FROM: Bing.com

By: Shannon McCarthy

Engagement rings are more trend-proof than other types of jewelry, but that doesn’t mean styles stay static. Choices in these sentimental stunners have lately expanded to include dazzling color, tributes to the past and even a bit of social conscience. Read on for the latest and loveliest in betrothal baubles.

Halo Settings

The halo is heavenly and there’s more than one reason why. First off, this style skews a little vintage, which has been a popular engagement ring trend for a few years now. Plus, Natalie Portman sports a double-halo ring, so there’s some celeb buzz for the shape. The unbroken circle also symbolizes the unity of the happy couple, and, on a more practical level, those framing stones make the center solitaire appear larger, which is never a bad thing. (That main stone need not be a diamond – Kate Middleton’s engagement ring is a modified halo with a big blue sapphire taking center stage.) You’ll usually find this setting paired with relatively slender bands typically embedded with pavé stones or rich milgrain work. The most of-the-moment variation uses colored stones as the halo while the center stone shines clear.

Colored Stones and Metals

There’s no question that the past decade’s favorite engagement ring pick was forged from white gold or platinum and set with a white diamond. Every good trend must come to an end, and we’re now seeing more ring choices glowing with color. The priciest are colored diamonds in yellow, pink, blue, chocolate and even edgy black. The next tier offers other precious and durable stones like rubies, emeralds, tanzanites and sapphires of all hues. Much more affordable, but just as eye-catchingly colorful, are the semi-precious picks in citrine, blue topaz, garnet and peridot. Don’t forget the metal – yellow gold is making a serious comeback (with a special subset of yellow diamonds set in yellow gold bands), and rose gold is truly the tint du jour. For those that can’t decide, have it all with a two-tone engagement ring in white and yellow.

Antique and Vintage Style

Everything old is new again, as the appetite for engagement rings that reflect the past shows no signs of diminishing. Think:  the ornate detailing of Victorian and Edwardian jewelry, Art Nouveau’s free-form curves or the glamorous architectural lines of Art Deco design. Engagement rings echoing these eras are heavy on embellishment, with intricate metalwork creating mesmerizing bands and settings, and milgrain and filigree accents adding a sense of substance. There’s also frequent use of pavéd and micropavéd stones, which increases the dazzle factor, even on rings in which the center stone is of a more affordable, smaller-carat weight. Floral and nature-inspired designs offer curvilinear charm and leaf motifs, while the more geometrically clean choice of a three-stone ring both harkens back to the Victorian era and symbolizes a couple’s past, present and future.

Twisted Bands and Intricate Settings

A dazzling solitaire stone is usually the focus of an engagement ring, and while we know that this center rock is going to continue being the star, there’s something truly exciting going on with the newest bands and settings. Twirled, twisted and trellised, these intricate ring designs mesmerize us with movement and playful asymmetry. Of course, carved metal is part of the show, and sometimes pavé-set stones sparkle and play across all those curves. Braids and basket-weaves offer a sculptural look, and high-profile settings reveal more metalwork and highlight the solitaire. Split shanks look modern, as do bypass rings, especially if they use a tension setting to hold the main stone. Two-tone rings sometimes swirl one arm of color over another in a contrasting hue for the best of both whirls.

Conflict-Free Diamonds and Recycled Gold

This is one engagement ring trend that isn’t about looks – it’s what’s inside that counts. For those trying to avoid the “blood diamond” trade (stones that are sold to fund insurgencies or warlords), a gem market has opened up, backed by the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme, which ensures your diamond is conflict-free. To take it in the “green” direction, select rings forged from recycled gold, platinum or silver. These are perfect for the couple dreaming of an eco-wedding and can sometimes be purchased with matching wedding bands. Estate rings are another possibility when both a yearning to be ecologically responsible and a true vintage look is desired, as they’re authentically reused, as opposed to the “mint vintage” reproductions on the market.

FROM: Dailymail.co.uk

By Hannah Rand

We’re all familiar with how wedding planners can navigate us around the tricky maze of getting married.

But now a new industry has emerged, for helping men pop the question in the first place.

Proposal planners have discovered a demand for lavish scenarios, be it white doves, helicopter rides, a favourite musician – all with a photographer on hand to record the magic moment.

Of course such imagination and execution doesn’t come cheap. Planners can charge thousands of dollars to plot proposals as meticulously as the wedding day itself.

Sarah Pease of New York-based Brilliant Event Planning says she only focused on weddings until she heard how one friend’s proposal involved an engagement ring at the bottom of a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken.

‘I figured there must be a better way,’ she told the New York Times.

Ms Pease offers decidedly more romantic options – among the ideas she lists on her website are a ‘glittering New York City evening’ and ‘the romance of a morning in Paris’.

Her fee is $500 for coming up with a proposal idea but can run up to $12,000 if you want her to orchestrate the entire process.

However, men have come under fire for using the service with critics arguing they should have the imagination to come up with their own idea.

Unsurprisingly, this is something proposal planners don’t agree with.

Michael A Bloomberg, of An Exclusive Engagement in Fort Worth, Texas, told the Times that prospective husbands come to him because it’s ‘the one thing the guy has control over’.

He admits most find romance bewildering, and they know they just have one shot.

Michele Williamson of The Heart Bandits, a Los Angeles-based marriage proposal firm, agrees, especially given that women have an array of aides to consult when it comes to organising the wedding.

The idea is much less mercenary than it sounds, she wrote on the Huffington Post.

‘The client doesn’t just give us cash and say “Come up with a great proposal idea,”‘ she explained.

‘We interview the client and ask him a ton of questions about his girlfriend, how they met, and other special details about their relationship. The client spends a lot of time during this interview process answering questions most men probably couldn’t even remember.

‘Next, we use the interview responses to put together a proposal and tell a story about the couple in a creative way. The client is very involved in the entire process,’ she added.

So, guys, even if you enlist the help of a proposal planner, you’ll still need to come up with a few romantic ideas of your own first.
Read more:  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2087537/Forget-wedding-planners–PROPOSAL-planners-help-man-pop-question.html?ITO=1490

Lady Antebellum singer Hillary Scott marries drummer Chris Tyrell

FROM: dailymail.co.uk

By Daily Mail Reporter

Lady Antebellum singer Hillary Scott said ‘I do’ to her drummer lover this weekend as she married Chris Tyrell in an intimate New York ceremony.

The country music star, 25, tied the knot in front of close friends and family just six months after 24-year-old Chris’ July proposal.

Two become one: Lady Antebellum star Hilary Scott married drummer Chris Tyrell on Saturday in Upstate New York, six months after getting engaged

Just A Kiss singer Scott posted a video message on her website, expressing her excitement about married life.

‘We got married,’ she says flashing her wedding ring.’

‘We just wanted you to hear it from us first. We love you.’

‘We’re so excited to be starting our life together and we just had to let you in on the exciting news.’
Scott and Tyrell married in Upstate New York on Saturday.

Hillary Scott marries Chris Tyrell

In the video, the songstress appears in her custom made Vera Wang strapless wedding dress, complete with crystal and pearl beading.

Tyrrell was clad in a grey suit for the ceremony, designed by Ermenegildo Zegna with a black shirt and a tie.

They danced their first dance to Steven Curtis Chapman, who performed at the ceremony for them, a spokesman for the star told People.com.

Scott’s Lady Antebellum bandmates Charles Kelley and recently engaged Dave Haywood were not able to attend the ceremony.

But the spokesman added: ‘They look forward to celebrating with both Hillary and Chris in the coming weeks.’

Scott revealed details of the romantic proposal to People magazine last year.

She gushed: ‘Chris proposed exactly the way I’ve always dreamed.

‘Our families were close by, but it was just us out on a beautiful deck overlooking a lake in East Tennessee.

‘We had just been on a hike and – in our workout clothes – he hit the knee! We feel so blessed by God that He sent us each other, and we are looking so forward to forever together!’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2084072/Hillary-Scott-marries-Chris-Tyrell-Lady-Antebellum-singer-drummer-seal-marriage-kiss.html#ixzz1jjAW0sE4

Mario Lopez and Courtney Mazza engagement ring

FROM: UsWeekly.com

Since they already have a two-year-old daughter together, Mario Lopez knew he had to find an extra-special engagement ring for his girlfriend of four years, Courtney Mazza.

As detailed in the new issue of Us Weekly (on stands Friday), the Extra host, 38, proposed to Mazza, 28, with a gorgeous, 5-carat diamond engagement ring over New Year’s weekend in Ixtapa, Mexico.

“The platinum setting is swarming with round brilliant-cut diamonds all the way from under the finger to the collar of diamonds that encircles the center stone,” jewelry expert Michael O’Connor tells Us in a description of the future Mrs. Lopez’s new bling. “Mario clearly knows that platinum will hold all of the diamonds securely forever, including the impressive brilliant-cut center diamond. The estimated price tag: $80,000!”

The couple, who have been together since 2008 and are parents to 2-year-old Gia, plan to wed in Mexico later this year.
Read more: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-style/news/mario-lopezs-80000-engagement-ring-for-courtney-mazza-all-the-details-201241#ixzz1igue5vW4

Drew Barrymore engaged to Will Kopelman

FROM: People.com

Wedding bells are in the air for Drew Barrymore and her boyfriend – art consultant Will Kopelman.

The couple got engaged in Sun Valley, Idaho, a source tells PEOPLE.

Kopelman proposed with a colorless radiant-cut diamond ring by Graff.

Drew Barrymore and Will Kopelman engagement ring

“They are very happy together,” adds the source.

Barrymore spent about 10 days over the Christmas holiday in Sun Valley with Kopelman, where they were spotted at the romantic Vintage restaurant and picking up organic salads at Kiki’s Café. Onlookers tell PEOPLE when spotted out and about, the couple graciously posed for pictures.
Though the two never officially confirmed their relationship, they have been linked romantically since February of last year.

For most of 2011, they were nearly inseparable, spotted everywhere from Broadway shows to sporting events together.

It will be the third time down the aisle for Barrymore, 36, who was married to Tom Green from 1999 to 2001 and to Jeremy Thomas briefly in 1994.

Barrymore’s rep didn’t immediately respond to request for comment.