Wedding Ideas

This post is part of the popular Precious Places series.

San Diego is a friendly, laid-back city. It has something for everyone, from sunny beaches to hip shops, from diverse cuisines to popular museums. Its relaxed atmosphere and ease of getting around set it apart from many other big cities. Wherever you decide are the best places to propose in San Diego, its summer vacation vibe is certain to create a memorable proposal.

So what ARE the best places to propose in San Diego?

1. Over Pasta

The Gaslamp Quarter offers a wide variety of lovely and romantic restaurants, from authentic Mexican to Afghan cuisine. Take an evening stroll past the shops and restaurants together. On 5^th Avenue, you will find Acqua Al 2, an Italian restaurant with roots in Florence, Italy. Sit outside and watch the people walk by in the cool evening air. Or choose an intimate table indoors. The menu offers many amazing dishes that aren’t found at most stateside Italian restaurants. The farfalline alla zucca, a pasta with zucchini, garlic, and parmesan, is outstanding, although you can’t go wrong with any of the menu choices. Your most important decision will be whether to pull out the affordable wedding ring set before or after the torta di cioccolatta.

2. In a Garden

The Balboa Park area is another beautiful area to wander and explore together. In Balboa Park, you will find the acclaimed Japanese Friendship Garden.  Each area of the garden is simultaneously breathtaking and peaceful and would make a lovely outdoor proposal spot. One of the best places to propose in the garden is under the fujidana trellis overflowing with wisteria. Look across the garden to water meandering past rocks amidst the timeless beauty of lush trees and flowers.

3. On the Beach

And if neither of these is quite right for your vision of the best places to propose, don’t worry. You can always choose the beautiful California beaches at sunset.

Choose an affordable wedding ring set today!

Photo credit: Sunburned Surveyor

This post is part of the My Trio Rings Precious Places series, which uses Mashable's Top 10 Cities for Getting Engaged list for inspiration.

Lately, the internet has been abuzz with the best places to propose. If you are looking for creative proposal ideas, be certain to keep up with the My Trio Rings Precious Places series. This week, our destination is Washington, D.C. So if you are ready to pop the big question, then pick out an affordable wedding ring set, and ponder the following proposal venues.

Creative Proposal Ideas in Washington, D.C.

1. Blooming Cherry Blossoms

One of the things that Washington, D.C. is best known for outside of government and politics is its extravagant display of blooming cherry blossoms around the perimeter of the Tidal Basin. If you live in the D.C. metro area, consider a springtime stroll around the lake. Find a bench to sit on, and declare your desire to spend the rest of your lives together. Another romantic option would be to pack a picnic blanket, a basket of gourmet goodies, a bottle of champagne, and an affordable wedding ring set and set up camp for a picnic proposal under a blooming cherry blossom bower.

Alternative: There is also a lovely, meandering rose garden, the Kathrine Dulin Folger Rose Garden, outside of the Smithsonian Castle that offers a longer growing season and more opportunities for creative proposal ideas in the great outdoors.

2. Delicious Ethnic Cuisines

We’ve all seen the movies with the candlelit Italian restaurant and glasses of wine. While there is nothing wrong with the tried-and-true romantic classics, you may also wish to consider more creative proposal ideas, such as a different kind of culinary venue. Washington, D.C. is uniquely suited for food adventures with its wide variety of different ethnic restaurants. For something different, start the adventure of a lifetime at an Ethiopian restaurant such as Meskerem, where you will sit on intricately patterned cushions and eat with your hands. Talk about your future hopes and dreams while you feast together. Then slip the engagement ring from your affordable wedding ring set onto her finger while you wipe each other’s hands with a warm, wet cloth after your meal. For a more romantic experience, consider requesting a private room at the restaurant of your choice or getting reservations for a time when you may have the restaurant mostly to yourselves.

What is your Washington, D.C. proposal story? Share it with us!

Pick out an affordable wedding ring set today!

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Buying a diamond ring can be intimidating, to say the least, especially since it is something that most people don't do very often in their lifetime. If you're uncertain about how to proceed, go no further than this affordable wedding ring set buying guide to get you on the right track.

1. What is a trio wedding ring set?

One of the best deals you can get on conflict-free diamond jewelry is when you purchase rings as a set. A trio wedding ring set represents your most affordable option. This is a set of three rings: an engagement ring, a ladies' wedding band, and a men's wedding band. The three ring set offers an excellent value because it costs less to manufacture, market, and ship the rings as a package set. This savings is passed on to the consumer as well, especially if the affordable wedding ring set is purchased from a reputable online retailer with low overhead costs. Many jewelers such as My Trio Rings also offer a significant savings on two wedding bands bundled as a set or a bridal ring and an engagement ring bundled as a set, even if you don't need an entire trio set.

2. What is a diamond cluster ring?

A diamond cluster ring is a ring which consists of a cluster of smaller diamonds rather than one large diamond solitaire. Each smaller stone is a real, conflict-free diamond, but the rings are more affordable since smaller diamonds are less expensive. The grouping of diamonds together offers a similar visual impact to diamond solitaire rings for a much lower price.

3. What is a conflict-free diamond?

A conflict-free diamond is a real diamond which is certified to be ethically mined and sold. My Trio Rings is a company that offers customers the assurance that the diamonds used in each affordable wedding ring set are guaranteed conflict free. This means that the proceeds from the initial diamond sales were not used to fund armed conflict in troubled areas of the world.

Need more information?

*The 4 C’s
*Proper Diamond Care
*Ring Insurance
*Ring Purchasing Timetable

Photo credit: josemanuelerre

Okay, guys. You know that you’re ready to marry her. You’re just itching to pop the question. How soon do you need to pick out an inexpensive diamond cluster engagement ring and plan a surprise proposal? Well, if you don’t feel the need to have a ring in hand, then you can ask her whenever the time feels right. But if you want to wow her with a beautiful, affordable wedding ring set, then here is a tentative schedule to get you started. (Of course, if you are in a hurry, you can do it much faster, but this timeline gives you plenty of time for browsing and planning!)

Six weeks before engagement

Start thinking about creative engagement ideas and preparing yourself for the process.

Four weeks before engagement

Start comparison shopping for the ideal inexpensive diamond cluster engagement ring. Look around online to determine what style and what characteristics are most important to you. Observe your girlfriend’s style of dress, home décor, and jewelry selection for helpful hints.

Two weeks before engagement

Select and order an affordable wedding ring set that fits your budget and your bride-to-be’s style. Consider an affordable wedding ring set with an inexpensive diamond cluster engagement ring in addition to a men’s and ladies wedding band to get your budget off to the right start.

One week before engagement

Receive your affordable wedding ring set in the mail (My Trio Rings offers fast, free shipping. Your rings will ship out within two business days of your order). Make sure that the set meets your standards, insure the rings, and find a safe place to keep them.

A few days before engagement

Finalize your proposal plan and rehearse what you want to say. Make a date with your girlfriend so that you are sure she is available at the appointed time.

The day of the engagement

Set the stage for your proposal. Hide the inexpensive diamond cluster engagement ring in your pocket or wherever it needs to be to pull off your proposal. Take a deep breath and do it!

Photo credit: VancityAllie 

As you are planning for your budget wedding and deciding what your priorities are, consider that your wedding day will be a beautiful day, but it is also likely to be a busy day. Make sure that you are making plans that will help you make budget wedding memories that will last a lifetime.

Make Budget Wedding Memories for a Lifetime

1. Get Married When You Both are Ready

When you are thinking about picking out an affordable wedding ring set and planning a wedding, make sure that you are both ready to get married and commit to each other for a lifetime. Read these tips to help you decide whether you two are ready to take the plunge.

2. Choose Real Diamonds

When you are selecting an affordable wedding ring set, be sure to choose real diamonds. Real diamonds are certainly more expensive than alternatives such as cubic zirconia, but fake diamonds do not have the strength and history of real diamonds, and they are not likely to last a lifetime. If you want to save money on real diamonds, simply consider purchasing diamond cluster rings that are part of an affordable wedding ring set from a reputable online jeweler. This is a wise investment at a great price, and it will last you a lifetime.

3. Hire a Professional Photographer

Many wedding planners and brides who have been there would agree that one of the most important things to NOT skimp on during your budget wedding planning is photography. If you want to share your wedding memories with your children and grandchildren in the years to come, then hire a professional who knows how to best capture your special day on film. In addition to ordering prints, it is also worthwhile to splurge on digital copies of your wedding photos, so that you can be sure to preserve those memories for a lifetime.

4. Preserve Your Dress

If you might want to pass your wedding dress on to a daughter or granddaughter today, don’t just throw it up in the attic. Protect your budget wedding dress investment by taking your dress to the cleaners or to a bridal shop to get it preserved in a special airtight box that will help your dress last much longer.

Photo credit: Instant Vantage

After picking out an affordable wedding ring set, and planning a surprise proposal, you will likely be a part of a whirlwind of budget wedding planning. And after the big day, it won’t be long before you need to start thinking about a new kind of purchase – a wedding anniversary gift!

Some couples choose to celebrate their years of wedded bliss with a special meal out or a romantic weekend trip. Others choose special gifts for each other to commemorate their love. Still other couples like to stick to wedding anniversary gift-giving traditions.

In the U.S., there is a list of traditional gifts for each year of marriage. The first wedding anniversary is traditionally marked with a gift of paper, the second is cotton, the third is leather, the fourth is linen or silk, and the fifth is wood. It is not until the 60th anniversary that diamonds are suggested as a wedding anniversary gift.

However, there is also a more modern anniversary gift list. Some think that the modern list more accurately reflects today’s lifestyles, as it includes gifts such as appliances and even eventually automobiles.
 
On this list, the tenth wedding anniversary is considered to be the diamond anniversary. So if you wish to eventually upgrade your affordable wedding ring set, that may be the anniversary to aim for. If you could not initially afford diamond wedding jewelry when you got married, perhaps the tenth anniversary would be a good goal for choosing some. Or if you think you want to celebrate your enduring love with more diamonds, you could consider asking a jeweler to add stones to an existing ring or purchase a coordinating diamond ring to wear on another finger. Other diamond wedding anniversary gifts could include diamond earrings, a necklace, or a bracelet to coordinate with her affordable wedding ring set.
    
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Pachelbel? Tchaikovsky? Beethoven? Mendelssohn? Many brides and grooms feel perplexed when they hear all of the options available to them, even if they are choosing to have a traditional budget wedding. Many people fret about finding an affordable wedding ring set, but that process can actually be far easier than finding affordable wedding music.

Perhaps you feel equally out of your league. As you start to make decisions about your budget wedding music, you may wish to consult comprehensive guides from The Wedding Channel and TheKnot.com. Both sites offer comprehensive wedding music guides that list a wide variety of music options for all the different parts of your budget wedding ceremony and reception, including a variety of different musical styles.
Additionally, if you are having a church wedding, your pastor or your organist might already have a small selection of standard music they use in weddings at the church. A few popular wedding ceremony hymns include “Amazing Grace,” “For the Beauty of the Earth,” “All Things Bright and Beautiful,” and “Day by Day.” A soloist might sing more beautifully, but you will save money if you ask your guests to sing your hymns of choice during the ceremony. And the more familiar the song, the more lovely the sound will be.

Many wedding planners strongly recommend sticking to professional musicians and professional DJs for your wedding, but as with hunting for an affordable wedding ring set, your budget is your budget. If the best ceremony music you can afford is singing hymns with your guests, embrace that and make the best of it. The same is true if your budget wedding reception music needs to be an iPod playlist of your favorite songs played over a loudspeaker. But before you resign yourself to a purely DIY music approach, consider these possible sources of affordable wedding music:

1. University music students
2. Talented friends and family
3. New DJ’s
4. Church organists and choirs

What music are you most excited about including in your wedding?

Photo Credit: A. Vivaldi