Something New

I previously told you about myone-of-a-kind engagement ring. I LOVE my ring. What I didn’t love? How difficult it was to find a wedding band to match! When we started looking, I was initially drawn to dainty channel bands, but I really hated the gap between the e-ring and band and every band I tried looked too new next to my antique ring. 

Because of my ring's design, I was told that no band would sit flush against it, unless I got an “enhancer” type band custom made. 

Engagement ring encancer/ image via Gordon's Jewelers

I was telling Grandma Waterfall about the difficulties I was facing finding a wedding band when she graciously offered her old wedding band (her and Grandpa Waterfall divorced when my dad was six years old). Despite complementing my engagement ring beautifully, the band was much too small for my fingers and needed to be resized, on top of having a missing stone. Upon taking it to a jeweler, I was told that once the band was resized, I would be faced with the same problem of having a gap, so I kept looking.

Grandma Waterfall`s wedding band (left) and Nanny Waterfall`s engagement ring (right) / personal photo

As a side note, let me just say that I was extremely shocked with the price of diamond bands! Not having looked at engagement rings, I had been somewhat shielded from sticker shock until that point. I was also extremely protective of my ring and got very upset whenever I perceived that a jeweler or sales person was giving it a dirty look. I remember leaving one store in tears because I felt so inadequate with my tiny ring budget. I’ll never forget what BM Green Eyes said when I told her: “Remember, this is one of the only things that will remain after the wedding. You have to wear it every single day for the rest of your life. This is NOT the place to be frugal”. 

But this story does have a happy ending! After visiting a million jewelry stores and trying on a ton of rings, I finally found one that I didn’t want to take off while on a dress fitting trip to Vermont! It's a 0.75 carat, white gold band from Hannoush Jewelers. In the end, I chose a prong setting instead of a channel setting, and even though it doesn’t sit flush, I think it really complements my ring. I also have the option of wearing the band by itself, which would be impossible with a custom enhancer. 

While I spent more than anticipated, I think it was worth it in the end. I also paid to replace a stone that had fallen out of my e-ring and had it replated, and what a difference it made! White gold yellows over time and while I couldn’t tell when my ring was by itself, it was quite noticeable when placed next to a brand new, white gold band. When I came to pick up my ring two weeks later, I actually cried at how gorgeous and sparkly it looked. Totally worth having a naked ring finger for two weeks!  

 

As for Mr. Blogger, the man tried on TWO rings, picked the one he liked and walked out with it. (Ok, actually, I convinced him to keep looking because I thought he couldn’t possibly buy the second ring he tried on; after going to five different stores, he came back and purchased the ring he had initially liked. Boys are so simple!). He picked a classic beveled white gold band with a milgrain edge. At first he wanted yellow gold, but we decided white would be better to match mine. Here are both rings together.

How did you choose your rings?

*All photos personal   

Something Old

One thing I haven’t blogged about until now is my engagement ring because it’s such an emotional topic for me. I have to say first of all that I absolutely love my ring. Not only because of the unique design (it definitely doesn’t look like anybody else’s ring!), but because of who it was made for and what it represents. 

 

Before it was ever on my finger, my ring belonged to my grandma, Nanny Waterfall. I already blogged about how my grandparent’s church wedding influenced my wedding vision. What I didn’t mention is that their marriage has shaped the way that I hope my own marriage will be like. Even well into their sixties, my grandparents would go out on date night on Friday Nights for dinner and drinks at their favorite, swanky, Havana restaurant. My grandma would wear perfume and heels because she knew that my grandpa liked them, and he, always the perfect gentleman, would spritz on fresh-smelling cologne and wear a crisp guayabera. Even as a child, I was perfectly aware of how in love my grandparents were; they never yelled or fought in front of us, or lacked respect for one another. Instead, they always called each other by their pet names and handled their disagreements (of which I’m sure there were plenty) with grace and dignity.

My grandparents dancing at a party. Can you spot Miss Waterfall?

They truly believed in “Till death do us part” and faced their share of difficulties as a couple, including several miscarriages, but they always got through them together. Sadly, their marriage was cut short after only 37 years, when my grandpa died of leukemia. Even after his death, my grandma remained utterly in love with grandpa, and continued to wear her rings until she lost her own battle to cancer, nearly 10 years later. 

She didn’t own many possessions, but she knew what her ring meant to me, so it was her one bequeath. A couple of years after she passed, when Mr. Waterfall and I started talking about an engagement, I had only one request: that he use my grandmother’s ring. 

Words cannot even describe how blessed I feel to be able to wear my grandmother’s ring, not only as a symbol of a great marriage, but as a reminder that my grandparents are very much still here with me, accompanying me on my life’s journey. 

Of course, I missed them dearly on my wedding day, because I know how much they would have loved to be there, but it was such a great comfort to be able to glance down at my ring and feel that they were walking down the aisle right alongside me.

Did anybody else wear an heirloom?

All photos personal