Rings!!

We finally picked up my ring and I was so excited. It looks so pretty. When talking to the saleslady, I tried it on and quickly put it back in the box. I was afraid to look at it too long because that is how pretty it is. It came with the cutest pouch that has two pockets for the wedding day: one for his ring and one for my rings.

We then go in the car and after five minutes I ask B if I can play with the ring. He says yes and expresses surprise that I didn't gush more in the store. But I was trying to play it cool with the ring.

You never want the ring to know how much you like it. It is all about maintaining the upper hand. You have to have the hand.

Now we have to finalize what we are engraving on the ring.

Band of gold...

My wedding band has arrived at the jeweler. B has to go at some point and pick it up. I hope it is okay. They called about two weeks before it was due in the store and asked B if he had wanted round or square diamonds and to double check it is to be platinum. They also asked when the wedding was.

Um...okay...

We think a mistake was made and they wanted to make sure they had enough time to remedy it. They do but I am now going to check the heck out of that ring.

Ring One is here

My ring arrived safely yesterday as the Internet told me. Blue Nile sends the items in a very plain box and doesn't use their name on the outside which was comforting.

I of course tried the ring on and it looks good. However, it is weird to wear two rings at once (band and engagement) and that will take some getting used to but I am sure I will get over it.

Also the ring box that the Blue Nile uses is REALLY nice. It has good weight to it and is solid. It was the first thing I commented on (to myself since I was home alone but you know you do it too so don't judge).

The eagle has landed

Rather my ring has arrived. According to the order tracker:

Apr 17, 2008
1:39 PM
Delivered
Medford, MA
Left at front door. Package delivered to recipient address - release authorized

I want to go home right now!

Out for delivery...

The ring is in Medford and out for delivery. Hopefully the truck does not stop at Sound Bites before it gets to my house. I hate Sound Bites - the food is not that great, the lines are long, the people rude, and they are trying to buy up Ball Square. If you stay with me, you are not allowed to go there but you can go to True Grounds or The Broken Yolk.

Tracking shipments

I love to track shipments and follow it across the country. Right now one ring left Seattle, WA at 6:25 PM April 15, 2008. It is due at my doorstep sometime tomorrow.

Two ring bride

Much to my dismay (though I am sure I will get over it quickly) I am a two ring bride - one fancy and one plain. I feel little bad but then I figure at least I am not a two dress bride. The dress will only be worn for hours while the rings will be worn for days, months, even years. So if you dollar cost average it, two rings is a much more economical deal than two dresses.

Here is a picture of the plain ring (obviously):

All rings have been ordered. And B wants to have them engraved so we have to think of something for that. Every decision leads to another question...

My precious...

I have found my ring. Much like my dress it is nothing like what I expected to buy and definitely more than I thought I would spend. But everyone keeps telling us abut the rising cost of metal - one saleslady said that in the not so distant future they will give away the diamond with the purchase of a platinum setting.

It has channel set round diamonds. I was going to get princess cut diamonds to match my engagement ring but I didn't like the way any of the rings looked. Because of the cut of the princess cut diamonds, the rings are a bit deeper than I like. So I went for round because I loved the way the ring felt on.

Though B thinks I should get a plain band as well. He never should have put that idea in my head.

Lord of the Rings

This weekend I am going ring shopping (by myself, more on that later) at two stores. The first is where MS & SP got their rings and rave about and the second is where Jmo and SD have gotten their rings but they were custom made.


The first store I will visit, Barmakian, actually has a ring that looks like the one I want but it is hard to tell on a computer screen. And obviously Serjeo the jeweler can make what I want. Also while I am concerned about price, I have calmed down a bit. I realized that the ring is the one item bought for this wedding that will actually be used every day and hence, I can spend a little more if I need/want.

She is back!

Having survived the TWO storms that have hit Boston, I have good news. My engagement ring is back on my finger. And I checked out the recommendation for Barmakian Brothers and they have two rings that are similar to the one I love and for less than I was expecting. So all that is good.

The bad news: B's car has not moved in a few days and hopefully he can get it out of the snowpile that is the parking spot. Maybe we should put covered garage on our list of requirements of a house if and when we buy one. After all this snow we added proximity to the commuter rail or subway line that links into the commuter rail (mainly the Red Line which I love so I am fine with that) to the list of house requirements.

Hillary the Hand Model

So I mentioned that B got bought his ring and it was very quick and painless. I tried on over 10 rings and purchased nothing. Part of the problem is that my friend Hillary (the Texan republican with a heart a gold*) was given a ring by her beloved as a gift a few years ago and I fell in love. Unfortunately for the rings, each one I treid on or looked at was compared to Hillary's. Since we have time I am now pursuing the option of just getting Hillary's ring made. Alett (friend who got engaged on Halloween, click here for a refresh of her story) is having her engagement ring made (they are using Hugh's grandmother's stones but redoing the ring design to one more suitable to her profession and lifestyle). Also the lady at Romm Diamonds mentioned custom making the ring. And we have some time so I am meeting with the jeweler Alett is using in February and haivng Romm give us a price. I figure it can't hurt to ask and if I have to pay a lot I should get the ring I want. And the ring is the one wedding purchase I will use everyday.

So without further adieu, I introduce to you Hillary's hand and her ring. It is so purty! (and Hillary's hand is looking mighty fine as well).

*She is not really Texan but we call her that and it is a long story. But she does have a heart of gold and after learning she is a Republican I "allegedly" asked her "But do you have a heart?" I have no recollection of this conversation and that is why it has "alleged" status. But I can see myself saying that to her so it probably did happen.

Naked

So I went to get my ring resized but we decided to hold off but then this morning things changed. I took not one but two headers on the black ice and my hands broke my fall both times. After the second fall my ring looked a little off. Since I was on the verge of freaking out, I drove from North of Boston to South of Boston and had the ring checked and resized. It is being taken down one whole ring size and the prongs are being readjusted (I wasn't crazy!). The only problem is I don't have my ring for a whole week. I keep having little moments of panic when I don't feel my ring on my finger.

I can't wait to get my ring back and to not have it spin around on my finger.

One ring down

After an hour and half visit to the jewelry store, I walked out empty handed and B will have to return in a few weeks to pick up his wedding band. It was the first one he tried on and after trying several other ones, he went back to the original ring. And much like my dress selection, he was surprised that he really likes a ring and the way it fit. I was worried about B's ring selection process since he has never regularly worn a ring. I guess that is not that strange for a guy. He does wear a Celtic cross every day but that is kind of different.

So we still have another ring to go but we have time.

Do not remove

While watching some of the wedding shows on TV (I typically watch Bridezillas or Whose Wedding is it Anyways?), B and I heard of two couples who had some fun with the engravings on the inside of the groom's ring. One had "Do Not Remove" engraved and another had "Put it back on!" Nice to see humor in weddings is not totally a thing of the past. Here is an article that reinforces the notion of a man keeping the wedding ring on - it saved his life. His wedding ring deflected a bullet. I kid you not. Read the story here.

First Wedding Nightmare

So I had my first nightmare related to the wedding.

It started out harmless. A bunch of us were going swimming in the ocean the morning of the wedding (a la Little Rhody's Block Island fete). And I ran out of the water and realized that my engagement ring was missing (analysis: I am worried that I will lose my ring since it is getting too big for my ring finger). Luckily I find it. Then all of a sudden I am dressed and the wedding is going to be starting in a little bit. B is out getting pictures with the male attendants and I am hiding from him. I realize that we do not have wedding rings and I call him. He answers the phone in a sarcastic manner and I start telling him that we have no rings and he needs to get some. I suggest he go to a jeweler and just buy two plain bands and we will re-size them later - we just need something for the priest to bless. He says that no jeweler does this and that he thought we forgot about the rings but he didn't think to tell me. It is at this point that I begin to yell at him and find myself actually yelling (more like mumbling but still) and I woke myself up. I went downstairs, went to the bathroom (my mother told me that bad dreams were our minds way of trying wake us up because we had to go to the bathroom) and got a glass of water. I fell back to sleep after about 15 minutes.

I want to go out this weekend and buy rings so I am sure that we have them for the ceremony. But I won't.