Guest Blogger Profile: Jennifer Napier of OneWed.com

For some people, there’s a clear line between an ex-girlfriend and a friend that you used to date. For others, that line is a little blurry. This can lead to problems when trying to put together your guest list, especially if the girl you used to date is now dating another friend, or if your fiancée’s ex is part of your larger group of friends.

At OneWed, we put together a little list of questions to ask yourself before making the decision.

1. What are your motivations? If there’s any part of you that’s thinking, “She’ll be sorry now,” don’t invite her. Also, think pretty seriously about whether or not you’re actually ready to get married.
2.  Is she a teary drunk? If there’s any chance that she’ll start weeping about the one that got away at the reception, don’t invite her.
3. What does your fiancée say? No matter what you think, the final call on this should be your fiancées, the same is true of any of her exes, you have veto power.

For more advice on guest lists, and other wedding ideas, come visit OneWed, the place for social wedding planning.

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Cheers!

Guest Blogger Profile: Whiteflash.com

Engagement rings at Whiteflash.com

You’ve come to the monumental decision that your girl is a keeper, and you can’t wait to ask her to marry you. The problem? You have no idea what size engagement ring to buy her. It’s a common dilemma, but below are some sneaky ways to dig up this crucial bit of information.

If You Want to Go It Alone…
•        If she wears a ring on the all-important finger, you’re golden. As long as she occasionally takes it off, that is. The next time it’s in her jewelry box rather than on her finger, covertly steal it for an hour, take it to a jeweler, and have it measured. If she wears a ring on that finger all the time, however, it’s a trickier process. When she takes it off to shower or do the dishes, sneak in there and make an impression of the ring in a small hunk of soap or bit of clay. If she absolutely never takes it off, you’ll have to be even stealthier. Get her talking about where she got the ring, what kind of metal or stone it’s made of, etc. Ask to get a better look at it (which means she’ll probably take it off) and then make up an excuse to get her out of the room. When she leaves for a few seconds, use that clay or soap to get an impression.
•        Use your finger as a yardstick. Using a ring she wears on her left ring finger, push it down gently on one of your fingers (not your thumb). Make sure that you don’t force the ring. Mark the spot on your finger where the ring comes to rest and then get to a jeweler ASAP to have it measured.
•        If your bride-to-be is a heavy sleeper, measure her finger with a piece of string or a twist-tie while she dozes.
Helpful Hint: If she wears a ring on the ring finger of her right hand, don’t assume that it will be the same size as she wears on her left hand. Many people’s fingers measure slightly larger on their dominant hand. You still have to go digging!

If You Want a Little Help From Your Friends…
•        If a good friend or family member has recently gotten engaged, ask that person to help you out. Next time the two of them are together, the recently engaged woman can ask your girlfriend if she wants to try on her ring. If it’s a perfect fit, great. If it’s a little too big or too small, you’ll at least have a ballpark.
•        If a friend of hers is close to getting engaged, have her ask your girlfriend to tag along the next time she goes to the jewelry store (to give her own guy hints about what kind of ring she want). The friend can ask the jeweler to size her finger and then suggest that your girlfriend do the same.
•        Ask a close friend to talk about her own engagement ring the next time she sees your girlfriend. The friend can ask your girlfriend to try it on so she can see how it looks to other people. It may sound silly to a guy, but it makes perfect sense to a woman!

Helpful Hint: Having her best friend, sister, or mom on your side is ideal, but think hard before you ask someone. Make sure that whoever it is happens to be a phenomenal liar—as in, CIA material. If her best friend blushes every time she tells a fib, she’s not a good resource. And if your girlfriend has always dreamed about calling up her mom and screaming news of her engagement, she might be a little disappointed that her mom already knows.

Engagement Ring Sizing Chart

Guest Blogger Profile: Whiteflash.com

It’s proposal season and many future grooms were wondering how to pop the question without blowing their bank account (especially since the average engagement rings costs $4,225).

Debi Wexler, CEO of Whiteflash.com, is here to show you some recession-friendly engagement ring trends-after all, you’ll want to save that money for the Big Day.

Grooms, search for the perfect ring at Whiteflash.com

Alternative Metals
• Platinum and gold are the go-to metals for wedding rings-but they come with a hefty price tag
• There are plenty of metals on the market that are still beautiful, elegant and less expensive
• Palladium is a growing trend that happens to have a similar look and feel to platinum, but can cost about 75% less
• If you’re more of a traditionalist, choose white gold over platinum. White gold costs 45% less than platinum

Simple Settings
• For the past couple of years there’s been a trend towards micro-pave diamond bands, diamond halos, etc., which can all add to the overall cost of a ring
• These days, some brides-to-be are opting for a more simple, subtle and chic setting
• Diamond Solitaires are less expensive than embellished options, like three-stone rings
• A simple, traditional prong setting or channel set band is also more cost-efficient than an elaborate tension or bezel setting

Double Duty
• Who says you have to have an engagement ring and a wedding band?
• One hot new trend is choosing a beautiful wide band with multiple rows of diamonds and making that your engagement ring and wedding band. Although the ring may cost more than a regular engagement ring, this double-duty ring can help you save more in the long run since you won’t need to buy a wedding band too

Colored Gemstones
• Call it hue-love, but brides are branching out of diamonds! Colored stones like topazes, sapphires, emeralds and rubies are becoming increasingly popular
• Luckily for grooms, they can get a more impressive-sized rock for their money by choosing a gemstone instead of a diamond
• If your bride-to-be loves colored diamonds à la Heidi Klum’s canary diamond then pop the question with a yellow sapphire. Or try a tourmaline if you’re looking to replicate a pink diamond look.

Note: Interesting price comparison for gemstones vs. diamonds using the Emerald ring below: Of course, it’s hard to compare a diamond to an emerald (like comparing apples to oranges), however A 1.59ct D IF emerald cut diamond sold on Whiteflash.com PLUS equivalent setting would be $19,500. VS. Emerald Engagement Ring – square halo diamond  emerald (center stone)1.56 tcw with .79 Whiteflash ACA carat total weight in diamonds that is $9,000.

Buy Shy and Save
Shop for diamonds that weigh just under certain weight thresholds. You won’t even notice the difference in size• Buy a .90-carat diamond instead of a 1-carat diamond and save more than $1,000. Plus, the diameter of a 1-carat diamond is 6.5 millimeters, versus a .90-carat diamond’s 6.3 millimeters.
• A 2-carat diamond will cost approx. $19,000 to $20,000+, whereas a “shy” 1.90 diamond of the same quality will cost you $15,000 to $16,000. That’s at least $4,000 in savings!

Loose Diamond Search at Whiteflash.com

Additional Money-Saving Tips
• Match Away: You’ll spend half as much if you buy a matching or coordinating ring/band set, as opposed to choosing individual rings. You’ll save even more if you buy a “trio” (engagement ring, and his/her band set)
• Negotiate: Many retailers dramatically inflate prices to make a higher margin-but there’s always room for negotiation, so don’t be afraid to go after a deal. Never settle on the sticker price unless you’ve shopped around and you know it’s already a fair price.

Guest Blogger Profile: Jennifer Napier of OneWed.com

It's all laughs with mom until the bride tries to steal her baby boy..

One of the big mysteries of married life is why two women with so much in common just can’t get along.  I’m talking of course about your fiancée and your mom!  Even if your mom and your girl got along great while you were dating, expect some flare-ups while you’re planning the wedding.  As a guy, your natural instinct is to stay far, far away from fights that don’t involve you.

Here’s a little secret info from OneWed- every magazine, episode of Oprah, and all your girl’s friends are telling her that YOU should be the one to solve this problem. In fact, these fights may escalate because your girl is waiting for you to intervene. Now… what you do and how you solve it totally depends on the situation.  But as your official bride’s-eye-view, I thought you’d want to know, now is the time to act! Good luck!