Where do you want to go for your honeymoon?

After your wedding, where do you want to go for your honeymoon? Let's share with us! J

Compare of the Bridal Shop Packages……

Hi all bride-to-be and groom-to-be,

Let's share your bridal shop packages that you or your friends have signed off.

e.g: Bridal shop name, location, total price, gowns (how many WG/EG/TC for AD and photo shooting), photos (poses), album size and qty, frame size and qty, other hidden costs etc.

What you should know about honeymoon

Wedding usually is the time for sharing your happiness with your friends and family while honeymoon is for the couple. Not all the newlyweds take a honeymoon and some of them think that need to spend a lot of money after spending for their wedding. If possible, try to have some budget for honeymoon. It will help you recover from the wedding and give both of some time to enjoy your romantic moment. Here are some tips to ensure your honeymoon is everything you hope for:

1. Decide on a budget. If you do not have budget to stay at 5 star hotel or round-the-world tour, let's think about a tour that you are afford. For example, you can have your honeymoon locally. Anyhow, figure out how much you have to spend for your honeymoon before go for any trip to prevent over-spend.
2. Discuss your perfect vacation idea. Some of people like sun and sea. Some of the people like sport. Both of you sit down together and create a list of things that mean the most to you. Compare and find the similarity. Marriage is going to call for lots of compromise and this is the place to start.
3. Decide on the destination. If you're on budget, there are some places adjusting their rates seasonally. Pick a few destinations that both of you like most.
4. Use travel agent. They can help to arrange all the accommodations and transportation. You do not worry too much since you will be very busy for preparing your wedding too. If you would like to backpack or book airlines packages, you have to do a lot of research a bit earlier.
5. If you are going abroad, leave plenty of time to make sure your passport is current (> 6 months). Apply visa if needed.
6. When you do reservation, tell them you are in honeymoon. Sometime you may be get some surprise that your room is upgraded to a better room at no charge or free welcoming gift when you arrive.
7. Protect your privacy. A honeymoon is for the two of you. No kids, no pets and no company!
8. Prepare and bring more money than you think you'll need. Sometimes there will be some miscellaneous spending that you may be encountered before honeymoon. If possible, pre-pay for everything or choose all inclusive rate resort/hotel.
9. Spare some time that doing nothing. While it's great to know you have plenty of options in terms of things to see and do, this is, after all, a honeymoon.
10. Be considerate. J

How to buy a diamond

Armed with the proper knowledge, you will able to choose the correct diamond for you and your bride.

1. Decide how much you want to spend. Some of the people say the engagement ring equal to your two months' salary. I think it should depend on your budget and ability. You do not want to put all your money to buy a ring and no money to spend for your wedding.
2. Choose the shape of diamond you prefer. Although the round or brilliant cut is the most popular, diamonds come in many cuts, including oval, square or even heart-shaped.
3. Inspect the diamond's Clarity (the degree of transparency). A flawless diamond, free from all inclusions or blemishes, is very rare and expensive. Diamond is usually rated on a clarity scale that grades diamonds from flawless to obvious inclusions. Grades include FL for flawless, VSI for very slightly included and I3 for included.
4. Check the diamond's Color. Although diamond has red, blue or purple color. Pure and colorless diamond is the most popular diamond's color. Letters represent diamond colors with D (colorless, very rare and most desirable) to Z (light yellow or brown and less desirable). The higher purity, the higher price of the diamond.
5. See the diamond's Cut. It is a major factor in making its value. A well-cut diamond reflects and disperses light in beautiful ways - Qualities such as symmetry and depth (not too shallow or too deep). Diamonds are graded according to the cut quality and this grade should carry a great deal of weight in your decision.
6. Determine the weight of the diamond, which is measured in Carats. The greater the carat weight, the more valuable the diamond. Keep in mind that since larger stones are more rare, 1 carat diamond is much more expensive than two ½ carat diamonds.
7. Compare diamonds side by side. No two diamonds are alike, so check all of them carefully for their unique qualities.
8. Ask for the grading report. Your diamond's detailed genealogy. Don't buy a costly stone without one, since it's your guarantee that you're getting what you've paid for. It is recommended that you obtain a certificate from Gemological Institute of America (GIA). It is the largest impartial diamond grading authority in the world, issues a grading report after it examines the diamond and details it specifications.
9. Make your final decision based on which diamonds offers the best combination of the four C's: Clarity, Color, Cut and Carat. Ignore any of these attributes and you jeopardize your chances of getting the best diamond for your money.
10. Buy from the trusted jewelry shop.

Tips to buy wedding bands

It has been within the last two generations that most grooms have been exchanging wedding bands with their brides. Nowadays, it becomes a must for grooms and brides to have their wedding band exchange during wedding ceremony. Here are some of the tips for selecting the perfect wedding band.

1. Shop together. The engagement ring is the surprise but you should decide on wedding rings together. Many women already know what they want on their wedding ring. So let's sitting down and discussing in order to get on the same page.
2. Decide on matching or separate bands. Nowadays, most of the designers understand the difference between men and women, and have crafted matching rings that look feminine on a woman's hand, yet masculine on the man's hand. If possible you can buy matching wedding band. It will cost you less compared to separate bands (most of the time). However, it is not absolutely necessary. A man prefers yellow gold rather than platinum or he prefers simple design, he can get a different style from his bride.
3. Some of the people will wear their engagement ring and wedding band together. You can choose one to match your engagement ring. However, it is not a must.
4. Consider your lifestyle. Rings should adorn and accentuate your hands, not hinder them. If you use your hands for house works and you do not want to scuff up your stone or damage your ring, consider a low setting or a hard stone. Conversely, if you live a life of leisure and you want to flaunt your luxurious diamond, get it set high and let it bling.
5. Choose a stone. You have to know what are the 4Cs before you buy rings. Check the other article from this blog for detailed of 4Cs. Other than diamonds, you can consider other stones which bring different meaning. If you want to have budget wedding band and diamond and other stones are still too expensive for you, you may choose some design crafted on the rings or different metals matching to show some special design on the wedding bands.
6. Choose a band metal. The most three popular are yellow gold, white gold and platinum. White gold is the most popular as it coordinates both silver and gold and is less expensive than platinum. However, platinum is much stronger than white gold. Yellow gold is traditional but sometimes it looks nice when wearing. Try up and choose the most suitable band metal.
7. Collect more information. You may collect catalogs from the jeweler shops and compared the design and the price of the wedding bands.
8. Visit your trusted jeweler and visit more shops before buy. You have to visit at least 2 to 3 jewelry shops to try up the wedding bands. Remember, some of wedding bands look good in photo may not look nice at your finger. Compared the price and the after sales service. Some of the shops will provide you free to re-size for whole life some are not.
9. Go with comfort. The shape of the ring and its width are two factors that will go a long way in helping you determine if a wedding band is comfortable or not. Soft, rounded edges are preferable to a ring with angular edges. The curve on the inside of the ring should be soft otherwise you’ll find the ring annoying and not want to wear it.
10. Budget. Last but not least, everything in wedding will need to spend a lot. You have to understand your budget well and tell the jewelry shop. They will try to introduce the wedding band which is within your budget.

Here are some additional information to share with you:

1.Choosing A Perfect Wedding Ring: http://www.weddingplansecrets.com/pick-wedding-ring.htm

2. Choosing a Perfect Wedding Ring - Lifetime Of Gold or Silver?: http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/1-22-2006-86979.asp

3. Choosing The Perfect Wedding Ring: http://www.kissmegoodnight.com/wedding-tips/choosing_the_perfect_wedding_ring.shtml

4. Choosing the Perfect Ring: http://weddings.about.com/cs/rings/a/weddingrings.htm

5. How To Choose The Perfect Wedding Ring?: http://www.fmbrides.com/8-months/find-a-wedding-ring/how-to-choose-the-perfect-wedding-ring.html

6. Choosing The Perfect Wedding Band: http://www.blackvoices.com/blogs/2008/06/18/choosing-the-perfect-wedding-band/

7. How to Choose a Matching Wedding Ring for Your Engagement Ring: http://www.ehow.com/how_2283719_choose-matching-wedding-ring-engagement.html

8. Wedding Ring Tradition?: http://www.jamesallen.com/news/DiamondArticles/article_419-209.asp

Budget No-Nos

Avoid the following at all costs :

• Getting into debt because of your wedding.
• Comparing your wedding budget to those of your friends. Do what feels right for you and your partner.
• Thinking 'it's just a little bit more'. Remember, it all adds up!
• Wanting to throw a big party just for 'face'.
• Procrastinating during sample sales, promotion periods and the like. If you like the dress or feel the photography package is value-for-money, buy it and sign on the dotted line.
• Wanting the best of everything. Sometimes, compromise and trade-offs are needed.

(Picked from http://weddingsmalaysia.com/)