Wedding Ideas

This post is part of the "My Trio Rings Precious Places" series.

If you're looking for proposal ideas, take a look at the list recently released by Mashable: the Top 10 Cities for Getting Engaged, according to Facebook. Today we begin a series of posts that profile each city and highlight the best places to get down on one knee and present your love with a beautiful diamond cluster ring. 

Where to Propose in Atlanta

Atlanta, Georgia, blends big-city culture with relaxed Southern charm. Here are three types of Atlanta proposal ideas for you to consider:

1. An elegant restaurant

During dinner, excuse yourself and secretly slip the diamond cluster ring to your waiter, with a request to bring it out with dessert or champagne. If there's a live band, approach during a break and request that the band play a song that means something to you and your sweetie. Here are a couple of the most romantic restaurants in Atlanta:

Bacchanalia is consistently rated as one of the Top 10 restaurants in Atlanta and has been number one in the Zagat guide since 1996. It's also often mentioned as one of the best places to propose. Relax into the cushy banquettes and enjoy the classy ambience, the friendly waitstaff, and the creative menu (with the chef sending out several small bites called "gifts" throughout the meal).

Set atop the Westin Peachtree Plaza, the Sun Dial Restaurant and Bar rises 73 stories above the city and rotates, offering breathtaking 360-degree views. The top floor revolves completely every half hour, the bottom floor every hour. 

2. A peaceful park

Take a walk hand-in-hand through the 30-acre Atlanta Botanical Garden and admire the beauty of the rare plants and flowers. You'll take your lady's breath away when you present a diamond cluster ring against such a gorgeous natural backdrop. The 10,000 square foot Fuqua Orchid Center is especially romantic. 

Plan a picnic at Centennial Olympic Park and surprise her with strawberries, champagne, and a sweet proposal. Or, if she's the adventurous type, playfully grab her hand and run through the Fountain of Rings. It's the largest interactive foundation in the world and is tiled in the shape of Olympic rings. Once you two are lightly soaked and laughing, get down on one knee in the middle of one of the rings and ask for her hand.

3. A center of culture 

If your bride-to-be loves to see a show, romance her at the theatre or the symphony. Propose at dinner before the show, or during an evening walk afterward, while you're both enraptured by the magic of the stage.

The Fox Theatre is a beloved historical landmark and the perfect place to take in dinner and a show. Dress up for the special occasion, and take in the gorgeous grandeur of the theatre.

The Grammy-award winning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra performs at several venues in town, including the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park. With 200 concerts per year to choose from, you're sure to find one that she'll fancy.

Before you propose in Atlanta, find a diamond cluster ring that she'll love. 

Photo credit: j3ku. 

When you're shopping for a bridal ring set, you need to consider several different factors. You'll need to keep your purchase within your budget. You'll also want to pick trio wedding rings that best suit your tastes. In addition to a wedding band that works for you, the setting of your diamonds is a large part of the style of your rings.

Here are three of the most common settings for trio wedding rings:

1. Prong Setting / Claw setting

Prong settings, or claw settings, are the most popular and most classic style, especially for solitaire rings. Four prongs show more of the diamond's surface area, while six prongs hold the gem more securely. It's typical for this setting to give the impression that the diamond is floating above the band, letting in more light and enhancing its sparkle. One downside to prong settings is that the prongs may occasionally catch on hair or clothing.

2. Cluster Setting

 Cluster settings group smaller diamonds together into a shape. Simple shapes include circles and squares, and more intricate shapes include flowers and leaves. My Trio Rings offers a wide selection of trio wedding rings with cluster settings because they are less expensive than large solitaire diamonds. They also provide an impressive visual impact. 

3. Channel Setting

 Channel settings in a bridal ring set embed stones into the band. In an engagement ring, they accent a solitaire diamond or cluster beautifully. Channel settings come in many different patterns. Some line the top of a band, and others form an artistic pattern around the entire band. One advantage of choosing a channel setting for your trio wedding rings is that the bands clearly complement each other, symbolizing your union as a married couple.

You are ready to propose marriage to your girlfriend, so now is the time to shop for and buy an inexpensive diamond engagement ring. But even affordable wedding rings seem may seem out of your league without a plan. What is the solution? Follow these easy budget tips to get you saving up for that conflict-free diamond ring – fast.

1. Month 1 – Instead of taking your girlfriend out to dinner at the new seafood bistro downtown on Friday night, look up a couple of easy recipes online to create an inexpensive, romantic meal at home. Put aside the money you would have spent on appetizers, entrees, drinks, and dessert in an envelope – that’s $50 toward affordable wedding rings!

2. Month 2 – Your boss asks you to pick up extra hours one Saturday to help him out. Encourage your girlfriend to have a chick-flick marathon with her friends and work those extra hours. Add that $100 to your envelope to save for a conflict-free diamond ring.

3. Month 3 – Ask your girlfriend to join you for dinner and a movie – at home. Pick up a pizza and a movie, and slop the saved movie theater ticket – drink – and popcorn money into your envelope (or savings account). You are $25 closer to purchasing affordable wedding rings.

4. Month 4 – Think about small ways to economize your budget. Downgrade your cell phone plan, wash and iron your own clothes this month instead of taking them to the dry cleaners, put your gym membership on hold for a month and jog around the neighborhood instead. Just a few economical measures could save you $75 or more.

5. Month 5 – You get your tax refund check in the mail - $250 in the bank! Combine that refund check with the $250 you already have saved, and you are ready to purchase not only a conflict-free diamond ring, but an entire trio wedding ring set – with just five months of saving! You will even have a little extra money to spend on taking her out to dinner to celebrate.

What are your tips for saving money?

Photo credit: 401K

If you haven't discovered Pinterest yet, it's time that you do. The site allows you to share the beautiful and interesting things that you find on the web quickly and easily. It's free to register on Pinterest, and it's incredibly useful for discovering creative budget wedding ideas. 

Start by visiting Pinterest.com and start a free account. Select the people whose pinboards you want to follow (both friends and those you don't know personally). Then create pinboards for the topics that interest you, such as "Recipes," "Ideas for the Home," and, of course, "Wedding Inspiration." With the click of your mouse, you can now pin the photos you discover on the web and repin photos that other people have shared on their boards. One word of caution: Pinterest is seriously addictive.

Here are 5 ways that you can use Pinterest to plan the budget wedding of your dreams:

1. Save-the-Dates and Invitations

The easiest way to decide on the style of Save-the-Dates and Invitations is to look at a variety of examples and see what catches your eye. Do you prefer a modern design, or a more classic one? Splashy or understated? Whether you are planning a destination wedding or a homegrown event, you'll find inspiration for wedding planning on a budget.

2. Engagement & Wedding Photography

You may have rolled your eyes when you've seen run-of-the-mill engagement and wedding photography. Make sure to avoid cheesy poses yourself by finding creative shots on Pinterest and showing them to your photographer. Get ideas for props you can use in your engagement photos, such as chalkboards for writing fun messages, and start brainstorming unexpected settings. Give your photographer suggestions for uncommon wedding day poses and shots to capture.

3. Wedding Decor

Pinterest users (or "Pinners") share wedding decor ideas galore. Find pictures of gorgeous place settings for indoor or outdoor weddings, sweet wedding favors, and simple flower arrangements. You're sure to find the perfect accents for your budget wedding, including eco-friendly and DIY options. .

4. Bridal Style

You'll find many different ideas for bridal style on Pinterest. Pictures of wedding dresses range from elegant to simple to funky. You'll find ideas for wedding day shoes, jewelry, and styles for every kind of hair. There are even accessories that you can make yourself if you're wedding planning on a budget.

5. Honeymoon

What kind of honeymoon would you like to follow your budget wedding? One of the biggest benefits of Pinterest is that it displays a plethora of beautiful photos side by side. You can browse through them and decide whether you'd like to save or splurge on your honeymoon, and what kind of experience you'd like to have. Do you want to lounge on a tropical beach? Go camping in the wilderness, or ride the roller coasters at a Disney theme park?

BONUS - 6. Follow My Trio Rings!

My Trio Rings has created a number of pinboards which cover unique engagement and wedding rings spanning the entire web in addition to pictures of the latest ring styles and designs in the industry and by My Trio Rings. Follow the pinboards to see updates to these boards!

To look for wedding ideas on Pinterest, hover over the "Everything" option on your home screen with your mouse, then choose "Wedding & Events" from the drop-down menu. You can also use the Pinterest search bar to search by keyword for a specific type of item.

Happy pinning!

Last edited; 4/18/2012. Photo credit: Pinterest

After you pick out your affordable wedding rings and plan a beautiful budget wedding, it is time to think about planning your budget honeymoon. Just like with planning a wedding on a budget, it is necessary to prioritize your honeymoon dreams in order to maximize your honeymoon dollar. Here are a few tips to get you started.

1. Shop around

One of the best ways to save money on your budget honeymoon is to shop around. Sometimes discount travel sites such as Expedia.com and Orbitz.com will offer the best deal on airfare, rental cars, and the like. Other times, your best bet is to purchase directly from an airline or hotel. Sometimes more generic deal sites such as Groupon.com will run great travel deals. Once you have a general idea of your budget honeymoon priorities, start searching all around for deals in your price range. In general, the sooner you book travel, the better prices you can get, although there are some last-minute travel sites that could work well for you if you are willing to wait until the last minute to make your plans.

2. Be flexible

If a beach honeymoon is your dream, you can likely save a lot of money if you are flexible about which beach you choose. A stateside beach resort or state park is likely to be less expensive than a beach honeymoon in the Caribbean, for example. You may also be able to save a great deal of money if you can be flexible with your budget honeymoon dates. It is often cheaper to fly mid-week than to purchase airline tickets for weekend flights, in case air travel is part of your honeymoon plans.

3. Travel off the beaten path

Just like with planning a wedding on a budget, it can often be cheaper to choose not to do what everyone else is doing for their honeymoon. If you are willing to consider alternate destinations or are excited about traveling to popular destinations in the off season, then you might be able to get more for your budget honeymoon buck.

What are your honeymoon dreams?

Photo credit: SpecialKRB