Indoor or Outdoor?
From our Portland Wedding Blog on OregonLive.com
In my attempt to keep everyone up to speed on the Today Show’s wedding planning, we just learned today that the Neil Lane wedding bands were selected and now we are voting this week on the reception venue. We will skip pass a ceremony location as it is customary for the Today Show’s ceremony to be held on their outside studio plaza and fast forward to talk about reception venues.
There are many different things to consider when selecting the right reception venue for your wedding. Part of what I do for my clients is help them navigate through this process. Things to consider;
- Budget~only look at venues that are within you overall wedding budget.
- How many guests will you be hosting?
- The time of year~in Portland we have to always have a Plan B for outdoor receptions in the event mother nature blesses us with rain. If you have your heart set on our outdoor Portland reception, you need to have a solid rain/weather plan for weddings occurring in September through the following June.
- Wedding style~are you planning a formal wedding or maybe a more casual affair?
Still on the search for a reception venue for your upcoming wedding? Well you are in luck because I will be sharing 30 Portland venues in 30 days starting in only a few more weeks. I traveled around the Portland Metro area to find 30 venues that are worth sharing with our readers. These venues I have selected cover a variety of styles and budgets, something for everyone! Stay tuned to learn more.
It’s time to vote for the Today Show’s Modern Love reception venue. I voted for the historic Gotham Hall, what did you vote for? Click here to vote
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Bring on the Bling!
Your engagement ring, the everlasting daily reminder to yourself, each other, and everyone around you of your commitment to one another. The ring is (usually) the first token that begins your wedding planning process, and also is typically one of the most expensive items an engaged couple will buy. It doesn’t matter how large the diamond is or the cut of the stone, the tremble is the same for every newly engaged bride-to-be, it is just the plain fact that it is on your left ring finger. So let’s talk diamonds!
The Specs
Regardless of what type of diamond ring you select, if you purchase it through a reliable jeweler in the States and it is at least one carat or more, the diamond will come with a grading report from the Gemological Institute of America which lists the diamonds specs (size, color, clarity). These reports are just “opinions” from experts it is not an guarantee, but does allow the holder some level of consumer protection. Don’t lose this report!
The History:
So it is debatable through history that the symbol of the ring was originally more of a status of “ownership” verses “commitment.” We do know that in Rome brides wore iron bands and that in the Middle Ages both engagement rings and wedding rings were popular. It wasn’t until the 18th century when Queen Charlotte of England was the first to wear the combination of the engagement ring and wedding ring which started the standard today. Whatever your preference you can either opt to select a traditionally matched set and have them soldered together or select a band of maybe smaller cut diamonds that you could wear independently from your engagement ring.
The Big 4 C’s
Cut: Most people think that “cut” means the shape of the diamond, but is also refers to the way the gem is angled and proportioned to reflect the light. I think that this is what trips most people up in the diamond selecting process. Its all about the light, the better the angle, the more brilliant the stone will seem. The best cut stones are ranked; ideal, premium/good, poor. The 2nd part of the “cut” of the stone is the shape which are; round brilliant, oval, pear, heart, emerald, marquise, rose, princess, cushion, asscher and signature which have nothing to do with the quality of the ring its just the shape.
Carat: The standard weight measurement for a diamond is 200 milligrams and in ancient Greece the agreed upon unit in weight came from the weight of a carob seed. FYI-just because its bigger doesn’t mean is costs more. The size of the diamond is just one of several factors that drives cost.
Clarity: Which is the flawlessness of the diamond, gems that contain no cloudiness, mineral deposits, or inclusions are very rare and very expensive. Their symbol is “FL & FI” on the report card. The next level is “VVS1 & VVS2″ which indicate the flaws are very slight and still pretty hard to find. “SI1 & SI2″ are next in line and they represent good quality. Finally we have not so friendly “I1, I2, and poor unfortunate I3″ which even elderly Aunt Penny will be able to see those inclusions. Boys, sometimes bigger isn’t always better.
Color: When it comes to color, the whiter (or lack of color=colorless) that allows the most light to come through is better. More color will bring the ranking down from D to Z. Thing to know here is that if a diamond is ranked “J-Z” you will be able to see the yellow which is what you don’t want, yellow is bad, clear is good.
Now on to something fun! You can go vote for your favorite ring combination for the lucky couple who was selected for the Today Show’s dream wedding giveaway. Those of you who follow my Facebook page already know that I picked Brilliant Earth, which one will you pick? VOTE HERE!
Happy Planning!
