The 411: Colored Engagement Rings

Most girls have an idea of what their dream engagement ring will look like by their early to mid twenties.  You have seen friends get engaged and checked out what they are rocking on their ring fingers, having picked apart what you like and what you don't.  Are you a classic solitaire kind of girl or are you open to more unique rings?  As we tend to do, let's take a look at celebrities colored engagement rings and maybe that will give you a better idea of what you like. 

The most memorable colored ring for me is that of Jennifer Lopez during her short engagement to Ben Affleck in 2002.  The 6 carat pink diamond was breathtaking, not only because of its size (it was reportedly worth $1.2 million) but it broke the classic engagement ring style yet seemed to fit her perfectly.  The most notable colored ring as of late is that of princess-to-be Kate Middleton.  Her sapphire stunner was the engagement ring of Prince William's mother, Princess Diana, which shows that colored rings have been in style for at least 30 years.  Jodi Sweetin of Full House fame recently got engaged and is rocking a sapphire ring as well.  Jessica Simpson's December engagement brought her a ruby ring complete with two white side diamonds.  Kristen Bell's fiancé certainly wanted her engagement ring to stand out, it is a yellow colored stone surrounded by white diamonds.  And sometimes it is nice to have a truly unique engagement ring paired with a classic wedding band, like Milla Jovovich has on her ring finger.

But colored stones aren't just for engagement rings, Zooey Deschanel has rubies alternating with diamonds on her wedding band.  Obviously celebrities have a much larger bank account with which to purchase these engagement rings.  But if you really like a certain gemstone, maybe your birth stone, don't be afraid to incorporate in the most important piece of jewelry you will ever own.  Enjoy!

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Source: Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters/Landov; A.G. Carrick/Camera Press/Getty

Source: Michael Bezjian/WireImage; Inset: Elisabeth Fried

Source: Courtesy Neil Lane; Inset: Chance Yeh/Sipa

 

Source: Courtesy Neil Lane; Lester Cohen/WireImage

 

Source: Courtesy Neil Lane, inset: Britney Joe/Startraks

 

Source: Startraks; Neil Lane(2)

Celebrity Weddings: The Iconic One

Even if this wedding is before your time (like me), the images of the late Princess Diana's wedding to Prince Charles are now iconic.  Although many royals have wed over the years, the wedding of Lady Diana Frances Spencer to Charles, Prince of Wales, is known as the "wedding of the century".  The wedding took place on July 29, 1981, at St. Paul's Cathedral In London, England.  Many people may not know the engagement details: "Diana was 20 years old, Charles 32 years old. Diana and Charles had been seeing each other for about six months when he proposed on February 3, 1981 at a dinner for two at Buckingham Palace."(Source)

Just looking at the pictures it is clear that no expense was sparred for each detail small to large.  From her dress with a 25 foot train to the magnificent headpiece that she wore, everything was extravagant.  I was interested to find out some little known details while researching this wedding and I hope you find them as interesting as I did.  There are no pictures from the reception due to the intense privacy of the event but I did find a bunch of ceremony and official portraits.  Enjoy!

• David and Elizabeth Emanuel, the designers of the wedding dress helped Diana to get dressed on her wedding day.  It cost £9,000 (Source)
• Unfortunately the dress designers had not made allowances for the lack of space in the glass coach that should bring Diana and her father to St. Paul's Cathedral. When the bride alighted from the coach the dress was crumpled and full of creases, not that any of the thousands of spectators minded (Source)
• When saying her vows, Diana changed the order of Charles' forenames, calling him Phillip Charles Arthur George which led Prince Charles to the joke: "Diana, you have actually married my father" (Source)
• After Charles finished the vows he forgot to kiss Diana (Source)
• Numbers: 3,500 people in the congregation at St. Paul's Cathedral, 750 million people watched the ceremony worldwide, yet a billion is the official number when the radio audience is added in. Two million spectators lined the route of Diana's procession from Clarence House, with 4,000 police and 2,200 military officers to manage the crowds (Source)
• After the ceremony, the couple went to Buckingham palace for a small dinner for 120 (Source)
• Diana was the first British citizen to marry an heir to the British throne in 300 years (Source)

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Respected Holiday or Royal Hoopla?

It should come as no surprise that this royal wedding is becoming a news spectacle since the announcement was made less than a month ago. I heard on the news this week that there is speculation that Americans are actually more interested/ excited for the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton than the British people are- which sounds kind of absurd.  I know I will either be getting up or DVR-ing the roal wedding on April 29, 2011.  However, I was surprised to hear that some brides are planning to wed on the same date intending to set up video screens so their guests can watch the royal wedding in the middle of their own receptions.  The wedding date has even been declared a holiday in England.  Talk about pressure.  At least the Prince will be able to remember his anniversary since it will be on every calendar from 2012 forward.

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I was equal parts shocked & in awe when I first saw this which is the British Historical Society's Royal Heirloom Ring, a replica of Princess Diana's engagement ring which her son Prince William proposed to Kate Middleton with earlier this year.  I must admit that the majority of the items I have seen on tv (Elvis collectors plates, Superbowl/ World Series/ NBA Championship dvds, etc) that are obviously just companies trying to make a dime on people's sentiments have rubbed me the wrong way.  But, I almost teared up watching the video from The Royal Ring ad about how that ring was one of the few personal items that Prince William kept close to him after his mother passed away and now he has trusted this special ring to his future wife.  I honestly contemplated wanting one of my own but as of press time, my credit card is still safely in my wallet.  But I can't make any promises for what will happen after Christmas.  

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So let's all agree that this hoopla is definitely not normal.  Prince William has allegedly Snoop Dogg booked for his bachelor party and this past week Snoop released a song now referred to as the "anthem" for the occasion.  Snoop says, "when I heard the royal family wanted to have me perform in celebration of Prince William's marriage, I knew I had to give them a little something," (though there is no official word on the validity of his requested performance). "'Wet' is the perfect anthem for Prince William or any playa to get the club smokin'."   

 

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All of this leaves me thinking as a planner and being concerned about the couple.  I hope that the Prince and his future wife are able to enjoy the planning and stay excited without letting all the pressure get to them.  Would you want the whole world trying to find out every detail and capitalizing on your big day?  Or does it come with the territory being part of one of the oldest and most well known monarchies in the world?