Unique Proposal Ideas

March 11, 2011 by  
Filed under Engaged, Featured

underwater scuba proposal

There are many different unique ways to propose. Here are some ideas to help you to make the day you propose a very special one she will remember for a lifetime.

A creative way would be to E-mail a 3-D animated graphic of a loose diamond with a message that says ,”Will you marry me?”  Be there when she opens the e-mail so you can see her reaction and present her with your ring.

If you both like heights, you can arrange for a private hot air balloon ride. You can ask her to marry you while you are drifting through the clouds.

Another unique idea is if your loved one is a schoolteacher or works in a large office that has an intercom system.  You can get permission to record a message to be played over the intercom. Then you can be there in person to give her the diamond with everyone cheering you on.

If you both are adventurous and are both skilled scuba divers and snorkelers you can arrange a special dive with a few of your friends. You can write your message on the diver’s slate and show her. When she nods her head in agreement, put an inexpensive expandable ring on her finger. Then when you get back to the boat you can present her with the real ring.

You can also do a treasure hunt. You can deliver a letter to her with a bouquet of flowers. Have her follow clues and at the end of the hunt you will be waiting to give her the ring.

Hire a plane to fly a banner with your proposal on it. Then be ready to get down on one knee and propose.

You could hire a magician to entertain you and your girlfriend.  For the last trick at the end of the show you could have the magician magically make a ring box appear.

At a professional sporting event arranged to have your message displayed on the scoreboard, and then present her with the engagement ring.

If you’re going to propose to her on Christmas, you can put the ring in a box and hang it as an ornament on the tree. After all the presents have been open tell her there is one more special gift for her to open.

You can put the ring in several layers of boxes so that each box will fit inside another to make your ring look like it is a big present. Have her unwrap the present and when she finds the ring asked her to marry you.

You can take her away for the weekend to a fancy hotel.  You can decorate the room with rose petals and scented candles. Make a trail with rose petals which leads to the bed. Have the ring sitting on the bed in the middle of a rose petal shaped heart.

No matter what you decide this will be a moment that you both will never forget. This is only the beginning to a bright new future.

Photo by LabLab

Announcing Your Engagement to Friends & Family

December 15, 2010 by  
Filed under Engaged

531347009_b922333a5d_mBe prepared to personally, yes personally, contact all family members and close friends. A good way to approach this is to think to yourself, “Who would be offended to hear about my engagement from someone else.” It is better to be safe than sorry.

Of course this doesn’t mean you can’t enlist your parents (on both sides) to help you. Some aunts, uncles and 2nd cousins once removed probably don’t mind if they get a call from your parents. One thing to remember is to make sure whoever your parents contact on your behalf are going to be on your guest list. Be firm and don’t let you parents bully you into inviting people you have never met.

Dive and conquer. Let you fiance contact his family and friends and you contact yours. Although both of you should tell your parents together. Moms like that sort of thing.

Be prepared to answer all those questions such as “Where did he propose?”, “When is the wedding?” and most importantly, “How big is the diamond?”

Advantages of Cubic Zirconia

September 22, 2010 by  
Filed under Engaged, Featured, Wedding Jewelry

Cubic Zirconia (CZ) was developed by the Russian space program for use in laser guidance equipment as a cost-effective alternative to using rubies which were needed in early lasers.  CZ is virtually identical to diamond in terms of its optical properties, and this lends the use of CZ to producing jewelry – it looks, shine and sparkles in almost identical fashion to diamond.

Cubic Zirconia

So why should you use a cubic zirconia stone in place of a diamond?

Cost

The obvious advantage over diamond is cost; diamond is one of the most valuable substances known to man and it costs roughly one thousand times more than a crystal of zirconium of the same weight.

Cost is not the only advantage over diamond which CZ possesses, just the most obvious one.

Imperfections

Diamond is a naturally occurring crystal which is formed by natural processes deep within the earth’s crust.  CZ on the other hand is man-made, using a precisely controlled manufacturing process which allows for excellent quality control over how the crystal is formed.

All diamonds carry imperfections created by trapped gas or foreign matter, so upon close inspection you will see bubbles or imperfections within the stone.  There may also be irregularities in the uniformity of the crystal structure itself.  None of these imperfections present themselves with CZ, because the process is so stringently controlled – what you get with a zirconium stone is a flawless crystal.

Color

Diamonds usually come with a clear to yellow hue; it is very rare to find a perfectly colorless stone because of the natural environment within which they are formed.  Zirconium can be completely clear or have whatever color is desired, so you the jewelry buyer have a wider choice to select a stone from.

In colorless form, CZ is indistinguishable from diamond to the naked eye.

Shape

Diamond is a very rigid and extremely strong form of carbon atoms, laid out in a rigid pattern; in fact, it is the hardest naturally-occurring material known to man.  This hardness and crystalline rigidity makes it difficult to cut a diamond, however zirconium lends itself to being worked by a gemstone cutter. The result is that zirconium can be worked into a wider variety of shapes and forms than diamond, which again means greater choice for you.

Fire

How brilliantly a stone reflects and refracts light which passes through it determines the sparkle it possess – this is known as “fire”.  Zirconium refracts and reflects light better than diamond (remember the Russians developed it precisely for this purpose with their space program).  Zirconium may be lighter than diamond, and less hard, but its crystalline structure ensures it is able to generate more fire.

The Environment

While diamonds are naturally occurring, there is nothing natural about how they are extracted from the earth.  Diamonds are mined requiring the use of huge amounts of energy and significant environmental damage is caused directly by mining.  There are also large amounts of toxic waste produced in separating diamonds from the tons of earth which are excavated and must be disposed of.

Zirconium requires only a fraction of the energy which diamond excavation uses and waste products are minimal in comparison, making CZ the green alternative to diamond.

For the Fellas – A Valentine Proposal?

While The Wedding Gal’s Snarky Cousin isn’t always the most romantic creature in the world, nothing gets me right at the heartstrings like a heartfelt and creative wedding proposal.  It’s a perfect moment in time, or it can be.  It’s not about the right table linens or the perfect bouquet.  It’s not about bridesmaid dresses that could ruin friendships or whether or not to serve shellfish at the reception.  It’s a moment of maximum potential, when two people first make a commitment to spend their lives together.  It’s a fresh, new, unblemished promise – unsullied by seating charts and unruly flower girls.

So you’ve got this perfectly unblemished moment, full of romantic promise and magic, so why not make it happen on what is supposed to be the most romantic day of the year?  St. Valentine’s Day!

I know what you’re thinking.  How could I, The Wedding Gal’s Snarky Cousin, possibly expect you to believe that Valentine’s Day is actually romantic?  A Hallmark holiday that makes every unmatched singleton feel rotten and every person that is in a relationship feel this unfair obligation to buy gifts and confections?  Phooey on Valentine’s Day!  Right?

WRONG!!  St. Valentine, according to one legend, married young lovers in secret when marriage was outlawed by Claudius Gothicus.  St. Valentine kept love alive in a time of war and oppression.  Romantic, huh?  So, in keeping with romantic tradition, here are some do’s and don’t do’s for proposing on Valentine’s Day:

photo by oskay

photo by oskay

Say It Sweetly

Conversation Hearts are the best-selling Valentine candy.  Made by Necco, they have been printing little sayings on the heart-shaped treats since the 1860′s.  The kind of conversation heart you can buy today have been around since 1902.  That’s a long history of being a Valentine’s Day staple.  Even though the company has tried to make their treats more current with sayings like “E-mail Me,”  you can go one better and use a fine grit sandpaper to remove the original message and add your own with a food coloring marker.  You can write “Marry Me” on all of them, or you can write what will be her married name on all of them.  She’ll get the idea.

DON’T go to all the trouble of sanding off the little phrases on a gajillion candies and then neglect to have something romantic to say.  You can do it.  Just don’t be all, “I got you this candy” and just stand there and look at her.  Creepy, Dude.

photo by CFei

photo by CFei

Nothing Beats a Romantic Dinner

I read somewhere that next to home, restaurants are the most popular place for wedding proposals.  I read somewhere else that 10% of Valentine proposals happen in restaurants.  Somehow that math doesn’t sound right to me, but you can imagine that it happens a lot.  We’ve all seen movies.  Speaking of movies, see the “Don’t” section below for some more tips, but for now I will say DO take her someplace nice.  I know they all tell you to take her to the place you had your first date or the first place you said “I love you.”  If your first date was at McDonald’s, you may not want to propose there.  Unless she really, really likes McDonald’s.  I know I do.  But not enough to get engaged there.  Do say something sweet to her.

DON’T put her ring in food or drink of any kind.  Why?  Why would you a) get chocolate or crab dip or champagne all over her nice new ring or b) take the chance that she’ll swallow it and then have to go to the ER and eventually have to have the darn thing removed or….worse?  Don’t do it.

photo by autiscy

photo by autiscy

Say It Loud, Say It Proud

Use a billboard, a scoreboard, a sky-writing airplane, or an ad before a movie showing, but ONLY IF YOU KNOW SHE’S GOING TO SAY YES!!!

DON’T go to all the trouble, expense, and possibility for public humiliation if you have any doubt in your mind that she’s going to balk.

There you have it, Guys.  Don’t say I never gave you anything.