Beautiful and expensive engagement rings have been popular for centuries to pledge eternal love and commitment between the bride-and-groom-to-be. In the past, it was royalty that monopolized the most exquisite engagement rings. But today, it seems that celebrities have supplanted royalty as the most visible and widely-imitated trendsetters in engagement rings.
Celebrities influence the market trends for clothes, hairstyles and cars, so why not engagement rings too? Ordinary people like you and me could never afford some of these outrageous rings. We could make money at our salaries for a lifetime, and still not even come close. But it doesn’t keep us from dreaming and wishing, and sometimes imitating, these fabulous engagement rings.
Here is a list of some of the most incredible celebrity engagement rings over the last century, courtesy of Kualani Kapuna at One Great Earth:
Before she became Princess Diana, Lady Diana Spencer received an 18-carat deep blue oval Sapphire encircled by 14 diamonds
Elizabeth Taylor received an emerald cut diamond of nearly 30 carats from her third husband, Michael Todd
For Catherine Zeta Jones, the pledge from Michael Douglas was marked by a 10-carat antique horizontal-set marquise diamond
Jennifer Lopez enjoyed the company of a six-carat radiant-shaped pink diamond as a token of Ben Affleck’s affection, reportedly to the tune of $3 million (It was good while it lasted)
Another short-lived engagement was marked by Paris Hilton with a 24-carat emerald cut diamond ring
Not to be outdone, Donald Trump bestowed upon Melanie Knauss a Trump-sized 12-carat emerald cut engagement ring at the cost of at least a cool $1 million
Queen Elizabeth, always classic, wore a three-carat diamond ring with five smaller stones set in platinum
First Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio eloped, and then he gave her an eternity band of platinum encrusted with 36 small baguette diamonds
Madonna’s engagement ring is a three-stone design with bezel settings, weighing in at a modest five carat total
Check out this video of celebrity jewlery and what the trends are in 2010:
It’s a special day in anyone’s life when they are going to get married. After the proposal has been made and accepted, that’s when everything gets really crazy. Planning a wedding is a hectic time and everything needs to be well planned. Fact of the matter is that weddings take months to plan successfully. The lucky day becomes the focal point of the friends and family of the two involved.
Lots of people don’t know this, but the hardest thing there is to do besides planning the wedding is what to get the bride and groom for a wedding present to help them on their way to a happy and healthy life together. You want the gift that you give to be something that will last for years to come and to always evoke a memory when it’s used. Here are some wedding gift ideas that you may find helpful.
A gift that can be personalized like a gold plated copy of the wedding invitation with the date of the wedding engraved on it.
A custom portrait of the bride and groom on the lucky day.
Groomsman gifts like little pocket knives, money clips, or a piece of jewelry.
Women’s gift ideas like a charm bracelet or ring with the wedding date on it.
A kitchen knife set that will be used everyday to prepare the meals that the family will eat everyday.
Kitchen cutting boards of all types are an excellent second thought to a set of kitchen knives. This kind of gift will be used everyday along with a quality kitchen knife set and will be used and last for years to come.
Like any gift each of these will vary in price, kitchen knife sets vary in price from less than fifty dollars right up to hundreds of dollars for a set of Japanese kitchen knives.
If money is no object then you can buy them the best of everything but if your credit card hides when you open up your wallet or purse then you can either shop around for a bargain or possibly speak to someone else you know is going to the wedding and see if you can chip in together and purchase something together.
A woman’s most anticipated day is the day she gets married. Of course she wants to look her best during this day. Her best bet is the wedding dress she’s going to wear and the bridal makeup that she puts on. These will make her become the most beautiful woman on that day.
There are plenty of bridal face cosmetics tips that brides can use. Some of them are more widely-known than others are. The important tips for bridal makeup are application of powder or cream foundation, concealers, eye shadows, eyeliners, lip liners, and lip color. Applying these cosmetics the right way will help the bride look alluring.
When you choose a cream foundation as part of bridal makeup, remember that you need one which matches your facial skin tone. If it is too bright it might not look good on you. The best thing to do is to put it on the skin of your arm to determine if it matches the color of your skin. After finding the right foundation color, the face should be cleaned with some facial tissue or a damp cloth to take away any dirt. Apply the cream foundation lightly and do not rub the skin. Doing this gently will make the makeup go on smoother. Use your concealer to hide blemishes, pimples, and dark spots. Do not put a lot of this on because it might make the blemish easier to spot. It is better to use foundation and concealers that are in the same shade so that you can blend faster.
Here are some tips to keep in mind when applying your makeup:
When doing your bridal makeup, choose eyeliner that is light in color if you have a light-colored dress. Use the bold colors if your dress is a bit darker.
Liquid eyeliner will make your eyes look more intense. The eyelid base should be light as well especially if you are using light foundation as your base makeup. This would make it easier to blend into your skin and make your complexion appear smoother.
Your lip gloss and lipstick should match your dress well to make the entire look perfect. If you are wearing a white wedding dress, you will look great with red lipstick. The lip color should always match or complement that of the dress’.
Another tip is to use an instant face lift cream before the big day, which can decrease lines and wrinkles. You don’t want any of those in your wedding pictures!
Every bride should look like a princess on her wedding day and these bridal makeup tips can do just that.
