding rings, along with other gemstones. The use of silver in rings had a brief revival in the Renaissance, and rings were inscribed with sentimental phrases and poems.

Wedding rings were almost entirely reserved for women until the mid-twentieth century, when the many separations caused by World War II (and increased marketing from jewelry companies) spurred men to begin wearing rings to serve as sentimental reminders of home. Before 1930, only 15% of marriages used wedding ring sets for both partners, while a mere fifteen years later, 80% of married men sported a band.

One of the first wedding ring sets may have been the sixteenth-century European gimmels. These rings combined to make a trio ring set that would have been separated prior to marriage – one ring for the prospective bride, one for the groom, and the third for a witness – and then rejoined into one ring to place on the bride’s hand on her wedding day. Tiffany and Co. introduced the solitaire diamond ring in 1886, but recent innovations in ring manufacturing, including the development of diamond cluster rings and trio ring sets have made it affordable for anyone to join in the historic tradition of exchanging rings to symbolize true love.

Photo Credit: Lisa H

While some couples in Hong Kong are taking budget weddings to another level by tying the knot in McDonald’s, most Chinese couples spend extraordinary amounts on their weddings, including in the latest trend of elaborate pre-wedding photo shoots. Several months before the big day, couples put together pre-enactments of the event, dressing up in rented bridal gowns and tuxes, renting out a church, and hiring a photographer to capture those crucial marriage moments. Such performances can cost up to $10,000, which falls on top of the more traditional wedding expenses. Many couples choose to document a variety of staged experiences that incorporate several costume changes, and some couples even travel to exotic locations for these photo shoots, adding to the cost. Brides and grooms are seeking to capture fantasies rather than candid moments, and because of that, few pictures are actually taken on the day of the wedding.

In the U.S., the emphasis is on the big day itself, and anyone organizing a budget wedding knows that photographs are a crucial part of capturing the magic. As you plan your own budget wedding, consider a few alternatives to the high cost of wedding photographers. Here are a few suggestions:

1) Ask a trustworthy or artsy friend to take photographs.

2) Find a package deal with a local photographer who would be willing to do both your engagement and wedding photos.

3) To supplement professional photographs, leave disposable cameras on your guests’ tables during the reception to add more candid shots to the mix.

4) If there are shots you want to make sure you have, plan them out before the wedding day, and let your bridesmaids, groomsmen, and family members know when and where you’ll need them. You’ll save your photographer’s time, thus saving money.

5) Ask recently married friends for their budget wedding tips. You want to be sure you have beautiful images of the day without spending an arm and a leg.

Photo Credit: Jakob Montrasio

As you plan your budget wedding, devising ways to pinch pennies here and scale down there, you may not have considered moving your venue to the nearest fast-food restaurant. But in Hong Kong, where elaborate weddings routinely cost couples more than $40,000, a new trend in budget weddings seems to be gaining popularity: McMarriages!

Since January, Hong Kong-based McDonald’s franchises have opened themselves up to hosting weddings, with several planned packages for brides to choose from. The basic package costs only $1,300 (a bargain in today’s wedding-crazed environment) and includes rental of the space, a catered dinner, party favors for the guests, organized games led by perky employees, a wedding cake constructed out of individual apple pies, and, for a few hundred dollars more, a wedding dress made of white balloons. For a Hong Kong couple planning a wedding on a budget, such a set-up is ideal.

Sound crazy? In Hong Kong, McDonald’s doesn’t carry the same stigma of cheapness that it does in America. Couples that have taken advantage of the package deal so far have expressed how grateful they are to be able to share their happy day with friends and family in a fun atmosphere. In Hong Kong, taking a business client, a dear friend, or a first date to McDonald’s is perfectly ordinary, and many couples share rich memories of their times at a local chain.

While Americans may not be ready to abandon the church or large hall in favor of a fast-food restaurant, couples planning a wedding on a budget could certainly gather a few tips from their Asian neighbors. Why not forgo the elaborate wedding cake for something simpler and easier to serve, like cupcakes? Instead of forking over several thousand dollars for a fancy wedding venue, what about relocating your budget wedding to a beautiful state park or fun community center? You don’t have to get married at McDonald’s to save a few dollars!

What reasonably priced wedding venues have you heard about?

Photo Credit: Ian Mutto

In addition to delivering laughs by the minute, the recent comedy “Bridesmaids” can also offer up some budget wedding tips for the discerning bride. For most of the movie – which stars Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, and Rose Byrne – audiences get a healthy dose of what-not-to-do moments, from an impromptu bachelorette trip to Vegas to an over-the-top wedding shower complete with puppies for party favors. The underlying message beneath the comedy, though, is that simple is almost always best, and that a wedding that stretches beyond a bride’s budget is a recipe for disaster. Here are a few budget wedding tips that can be gleaned from the hilarious missteps of “Bridesmaids”:

1. Keep it local.

Annie, the maid of honor in this movie, organizes a planning lunch for the bridesmaids and selects an authentic Brazilian restaurant in downtown Milwaukee. Sidestepping a country club or upscale brunch location for a local eatery is a great way to save money and also support local businesses during your budget wedding. Yes, the entire bridal party experienced a bout of food poisoning, but checking out a place before a special event can help prevent any last-minute surprises.

2. Go handmade.

For the wedding shower in “Bridesmaids,” the unlucky maid of honor has the wonderful idea of creating a French-themed event in honor of the bride’s love of France. Envisioning handwritten place cards, small Eiffel Tower party favors, and a few special French foods, Annie has just the right idea for creating a simple but meaningful event. But when her idea is hijacked and taken to the next level, with chocolate fountains, live horses, and a plane ticket to France, it completely overwhelms the poor bride. Remember that for a budget wedding, those handmade touches can really make an event magical.

3. Scale back.

When Annie and the other bridesmaids visit a couture bridal shop, Annie checks out all the price tags before gravitating to the simplest, cheapest dress. While her nemesis selects an $800 frilled extravagance, Annie’s selection is not only more budget-friendly, but is also much more beautiful. Scaling back can often produce surprisingly elegant simplicity.

Next time you watch a marriage-oriented movie, pay attention to see what budget wedding tips you can gather!

Photo Credit: Corey Ann