A Groom’s Ring Guide

From classic to the dramatic! Tastes in engagement rings span a wide spectrum of choices. So it’s easy to see why a groom can become slightly overwhelmed.

Some couples prefer to go ring shopping together. This is particularly so if the bride is very specific on her likes and dislikes. However, if this is a solo job for the groom-to-be, it means having to do some research on her preferences for diamond cut, gemstone colour, diamond size, ring settings and type of metal (gold, white gold, rose gold, platinum etc.)

Here are some tips when choosing an engagement ring:

1.  Setting your budget – The majority of grooms spend about 10-15% of their annual income on the engagement ring. Of course, this varies, but it is important to have a price range in mind before you venture out ring shopping.

2.   Use her existing ring styles as a starting point – This can clue you in on her style; for example, some brides feel it may be better to be demure and understated with their jewellery choices, others feel quite the opposite! Observe whether her rings are more simple or more ornate or whether they are more antique or more modern.

3.  Know her ring size– The last thing you would want to happen is to try to propose with a ring that just won’t fit her finger! It is much better to err on the side of the ring being a bit larger, since then, it is easier to re-size. A good tip is to place one of her rings on your pinky finger and make a mental note of where it stops or if you can manage it, without her seeing, trace the inside of one of her rings on paper.

4.  Research what diamond cut she prefers – Modern brides have many choices in terms of diamond cuts. The most popular one is the traditional round cut (circular diamond). However, others are also gaining in popularity such as the “emerald” cut (rectangular), the “princess” cut (square-shaped), the “marquise” (which looks like a teardrop that is pointy on both ends) and the “pear” (teardrop). |

5.  Colour – Clear diamonds are the favourite of the majority of women. However, some more unconventional ladies may not mind a coloured gemstone at all. Popular colours now are pink and yellow diamonds and even sapphires, after the fashion of the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton’s ring.

6.  Find out the store’s policy – Be sure to ask the jeweler about the policy on returns and refunds and also about repairs, adjustments and diamond upgrades.

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Review of Kate's Gown

Over the past week, I’ve been asked numerous times about what I thought of the new Duchess of Cambridge’s overall look for her wedding. To begin with, even prior to the wedding, I was surprised by Kate’s rumoured choice of Sarah Burton from Alexander McQueen, to design her dress.

Alexander McQueen, whilst he was alive (before his tragic suicide last year) was renowned for his use of theatre and drama, his use of contrasts and heavy fashion influence from controversial issues such as sex, religion and politics. No wonder…since the house of McQueen has designed for the likes of fashion rebels such as Lady Gaga and Naomi Campbell!

In fact, in Sarah Burton’s debut collection from Paris Fashion Week just last October, she showed an interesting blend of bondage-like apparel, lacing, dresses and skirts with exaggerated hips, feather work, fur trim, Japanese printed silk, corn stalks and copious amounts of pleated organza; all meshed together with impeccable tailoring.

Items fit for a Princess on her wedding day? Probably not!

So now…you can understand fully, my surprise that conservative Kate, chose Sarah Burton in the first place!

Kate actually got her first inkling about Sarah Burton through her friend and fashion editor, Sarah Buys, who wed Prince William's stepbrother, Tom Parker Bowles in 2005. Sarah’s dress was a £10,000 silk, strapless gown, created by Sarah Burton. I have to be honest and say I didn’t love Sarah’s dress and so, I didn’t know quite what to expect for Kate’s.

However, the moment I saw the dress, I loved it for its romanticism and modernism – a hard combination to come by. It was evident that the shape of the dress harkened back to 1950’s styling. The satin gazar fabric on the ivory and white dress, was accented with hand-cut English lace and French Chantilly lace. The lace appliqués on the dress represented flowers such as: roses, thistles, daffodils and shamrocks, which were all hand-placed onto the dress.

The lace itself was hand-made by the Royal School of Needlework using a technique called Carrickmacross (a type of needle lace which was first made in Carrickmacross, Ireland). I feel perhaps that this was Kate’s homage to the late Diana since Diana herself used a piece of Carrickmacross lace, which had once belonged to Queen Mary, in the centre panel of her own wedding gown, as her “something old.”

Although I thought Kate’s deep V-neckline, sweetheart bodice and long, lace sleeves were stunning; I thought the lace on the full skirt, made the gown look out-dated and overly traditional.

I would have loved to see Kate be a little more fashion-forward there, especially since McQueen is known for dramatic skirts. It was evident to me that Sarah Burton showed fashion restraint, obviously knowing that a skirt that pushed the envelope too far would not fit in with the personality and style of her client or with such a historical event watched by 2 billion people!

However, the silhouette of Kate’s gown did feature a large skirt and padding at the hips, which is quite typical of Alexander McQueen’s style. At the back of the dress, there were 58 gazar and organza covered buttons.

Kate wore a Cartier tiara which was loaned to her by the Queen and a veil made of ivory silk tulle. I thought the veil went perfectly with the dress since it was not decorated, gathered or too voluminous and so, I thought it echoed the streamlined nature of the dress’ shape.

On her ears, she wore Victorian-styled, tear drop earrings, which were a gift from her parents. The earrings were custom-made to match the tiara. Her shoes were also hand-made by the team at Alexander McQueen and were made of ivory duchesse satin, with lace embroidery.

In terms of comparisons, Elizabeth Taylor had a somewhat similar lace placement as Kate’s with the gown she wore to wed her first husband Conrad Hilton. Moreover, though, Kate’s dress closely resembled Grace Kelly’s gown, worn to her marriage to Prince Rainier of Monaco.

Grace Kelly’s gown had similar long lace sleeves and a V-neck line, although her neckline was more demure than Kate’s. Although some people have noted that Kate’s dress resembled Queen Elizabeth’s dress in 1947, I don’t share this opinion; since the Queen’s dress was ivory, embroidered with images of spring flowers, encrusted with pearls and crystals and featured a scalloped neckline. It was an ornate statement, completely unlike the understated elegance of Kate’s dress.

Overall, what I most admired was that Kate wore the dress and the dress didn’t wear her. She was completely self-assured in it and radiant. That inner beauty, really...is what fashion is supposed to promote!

Please share your thoughts....

William and Catherine- The Big Day!

Written by Guest Blogger: TrinidadWeddings-United Kingdom Correspondent, Shalini Maharaj McGregor


I've just returned from being on-location in London to bring to you more details from the much anticipated wedding between Prince William and Catherine Middleton! The day began with an announcement from Buckingham Palace that Prince William had been made Duke of Cambridge prior to the wedding. This meant that on being married to William, Catherine became Duchess of Cambridge.

The Bride and Bridesmaids:

The dress was a crowd pleaser! Sarah Burton, Head Designer for the Alexander McQueen label was finally revealed as the designer, confirming earlier reports from Trinidad Weddings.com that we thought this would be the case!

Catherine’s dress was very demure and elegant. English and Chantilly lace was used to cover the shoulders and the bodice fit very close on the body which looked amazing on the bride’s slender figure. The train was two meters by seventy centimetres. As is typical for McQueen designs, emphasis is placed on the back as well as the front of the dress, therefore organza-covered buttons fastened by Rouleau loops and a bustle effect were used.

Interesting fact: Workers embroidering the train and tulle of the dress washed their hands every thirty minutes and changed the needles every three hours to keep it in pristine condition!

It is reported that the bride’s sister Phillipa Middleton also wore a dress designed by Sarah Burton. The young bridesmaids' dresses were handmade by bespoke children's wear designer Nicki McFarlane and featured large box pleats and sashes which were tied into bows at the back. They wore ivy and lily of the valley hair wreaths which were inspired by the headdress worn by the bride’s mother at her wedding in 1981.

All bouquets including Kate's, were simple and included lily-of-the valley, sweet William and hyacinth. Each bridesmaid had her name embroidered onto the lining of her dress as a memento.

Notable outfits

Princes William and Harry looked dashing in their uniforms. William wore a scarlet uniform and blue sash while Harry was dressed predominantly in navy with gold piping. The Queen looked lovely in a primrose yellow outfit.

Both she and the bride’s mother wore morning coats over dresses and it is believed that the coats will be removed once inside the palace for the reception. Carole Middleton paid a tribute to Princess Diana by wearing a Catherine Walker creation which was touching as Catherine Walker has been one of the late Princess Diana’s designers.

Victoria Beckham wore a navy dress from her own collection which camouflaged her pregnancy. Phillip Treacy designed many of the hats and fascinators worn including those worn by Victoria Beckham and the Duchess of Cornwall. Wife of the Prime Minister Samantha Cameron rounded off the notables who wore British labels, by wearing a sea-green Burberry dress and jewelled hairband.

Trends:

Many of the women wore nude coloured shoes to balance off their dramatic hats and outfits which were in vivid colours. This also had the effect of elongating their legs – examples are the Duchess of Cornwall, Carole Middleton and the Queen.

Most female guests wore chic ensembles which were on the knee or slightly below the knee. Where hats were worn, they were firmly anchored, yet in most cases did not obstruct the view of the wearer's face.

The most notable trend was the wearing of the fascinators which in most cases were anchored from the centre of the wearer’s head and not on the side. Examples include Victoria Beckham, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and Tamara Palmer Tomkinson.

The men all looked elegant in morning coats, with medals being displayed if the wearer had merited such an honour on a previous occasion.

To get a feel as to the crowds and the experience on the streets of London- check out my Royal Wedding Album on Trinidad Weddings: https://picasaweb.google.com/talk2lini/WilliamCatherineSWedding?authkey=Gv1sRgCKnVloL5nO2NUw&feat=email#