Puerto Rico isn't called "La Isla del Encanto" (The Isle of Enchantment") for nothing. With its picture-perfect beaches, verdant rainforests, and waterfront cantinas, it lives up to its name. There's a reason why Puerto Rico is so popular for weddings and engagements! When you're ready to propose, consider one of these five ultra-romantic settings: 

1. Culebra

Culebra is a quiet island with a population of less than 2,000. If you're looking for a tropical getaway, you'll find it here. Spend the day at Flamenco Beach (Playa Flamenco), one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, with white sand, calm blue waters, and swaying palm trees. Work up an appetite exploring Culebra National Wildlife Refuge and then dine in the open air at a café on the water. This excellent feature in New York Magazine will help you plan your weekend escape.

2. El Yunque

El Yunque National Forest is truly breathtaking. Drive up the winding road into the rainforest (El Yunque receives more than 200 inches of rain each year) and see gorgeous waterfalls, lush foliage, and an impressive diversity of plants and animals. Within the forest's 28,000 acres, you'll have plenty of room to hike and find the perfect spot to present your sweetheart with a diamond cluster ring. 

3. Vieques

Vieques is the larger sister island to Culebra, and it's just as gorgeous. In addition to its beaches, Vieques is famous for Mosquito Bay, the brightest bioluminescent bay in the world. The tiny, harmless organisms light up the water at night, outlining the swimming fish and humans with a blue-green glow. You have to experience it to believe it. You'll find plenty of outdoor activities in this picturesque setting, including horseback riding, scuba diving, hiking, and bicycling.

4. Old San Juan

Old San Juan is full of old-world charm. Walk hand-in-hand through the cobblestone streets, admiring the colorful Spanish colonial architecture and stopping to take pictures of the ocean views from San Juan Gate. Eat at an outdoor cafe and enjoy a night of rumba or salsa dancing. Hotel El Convento, a convent converted into a luxury hotel, has exposed wooden beams and handcrafted tile floors.

5. Orocovis 

If you and your loved one enjoy the great outdoors, Orocovis has a lot to offer you. Sign up for a tour of Toro Verde Nature Adventure Park and choose an adventure experience that suits your fancy. Zipline two-handed over valleys of the deepest green, or fly like a bird (protected by the safety of a harness, of course). You can also rappel down a rugged mountain cliff. The only thing that could make your sweetie's day even more memorable would be a diamond cluster ring!

If you're ready to propose, browse our selection of diamond engagement rings!  

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If you are ready to get married and are looking for affordable engagement rings or inexpensive wedding jewelry, then one of your best options is to shop online. One nice thing about shopping online is that you can do it from work, or from anywhere, so you can keep your proposal a surprise if you wish. You can also ship the jewelry to your place of employment, to a friend’s house, or somewhere else to keep the purchase even more secret.

Why Choose E-Commerce for Inexpensive Wedding Jewelry?

1. You Can Get the Same Diamond Online for Less

Diamonds are graded according to color, cut, and clarity. If you look in a traditional retail establishment, take note of the characteristics of the rings you are most attracted to, and jot them down. You can then search online using those exact parameters and find much more affordable engagement rings set with a stone that will look just like the diamond you fell in love with in the store.

2. You Can Cut Out Extra Expense

For a jewelry store to operate an in-person retail store, it has much higher overhead costs, such as employee salaries, rent, utilities, security, and the inventory itself. These costs, in addition to distributors, marketing, etc., only increase the prices you pay for diamonds. If you want inexpensive wedding jewelry, then online retailers are the way to go, since their costs are much lower.

3. You Can Avoid High-Pressure Sales Pitches

There are many of us who are very susceptible to sales pitches and have a hard time saying no, even if something is out of our budget. If you shop for affordable engagement rings online, though, then you get the benefit of clarity of judgment. You can shop around, find the ring or rings that best fit your style and budget, and then make a level-headed, informed decision at checkout that you will feel good about for years to come!

Shop for Inexpensive Wedding Jewelry Today!

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If the idea of planning a budget wedding makes you break out in hives, then perhaps coordinating all the details of a more conventional wedding just isn’t for you. Some couples opt for more simple, budget-friendly options such as tying the knot at city hall and then hosting a small reception at a favorite restaurant. Other couples like the idea of combining their wedding and honeymoon in one package with a destination wedding or a budget wedding at sea on a cruise. Indeed, a cruise can be an affordable way to integrate a budget wedding and a budget honeymoon.

Benefits of a Budget Wedding on Open Water

1. Someone Else Will Be in Charge

If you plan a budget wedding on a cruise ship, most of the work is already done for you. You just need to bring a wedding dress and inexpensive wedding rings. Many cruise ships even offer tuxedo rentals on board. You can kick back, relax, and enjoy each other’s company while someone else takes care of all the wedding details, such as arranging music, food, and photography as part of your cruise wedding package.

2. You Will Be Pampered

Even if you stay in the least expensive stateroom with no extras, you can’t avoid being pampered. Someone else makes your bed, takes out your trash, and brings your free room service. Gourmet three-course dining is likely also included in your package, with a few specialty restaurants available for an additional splurge. If you want to splurge, you can also spend time being pampered at the ship’s spa, perhaps indulging in a couple’s massage before or after the budget wedding. Whether or not you decide to partake in some of the extras onboard ship, just remember to include tips in your budget wedding / budget honeymoon cost estimates so that you can show appreciation to the people who do the pampering.

3. You Will Be Entertained

Amenities differ by cruise ship and cruise line, but most have something for everyone to enjoy. While you are on the cruise ship, you can likely kick back by the pool, read in the library, have a mini-golf competition, learn to ice skate, unwind in the hot tub, view free theatrical performances, take classes, or participate in a wide variety of other free activities.

4. You Can Have Adventures

When the cruise ship is at port, you can venture off on your own to enjoy a more private budget honeymoon or participate in adventures with your wedding guests. You can probably go parasailing, take a jeep tour, explore ancient ruins, go swimming with dolphins or sea turtles or sting rays, ride on a pirate ship or glass-bottom boat, climb a waterfall, take a horse and carriage ride, go scuba diving, take a hike, go shopping, or relax in a hammock on the beach, depending on where you are and depending on your budget and tastes.

You can make a luxurious, all-inclusive cruise vacation work well for your budget wedding and honeymoon. Get started by picking affordable rings today!

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When it comes to diamond cluster engagement rings for celebrities, the trend seems to be the bigger, the better. Most celebrities have a larger engagement ring budget than the rest of us, and sometimes there seems to be a game of one-upmanship going on with Hollywood engagements and weddings. So what ARE the biggest celebrity engagement rings of all time, you ask? According to a recent CNN article, here are some of the winners:

1. Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge

In 2010, Prince William proposed to his girlfriend using his mother’s engagement ring. Princess Diana’s ring is a diamond cluster engagement ring with a large sapphire in the middle and many smaller diamonds clustered around the outside, totaling 18 carats, which is certainly much bigger than the rings most of us wear.

2. Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Todd

In 1957, Elizabeth Taylor got married with a 30 carat diamond ring on her finger.

3. Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon

Nick Cannon proposed to singer Mariah Carey a few years back with a 17 carat pink diamond surrounded by 58 smaller pink diamonds.

Perhaps such giant diamond cluster engagement rings are not even close to the budget that most of us have to work with. But if you have celebrity style, you can still find affordable wedding jewelry that has a big visual impact without breaking the bank.

Celebrity Style for Less

1. 1/3 Carat diamond cluster engagement ring with white gold in a floral pattern for $379.99.

2. 1/2 Carat engagement ring with diamonds arranged in a large square for $399.99.

3. 1/2 Carat diamond-studded engagement ring for $499.99.

Start shopping for your affordable wedding jewelry today!

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Portland, Oregon, is a city full of life. Here you'll find quirky brunch cafes, live music venues, coffeehouses, and food trucks. You'll find Powell's Books, which is the largest independent used and new bookstore in the world. Most importantly, you'll find plenty of places to carry out your creative proposal ideas! Here are a few suggestions for where to propose in Portland, Oregon:

In the great outdoors

Multnomah Falls is not to be missed when you visit Portland. With 611 feet of cascading water, a stone bridge, pretty little streams, and surrounding valleys and forests, it's said to be one of the most beautiful places in the world. Here's an idea: ask someone (a friend, if you're hiking in a group, or a kind-looking stranger) to take your photo as a couple. Just before the picture is taken, say, "Wait!" and get down on one knee to pop the question. You can bet that the impromptu photographer will snap a few photos of you presenting a diamond cluster ring to your bride-to-be!

Washington Park houses a number of beautiful attractions. Portland Japanese Garden is tranquil and picturesque, with impeccable landscaping and plenty of areas to sit with your sweetie and enjoy each other's company. Take a virtual tour of the Upper Pond to scope out a proposal spot. According to its website, the International Rose Test Garden is the "oldest official, continuously operated public rose test garden in the United States." It opened in 1917 and serves as a testing ground for new varieties of roses. Walk with your sweetheart holding hands, and breathe in the sweet flowery scents together. 

At a romantic spa

Aqua Terra is owned by a husband and wife team and specializes in couples' massage. In addition to explaining the benefits of couples' massage -- relaxing together is a mutually healing and bonding experience -- they even give suggestions for local date ideas! One Yelp reviewer said, "I had the BEST...let me repeat that...BEST massage in my life here."

Spa Willamina tends to receive rave reviews on Yelp and TripAdvisor for providing a cozy, relaxing experience. Book an outdoor couples' massage and get ready to relax. You can even have a glass of wine when you arrive! Take a virtual tour through the website to get a feel for the ambience. Evening hours are available, in case you want to enjoy the spa before heading to dinner feeling like a new person. 

In an elegant Italian restaurant

Just looking at the menu at a Cena Ristorante will make your mouth water. Corn & mascarpone raviolini with butter-poached Maine lobster. Wild boar bolognese with cocoa tagliatelle and pecorino. For dessert, butterscotch pudding, caramel sauce, whipped cream, and pizzelle. Hungry yet? Add in romantic ambience, attentive service, and a wonderful wine list, and a Cena Ristorante should be at the top of your list for places to propose in Portland! 

Fondue is both delicious and romantic. Nestle into a booth at Urban Fondue and choose your favorite dipping items and cheeses. Whether you're in the mood for seafood, red meat, or vegetarian fare, you'll find a rich, delicious option. The Ruby Port Fondue, for example, is a blend of white cheddar, Swiss, and Gruyere with caramelized onions and port wine. Finish the meal with chocolate fondue...and your proposal, of course!

While you're brainstorming creative proposal ideas, pick out the perfect diamond cluster ring from My Trio Rings!

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