Celtic Wedding Rings Blog

Here are some tips for young couples on the verge of becoming engaged. Obviously, practical considerations abound. When preparing to merge lives and move towards marriage, the couple must consider issues ranging from the profound (is this really the person I want to spend the rest of my life with?) to the mundane (how should we integrate our health insurance policies to save on our monthly deductibles?). Traditions can provide some guidelines for best behavior, but ultimately an engagement is a bond of trust between two individuals. Only the two individuals involved truly understand their relationship’s intricacies and emotional intimacies.

In terms of practical advice for the actual proposal, surveys suggest that simple, well thought out romantic gestures are almost winners. On the other hand, complicated, overly surprising, or overly dramatic gestures can potentially be misinterpreted and can lead to hurt feelings or rejection outright. The perfect proposal blends an element of surprise with the assurance of inevitability of the result. If you propose out of the blue – without laying the groundwork of a loving relationship first - you could find yourself holding the ring. On the other hand, if your proposal is too prosaic or predictable, you could disappoint by falling short of romantic expectations. If you’re stuck in terms of ideas, you can talk to your fiancé-to-be’s friends or close relatives. If you’re still jammed, err on the side of simplicity and “emotional truth.” In other words, don’t employ a gimmick for gimmick’s sake – think about what’s meaningful about your relationship, and then develop your proposal strategy around that.

The length of your engagement will depend on circumstances both in and out of your control. You may wish to marry within the month, or you can hold off for years – your finances, family situation, emotional maturity, and child rearing plans will all likely impact your wedding date decision.

Of course, before becoming engaged, you’ll likely need to acquire an engagement ring to complete your proposal. We here at celtic-weddingrings.com encourage you to peruse our website to explore our custom Celtic engagement ring catalog. For two-plus decades, we’ve crafted an array of Celtic jewelry, diamond rings, Irish wedding rings, and Celtic engagement rings. All of our officially hallmarked pieces reflect the proud heritage and deep symbolism of the Irish people, and we employ the finest materials and top craftsmen in the field to ensure our customers get great products every time. Dial us toll free from the US, order (or ask questions) via email though our site, or simply stop in to visit us. Becoming engaged can be a rich, exciting, and romantically adventurous process. Let us here at celtic-weddingrings.com help you take the first step to a long and prosperous future.

Let’s consider some tried and true tips for selecting bridal jewelry to match both your personal tastes and the aesthetics of your wedding. One key idea is to ensure that your jewelry matches the theme and tone of the festivities. A super elegant confabulation of diamonds and pendants, for instance, may be appropriate for an extravagant “high society” affair but may seem gaudy and ostentatious at a more traditional ceremony.

Another key idea is to pick items which highlight your bride’s innately beautiful features. Your bride’s close female relatives and girlfriends will no doubt have lots of advice on this subject, but it may be helpful to get a second opinion from a professional consultant. Consider the “wedding uniform” as one of a piece – jewelry selections should mesh with the wedding gown’s aesthetics as well as the hairstyling, footwear, etc.

Thirdly, remember that bridal jewelry is often richly symbolic. Your bride may want to wear a treasured piece that once belonged to her mother, grandmother, or even great-grandmother to imbue the ceremony with a sense of tradition and longevity. Similarly, religious or culturally meaningful jewelry can also ground the cherished event in history and make the occasion feel even more momentous.

Bear in mind that the bridesmaids’ jewelry selections should complement the bridal jewelry theme. If your bride plans on wearing extremely expensive pieces, she may want to designate a close member of your family or a trusted friend to safe keep the jewelry after the ceremony (to avoid accidentally dropping a piece on the floor during the reception). It may behoove you or your bride to take out an insurance policy on certain exquisite or rare items just in case. Make sure to add this to your (no doubt already ample) list of wedding preparation to-dos.

Brides often face this most difficult of questions: what should you do if someone gifts you a piece of jewelry to wear on your wedding day which you find distasteful or even hideous? You certainly don’t want to offend, but nor do you want to ruin your carefully crafted ensemble. There are many tactics brides have developed over the years to wear such items “subtly” – to avoid giving offense and sidestep an aesthetic train wreck. You may choose to wear an unflattering necklace around your wrist (as a makeshift bracelet), for instance. Or – if you’re dealing with a set of unflattering earrings – you could wear your hair in such a way as to hide the earrings from view.

If you’re searching for Irish bridal jewelry, consider using the services of the experts here at celtic-weddingrings.com. We handcraft all manner of jewelry items related to Irish wedding celebrations – from traditional Celtic pendants to silver, gold, and platinum wedding rings to Tara Brooches and Trinity Knot jewelry. During our 20-plus years of operation, we’ve earned a reputation in Dublin for crafting the highest quality jewelry, and we always make to order. Our design and jewelry creation process typically takes under three weeks, although this timeframe can vary depending on the complexity of your order and the materials used. Please browse our online catalog for some examples of our work. You can also stop in to see us if you’re in Dublin. If not – no worries, you can call us toll free at 800 350 9962 or email one of our expert jewelers for a free consultation.

You could read 1,001 guides on how to propose to your sweetheart. But all the clever tactics, cutesy romantic gestures, and silly surprises in the world won’t mean much if you don’t have a strong bond of love in place to begin with. That’s said, it’s all too easy for even very natural couples to become stilted, awkward, and shockingly unromantic when it comes time to propose. So here are some tips for how to “break the ice.”

First, propose in a setting that is conducive to your personality as a couple. If you and your fiancé-to-be are rambunctious, outgoing sport fans, it may be a wonderful surprise to propose via Jumbotron at the stadium of your favorite baseball team. If, on the other hand, your personality as a couple is reserved and delicate, you may want to propose at a favorite restaurant or an elegant country retreat. Only you and your honey know what you enjoy together – so don’t let “gimmick envy” intervene with your natural romantic impulses.

That’s said, here are some cute but ultimately fun and meaningful ideas for how to propose. As a one-off from the clichéd “hide the diamond ring in her dessert” tactic, you could offer her an envelope with a card sealed inside. Tell her you have a gift – it’s hers if she wants it. When she opens the envelope, she discovers a piece of paper with your last name written on it. (Note: this tactic may not work for non-traditional couples!) Another way to go is to make up a book of cartoons detailing episodes from your relationship and then to tape the ring into the back of the book, so that the conclusion of your personalized romantic story is the presentation of the ring.

As with most romantic gestures that require some production skills, preparation is key. You know your fiancé-to-be better than anyone else. What settings and events make her happy? You don’t have to spend an arm and a leg to set the mood and create fun romantic drama – nor do you have to make the situation particularly complicated or contrived. Think of a simple, fun, personal way to pop the question and then work backwards to get your ducks in a row.

In terms of choosing your engagement ring, avoid the temptation to go overboard and spend months of your salary on a ring you truly can’t afford. As a newly engaged couple, you’ll likely face imminent financial pressures planning your wedding. That said, there’s no getting around the fact that, in today’s society, the engagement ring is a major status symbol, and the larger the stone you’re comfortably able to afford, the more fun it will be for her to show off her ring to her friends, her relatives, her co-workers, passersby, and anyone else who she meets for the rest of her life.

If you’re looking to discover superior custom-made Celtic jewelry, diamond rings, and Celtic engagement rings, look no further than celtic-weddingrings.com. Our finely crafted, custom tailored jewelry products are all made and hallmarked in Dublin, Ireland, and we use only the finest gold, silver, and platinum to prepare your cherished treasures. Browse our website to view some examples of Celtic engagement rings and diamond rings, or call one of our operators toll free to learn more about our process and the deep traditions behind many of our fine wares.