Bling bling ring

Check out these awesome wedding bands--colorful, edgy, and challenging tradition.

18-karat rose-gold band with pink sapphires and diamonds

Gumuchian

18-karat yellow gold band with diamonds, emeralds, and sapphires and beaded detail

Katrina Kelly Jewelry

18-karat white gold band with any combinations of sapphires, rubies, emeralds, and diamonds

Aaron Henry

18-karat gold ring with sapphires and diamonds

Temple St. Clair

As always, your ring should reflect your style and your taste. It's a symbol of the two of you starting your new life together, and it will be something you'll treasure always.

Going the non-traditional route

If you're tired of going to weddings that just seem to be a repeat of the wedding you went to last weekend, maybe you're more of a non-traditional bride. Whether you want to make subtle changes by walking down the aisle to a more non-traditional song or whether you want to go completely against tradition and have a themed wedding where guests where costumes and have to be in character, it's totally up to. The possibilities are endless, and at the end of the day all that matters is that the marriage license is signed and that you and your guests had fun.

Here are some other ideas for ways to step out of the traditional box (some are extreme and some are more subdued):

• Give your guests some warning as to what type of wedding you'll be having by sending out some fun invitations. Check out Off Beat Bride for ideas on wording.
• Pick a theme (something you and your groom love: superheroes, bright colors, medieval, 80's, movies, etc.) and stick with it throughout the wedding plan (themed invites, your dress and shoes, decor, food, etc.)
• Have a fun dance song played for the recessional and then ask that your bridal party dance down the aisle after your officiant pronounces you "man and wife."
• Wear a cocktail dress at the reception (and at the wedding too!).
• Instead of cake have a dessert bar that features you and your hubby's favorite desserts (even if they are Twinkies and Ho Ho's).

Whatever you decide to do on your big day remember that you want it to reflect you and your fiancé in a classy way; you don't want to show up on the next episode of "My Big Fat Redneck Wedding." Have fun and be creative!

Flower budget

The price of flowers can depend on where the flower is coming from as it may or may not be in season near you as well as how difficult it is to grow, etc. Most brides search the Internet and magazines for photos of bouquets that they love then take the pictures into a florist, unaware of what the cost might be. Here are a few tips on ways you can save on your flower budget:

• Downsize your containers. If you originally had a vase requiring 20 roses to give the right effect, consider choosing a smaller vase that needs only 5 roses. Also if you love peonies or garden roses (we love the "fluffy" look these two have), you'll definitely want a smaller container. These flowers are big and usually don't take much to give the look you want.
• A trend that has been in for the past couple of years is really cost effective: "going green." You can use ferns, ivy, eucalyptus, curly willow sticks, and many other plants that will save you money and give more of that natural look to your centerpieces.
• Try not to get hung up on a certain flower that costs $10 a head or getting attached to the idea of traditional centerpieces with 50 stems each. If your florist is good they'll be able to help you find a flower that's similiar to the one you want but for a lower cost. Daisies are great because they come in lots of colors, are inexpensive, and can be arranged in several different ways.
• Try to limit your centerpieces to have 1-3 flowers each. If your arrangements have more than that, then chances are your florist is having to order more than he or she needs which is going to cost you more. See if they can use the same flowers in your bouquets or in other arrangements used to decorate at the ceremony and/or reception site.
• If you want a variety of flowers you may want to consider using shorter vases instead of tall. They tend to have smaller openings and will require less flowers to make a pretty impression. If you love the look of tall flowers like hydrangeas or gladiolas, tall vases are great and curly willow, feathers, etc. can always be added to fill the space.

At The Hamilton Event Center we include all of your centerpieces so you don't have to worry about contacting an outside florist to bring things in. We have several different sizes of vases for you to choose from, and the flower possibilities are just as varied.

¡Cinco de Mayo!

Whether your family hails from Mexico or not, the 5th of May is always reason to celebrate (just like March 17). Contrary to popular belief Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's Independence Day, but it commemorates the Mexican militia beating the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Whatever your reasons for celebrating the holiday, here are some pictures and tips from a cute little Cindo de Mayo set up we did with Pink Poppy Event Designs.

The Hispanic culture is all about bright colors so try to incorporate as much color into your motif as possible. We used this table as the food table with the large paper circles on the wall behind and then a donkey piñata in the center.

Shrimp cocktails and lemons

Green and orange Mexican sodas (cerveza and margaritas are also accpetable beverages)

Authentic homemade tamales are delicious and easy to find at the Mexican food markets. The peppers in the vase behind add some great color.

Hot tamales candy: they're both brightly colored and a spicy treat for your guests

Homemade salsa and blue corn tortilla chips (add more color than normal tortilla chips)

This is a bird's eye view of the table set up

Close up of the table. Umbrellas in drinks are always a cute detail to add.

Check out Pink Poppy's blog and have fun (be safe) celebrating this weekend!