One man related the tale of how he proposed on Christmas Day and arranged the marriage for New Years Day – “How romantic!”, you hear people claim, but the real reason was because he had a terrible memory for dates and was already in annual trouble for forgetting his other half’s birthday. Not wishing to forget their wedding anniversary, he made sure it was held on a memorable date so he’d never forget!

Perhaps this is one reason why Christmas and New Year proposals and wedding dates are so popular today. The romanticism of New Year’s is obvious with the clock winding down for midnight and emotions and expectations running so high for the New Year. Christmas is a perfect playing field ripe for opportunists launching a romantic ambush - just look at all the mistletoe.

That being said, your imagnination is a vital component of any relationship - especially marriage! It pays to exercise some creativity when you are considering a proposal because not only do you want it to be memorable for both of you, but you also want to stand out from the crowd.

Everyone gets swept away in Yuletide spirits which leaves the rest of the year open for more unique, potentially more special events. Using other dates to propose, wed or celebrate also makes life much less expensive; it stands to plain reason that you will be able to hire a venue at much reduced rates outside of December when company and family parties are booking everything hotel, restaurant and club in sight which raises the price. The same can be said for any other marriage related activity as it is one of the most busy times of the year all round.

Thanksgiving is soon to be upon us and is a time when most American families get together; indeed, many families only get together in such an intimate fashion at this time of year with other, extended family commitments pulling many people away from their own blood relations. If you want to propose in front of the whole family, this is one of the best times to get down on one knee, or even go ahead and get married.

More venues will be open and more caterers will be available, which will give you a wider choice and likely a lower cost. As you are booking outside of the busy December period you can expect to get much more for your wedding budget. Thanksgiving is a popular American holiday but it does not dominate the year the way Christmas and New Years does. Planning your wedding or engagement celebration at this time of the year means it is unlikely to get lost in the whirl of social calendar events that are marked in all over December for most people.

There is also the simple reality that for many people, Christmas and New Years is a time when they want to be with their family, especially if they have children. When you plan a major event (like a wedding) in an already busy holiday season might mean that not everyone can attend. Thanksgiving gives as many people as possible the opportunity for them to attend without the sacrifice but with the cost savings you are likely to benefit from, you will have the budget to cater for them too.

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Lawrence Reaves, writing about wedding rings, diamond rings and other fine jewelry. Danforth Diamond provides wisdom and advice to help you choose the right ring at the right price. Visit DanforthDiamond.com or call 877.404.RING

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Destiation weddings are increasing in popularity. A destination wedding is a wedding held in a vacation location away from where you live. Some couples choose this type of wedding because it is adventurous and can save money in the process.

There are no set requirements for a destination wedding. It can involve just the happy couple and a few close friends and family or if can be a huge affair. The choice is up to you and your budget. There are a lot of resorts who are working at making destination weddings that are less stressful and easy for the bride and groom. Many resorts help the necessities of a wedding and include a wedding consultant to aid you with your wedding planning needs.

You can invite just your closest friends and family members to join you in an intimate ceremony in a beautiful location. You don’t have the stress of planning a large wedding or figuring out who to invite and who not to invite. If you have a destination wedding you will have more time to spend with your guests than you would at a regular wedding.

Another reason to plan a destination wedding is it will save you money by not having to have a formal affair with 200 guests. The etiquette for destination weddings says the bride and groom should pay for the guest’s accommodations and food. You don't have to worry about paying for the guests' airfare. This amount will be less than it would cost for a huge reception.

You can also check into finding out how you can get discounted rates for booking multiple rooms. It is possible that the airline you choose has group rates available. You can plan ahead and set up an itinerary of what you and your guests can do for activities such as, snorkeling, sightseeing or beach volleyball. These types of things can be planned ahead of time.

One thing to remember is that you will have to find out what the requirements are for obtaining a marriage license at the location you choose. Sometimes there are restrictions and you and the groom might have to plan to arrive a few days earlier to fill out the paperwork and establish residency.

By having a destination wedding you will be able to relax and enjoy yourself more. Since the wedding and the honeymoon are in the same place you don’t have to rush from place to place. You get to let someone else handle all the small details for you instead of having to run from place to place to get flowers and items for the reception.

Another plus to having a destination wedding is that you get to combine your wedding and honeymoon so you can afford to go to your dream honeymoon location, such as, Hawaii or the Caribbean. You will be able to have the wedding and honeymoon of your dreams.

Lawrence Reaves – This article is provided by DanforthDiamond.com a leading authority on wedding rings, engagement rings and fine jewelry. Danforth Diamond provides wisdom and advice to help you choose the right ring at the right price. Visit DanforthDiamond.com or call 877.404.RING

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Through our day to day movements our diamond engagment ring gets smudged and soiled.Although you are not wearing them, they get dirty.Our natural skin oils, soaps and lotions will cause dirt and grime on diamonds and affect their brilliance. 

Want to keep that Brilliance and Shine?  Diamonds require cleaning so that maximum
amounts of light can refract fiery brilliance. To keep your diamond as fiery as when you first saw it, all it takes is a few minutes and a little care.

You should use a a soft brush like an eyebrow or lip stick brush and mild soap and
water to clean your jewelry.  Simply make a bowl of warm sudsy water with a mild
detergent and put the pieces into the mixture.  Then brush the diamonds with the
soft brush bristles while they are still in the suds.After you clean them you must make sure you rinse them until the suds are gone.  You can use a small kitchen strainer such as a tea strainer to contain them while rinsing under warm water.Find a cloth tht is lint free, or get a jewelry polishing cloth to dry them.

If your diamonds are in need of a stronger cleansing, you may want to soak them for 30
minutes in a solution of half and half water and ammonia.  Once they have soaked for 30 minutes, remove them and gently brush the mountings with a small brush.Replace the pieces into the solution then swish the around in the liquid then remove them to rinse them then pat them dry.  

If you find your self too busy to be mixing soaps and ammonias, many department
stores sell liquid jewelry cleaners.Most are kits which contain everything you will need included.You will need to read the labels to figure out which one is best for your diamonds and other jewelry. Read the complete directions and follow all the precautions.

If you find you are more of the high-tech type, even when cleaning your diamonds, you can find several ultrasonic cleaners on the market.  These machines
use high-frequency to create a cleaning motion.  All machines are not the same, so please read the instructions before using.

Only you can select which cleaning method is best for your engagement ring.   But, it is essential to keep your jewelry clean to keep it brilliant and sparkling.Between cleanings, make every effort not to touch your clean diamonds with your fingers or handle your diamond engagement ring by its edges. This will help maintain its shine and brilliance for longer periods.

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There are many things to consider when purchasing a diamond, especially when it is a diamond engagement ring! The custom of presenting a girl with an engagement ring when asking her to marry you started in 1477 when Archduke Maximilian presented a diamond ring to Mary of Burgundy. In most instances, the girl you are planning on marrying will be expecting a ring to accompany your marriage proposal!

First you will want to consider how much you are able to spend on an engagement ring. Most men use the two month earnings rule. This implies that the ring ought to cost the equivalent of two months of your present-day earnings. Considering you have additional expenses to pay, saving up two months of pay could take a very long time. You may want to think about financing. Make a trip to your local jewelry store from which you plan to buy the engagement ring and let them know your are considering buying a diamond engagement ring, also let them know you will need to finance the purchase. Go a head with getting your credit checked and out of the way, find out what you payments would be, and the amount of money required down to proceed.

Request your lady’s best friend to accompany your lady shopping, first making sure this friend will be discrete wth your secret. Make sure that while the girls are shopping they get a chance to gaze at the diamond engagement rings so you can get an idea of what type of rings your girlfriend might prefer. 
Once you have a general idea of what may please your lady, make sure that the jeweler
you purchase the ring from will permit you to return the ring, for an exchange or just in case your beloved is not ready for this big step yet. You want to be very sure about an exchange policy since you want you girlfriend to love the ring she will be wearing for the rest of her life. 

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When you want to ask that special lady in your life to marry you, you will want to select the perfect engagement ring. There are some gorgeous engagement rings out there to choose from, of many varying colors, cuts, styles, and sizes, but it can really be an mind-boggling selection, especially since most men do not have much experience in purchasing jewelry.

However, with the correct tips and advice from others, you will be able to find the perfect engagement ring and make sure that yes is the only answer you will hear.

Even if you want to get a blue diamond engagement ring or pink diamond engagement ring, you need to realize that the cut is probably even more important than the color of diamond that you choose.

The cut of the diamond is what will really give it its complete look, so you have to put serious thought in here and ensure that you select the most beautiful engagement ring for your special lady.

The princess cut engagement ring is one of the most popular choices, and the princess cut engagement ring is actually one of the latest selections, or at least considered as being the most important new cut or shape for diamonds since the invention of perfection of the modern brilliant cut over 60 years ago.

Advantages

There are a few advantages to the princess cut engagement ring that you will want to be aware of, including the fact that the stones are usually square shaped and square stones are preferred for certain design applications such as eternity rings because they can be set in a continuous line with no gaps between them.

One other point to consider when purchasing a princess cut engagement ring is that as the diamond is larger, these type of rings tend to stand out more. Although the classic round cut diamond engagement ring still reigns as the most famous of all, if you compared a round cut diamond and princess cut engagement ring side by side, with the same carat weight of diamond, the princess cut ring would be more prominent.

If you keep these points in mind and you really think about what the woman in your life would want before selecting the princess cut or any other cut of diamond engagement ring. After all, proposing is only something you want to do once, therefore you want to ensure you select the perfect engagement ring.

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