Groom's Ring

Those of you who know me are probably aware of the fact that I have a fairly simple aesthetic. I don't wear bracelets, watches, necklaces, really any accessories. Those of you who knew me in high school will find this surprising, but such is the case these days. At the end of the day I generally just flop into my bed, and my headphones are always dangling and getting unplugged, seemingly all day long. I'm not good with danglies, I suppose. So getting a ring is a tricky proposition.

We went to about a half a dozen jewelry stores to look at men's rings, try on the different metals, and get a picture of pricing. Luckily the mall in which Shannon works contains more than six jewelry stores, so it was all on one trip. On that trip I picked titanium as my metal of choice for my ring.

I know there are some risks with that. Titanium is one of the hardest and strongest materials in the world. If something were to happen to my hand while wearing my ring, the ring itself could not be cut off. They'd have to remove my finger. So that's a little scary. But I don't do a lot of dangerous work with my hands, and I can take my ring off if I ever do. The other thing is that you can never have a titanium ring resized. You just have to get a new ring milled. That is also fine. The ring is an important symbol, and I'll obviously always keep any wedding rings I own forever, but transitioning from one ring to another as my fingers chunk up over my lifetime isn't that bad.

My choice of titanium had threefold reasons. First of all, it's extraordinarily light. You can hold a titanium ring in your hand and it feels like almost nothing at all. As a non-accessorizer this appeals to me. Second, the balance of light and dark in titanium is perfect to me. It's not too gloomy, but it also isn't blinding, and it works with both black and brown based outfits. And lastly I've had a patch of irritable skin on my ring finger since childhood. Ominous, I know! And I've never been able to pursue my dream of being a professional left hand model! But in all seriousness, titanium is non-reactive and gentle on skin.

So here were the options, ending with my final choice.





The one with the red enamel stripe really appealed to me, but felt like a casual ring, not a lasting symbol of eternal love. The option with the flush set diamond is lovely, but a bit pricey for the moment. It really came down to the last two, and while I enjoy the brushed texture and sterling silver inlay, I really like they bare symbol of a plain round ring. I can always upgrade to a diamond or sterling-boosted model down the road, but as my first ring I really enjoy the simplest option. Also, we're ordering from Etsy because it's nice to support independent artists. This is, of course, not the first time you've seen that site featured on this blog, and I'm sure it won't be the last.

And that's that! That's the ring! I'm going to have it on my finger forever!

BYE!

unofficial sponsorship: etsy

Um...this is not a post really so much as a bunch of random thoughts and a deep love of the internets. Sorry. Real stuff to come, I promise! (Always with the promises, this one...)

I know that I've joked before about how this wedding is brought to you by Target (and really, if they wanted a corporate sponsorship, I would be willing...give me a call Big T, if you're interested!) but really, a very large amount of it is being brought to you by etsy.

If you couldn't tell from like every post ever. I mention them often.

I don't remember how I found this wonderful online flea market, but brother do I ever love it. Almost all the jewelry options I've given my 'maids or considered for myself are from etsy. Most of the birdcage veils I have bookmarked are from etsy. The amazing shrugs (which I must must must do a post about) that I am considering buying or (cough) "recreating on my own"...yeah, they're from etsy.

Also most of the rad christmas/birthday presents you have received from me in the last two years are from etsy.

My most recent etsy purchase was some fabric for our guestbook area...which I think I'm going to try to keep semi-secret for at least a little while longer. But here it is anyway...isn't it sweet?

My mind races with projects to use it for AFTER the wedding. It's actually a bit softer in person, but I think it will work well for our purposes. From fresh squeezed fabrics...I want all the fabric she has to offer.

And just as an update...my bridesmaids are amazing. They are constantly abuzz with planning and I could not be more thankful for them. They're more on the ball than me in many ways...planning their hair appointments, showers, many of them have their jewelry and I myself do not.

And just as another testiment to the POWER OF THE ETSY, my sister 'maid searched out and customed ordered her jewelry before my butt could even make the suggestions...and it is phenomenal!

from KristieGK. I've heard they're even better in person! The other girls are finding jewelry and shoes and I'm just...very...very...happy.

No, not just happy. I'm...excited?


OKAY GUYS I'M OFFICIALLY STARTING TO GET EXCITED!


Let's get married!