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Our Dec issue is a great holiday read! We feature 250 plus ideas to inspire you and look at every aspect of your big day! Jewellery, fashion, flowers, grooms and all the finishing touches can be found. We showcase the latest gowns plus gorgeous vintage styling ideas are included. For your reception, we find venue options that have incredible views. There's plenty of gorgeous real-life weddings to read for inspiration. A spot of celebrity style is the icing on the cake! Get your copy now!
The Bride Bloggers
Antique engagement rings
Mary titchener engagement ring
Vintage jewellery tells a story. Behind the veil of history, antique jewellery conjures up thoughts of nostalgia, wonder, and reflections of times gone by. Antique jewellery is timeless, classic and bursting with character, and if you purchase a piece of vintage jewellery, you’re also purchasing something that has most likely been loved and treasured by someone before you, which gives your piece extra charm.
Antique engagement rings are very popular, and with so many expert jewellery stores providing stellar pieces for those vintage lovers, there’s a great collection available out there. With a civilization rich with history, antique jewellery can date all the way back to the Victorian era, which ran roughly from 1835 to 1910. Then there’s the Edwardian era, the Art Deco and the Retro, all providing vastly different designs and creations from their time.
If you’re a lover of vintage and have a lust for all things old and charming, then an antique engagement ring might be the way to go!
Melbourne’s Keshett and Mary Titchener are both reputable jewelers that have big and beautiful collections to trawl and admire. And Sydney’s Martin and Stein is synonymous with fine antique Jewellery, so check them out!
Read more about how to shop for diamonds here!
Mary Titchener engagement ring
Mary Titchener engagement ring
Love the Bride team X
Ring a ding ding – the celebrity ring!
So, it looks like it’s official – Brad and Ange are engaged! The news of this power couple’s engagement was announced earlier this week and has since sent the media world into a bit of a frenzy. This is just the beginning of what has been Hollywood’s most anticipated engagement. There’s endless speculation yet to come – where will they wed? What will she wear? Who will attend? We want answers!
However, putting these questions aside, we can’t help but be fascinated by the rock. It has been revealed that Brad spent a year working with jeweller Robert Procop to design the ring. The result is this elegant, giant platinum sparkler, worth an estimated $500,000.
On the topic of celebrity engagement rings, here’s a few more that Bride love – from Catherine Zeta Jones’s marquis cut diamond ring (worth $2 million) to Mariah Carey’s Jacob and Co. 17-carat emerald cut diamond worth $2.5 million. A girl can only dream!
Love the Bride team X
Buying an engagement ring
For many guys, the only thing more daunting than popping the question is finding the right engagement ring to propose with.
Before you start shopping for engagement rings
When buying an engagement ring, the first thing to consider is whether or not your partner is particular about her jewellery. If you’re unsure of her tastes or preferences ask one of her close friends or family members for help. If you’re still worried she won’t like it, consider proposing with a proxy and letting her choose her own.
Set a budget
Know in advance how much you plan to spend, or would like to spend and stick to that figure. A good jeweller will be able to work with you to find something suitable in your price range. As a guide, the De Beers Institute of Diamonds suggests investing two months’ salary.
Know what she likes
Before you buy anything, find out what type of jewellery your partner wears. Does she prefer silver or gold? Has she always loved platinum? Does she like coloured stones or white diamonds? Listen when you hear her admiring someone else’s jewellery or engagement ring and pay attention to what jewellery she’s already wearing.
Ask for advice from jewellers
Jewellers are there to help and give advice, so be sure to ask your jeweller to explain the carat, cut, colour and clarity of the diamonds they show you. Since your fiancée may prefer a cushion cut diamond ring versus a princess cut diamond ring, ask to see a few different styles in your price range. Also find out whether or not they have an exchange policy, just in case she doesn’t like it.
Let her pick her own wedding ring
Unless your partner has been tearing jewellery ads out of bridal magazines and dropping hints as you walk past stores, you may have no idea what she wants for an engagement ring. So why not take her shopping to choose her own? Although this will spoil the surprise, at least it will take the pressure off you.
Sophie X
Will you marry me?
Image courtesy Ben Yew
This morning the Bride team were talking, and it seemed we all had one thing on our mind: the 29th of February. Yes, it only comes once every four years, but you may be wondering why it had us so interested.
A tradition dating back to the 13th century says that on the 29th of February, single ladies can take the initiative and pop the question to their special man.
Now of course here at Bride we’re firm believers that a woman can take matters into her own hands any day of the year, but we all love an excuse to turn up the romance, so why not make the 29th of February your day?
Queen Margaret of Scotland even passed a law stating that if a bold lady were to propose but be turned down on Leap Day, her (clearly ungrateful) suitor was to give her a kiss and buy her a silk gown. Sounds like a win win situation really!
Monica did it on Friends, Miranda did it in Sex and the City, and Amy Adams was going to do it in that terrible movie set in Ireland. So here are a few general pointers for any lucky lady who wants to pop the question:
- The first rule of a proposal is just to make it special. This doesn’t necessarily mean over-the-top extravagance, but can also be simple. They say less is more, and less can certainly feel more genuine sometimes.
- Have something to give him – but perhaps not a sparkling diamond ring. What about a simple band, or an engraved watch?
- Have fun! You don’t have to be so serious, so use your imagination and come up with something funny – bake him a cake with the words “Marry Me” scrawled in icing; write it in the bathroom mirror with toothpaste. You’re bucking tradition by asking him anyway, so who says it’s got to be conventional in every other sense?
Good luck!
Hannah x
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