The One Ring to rule them all!

Aaron picked up the new ring today. He literally paid $15 for it... after we traded in the other rings and my old jewelry... but still, Aaron handed the man $15 and got this ring. So if anyone asks, I'm telling them it cost $15.
It's more fun that way.

vintage, pave setting, 1/2 carat round diamond- it kicks ass.

ain't she a beauty!?...

and the one ring to bind them all to the service of the Dark Lord's call

thinking about how much I love my ring- I mean Aaron!

shamelessly using the dog to show off my ring while chatting away to my future hubby

3rd times a charm!

Aaron and I picked out a new engagement ring for me today! It's vintage style with a round 1/2 carat diamond.

It pretty much looks like this ring:

Diana Classic engagement ring- $3,605, from Michael C. Fina, 800-289-3462

It's not exactly my favorite type of diamond, I'd rather it be cushion cut, but we got SUCH an amazing deal on it that I'm thrilled none the less.

I turned in the evil engagement ring, it's less-evil matching wedding band, a diamond necklace, and an ugly gold heart necklace mom got me YEARS ago. Stuart (our jeweler) checked it all out and said let's take a look at some bands.

I explained to Stuart that my ideal ring was the Tiffany Legacy ring with the pave diamonds and all that jazz. He nodded and then showed me a ring that I wouldn't have thought about because it was for a round stone. So I tried it on and I didn't love it. It had all of the things I wanted in a ring but i just didn't like the roundness.

it looked like this with the prongs sticking up

But then stuart, sensing my dissatisfaction, said "hold on, I'll put a diamond in it." So he left and came back with a quarter carat diamond and dropped it in the ring and I said "holy shit! that looks amazing!" Then Stuart said that he'd GIVE us that ring for what I brought him!!!! And it looked even better.

Stuart said, "And then if you want to upgrade the stone later it could easily be done." Aaron then said "Will a 1/2 carat diamond fit in it?" And stuart said let me check. So he grabbed a 1/2 carat and it just barely fit but it looked SO fricken awesome. Aaron said why don't we just put in the bigger stone right now. And Stuart checked the price and said he could hook us up with that particular diamond for almost the exact amount in which I already had a credit with him! Aaron said, "let's do it!"

So with the bigger diamond the ring comes out to be basically FREE.

Now I have to wait while Stuart sets the diamond in the ring. It shouldn't take too long.

Aaron's joking that he's going to have to propose a 3rd time because this whole thing has become to ridiculous.

a girls best friend...

So it's been a few days and Aaron's accepted the whole "new ring" idea. I asked if he wanted to come with me to my jeweler, Stuart Simpson, and he said "maybe." (That means with a little more prodding he'll come with me.)

Along with the evil engagement ring and it's less-evil matching wedding band, I've gathered up 2 more diamond necklaces that I never wear anymore, to see if I can do a trade-in type deal with Stuart, our jeweler. We'll see what Stuart can do.

By the way, Stuart = best family jeweler in the world!

let me give you an example of the awesomeness of Stuart.
this is a "diamonds by the yard" necklace from Tiffany's-

And this photo is the actual size of my diamond (slightly less than half a carat). At Tiffany's this necklace at this size in 18k gold would be $3,340!!! Stuart made this exact same necklace in white gold for a much more reasonable price.

I'm excited to see what Stuart can do for my ring. If he can make a Tiffany necklace in my price range maybe my dream ring can be achieved.

My dream ring: Tiffany & Co. Legacy ring:

"This patented cushion-cut Tiffany diamond
surrounded by bead-set diamonds evokes the
glamour of the Edwardian period. "

But instead of the weird "cushion cut" diamond that Tiffany's uses, I want a regular cushion cut diamond like these:

I'm not going to get my hopes up. At Tiffany & Co. those rings start at almost $5000 and there's not way that those four pieces of jewelry I have add up to more than a grand. But at this point I just want say goodbye to the devil ring. And I'm also just really excited that Aaron's not upset anymore. I was feeling really guilty.

the new engagement ring is trying kill me!

I hate my new ring, and the frustrating part is that I picked it out! I picked this particular ring bc it was the only ring that looked anything like an engagement in ring in our price range (which was nada!).

But now I know that the ring is EVIL. Those pretty plumeria petals are like little HOOKS that grab anything that it comes in contact with. Not kidding, yesterday I was stuck to the carpet for a few minutes bc I couldn't get my ring unhooked and i couldn't get my finger out of the ring! It's snagging on sweaters and and getting tangled in my hair and I can't wear it to bed bc we have some ebroidery on the sheets and I just about rip my finger off every time I switch positions. 

Based on some advice my best friend (and Man of Honor) gave me, I finally came clean to Aaron about my issues with the new ring. He got pissed and annoyed and wants nothing to do with exchanging it for something more practical. So... I'm pretty bummed that I'm going to have to pick out my engagement ring all by my lonesome. :(

Anyway, I'm just venting, I guess. But I have to say that I feel like a materialistic asshole for complaining about something like an engagement ring. I mean, I'm lucky enough to have one at all! But I promise- not all girls who hate their engagement rings are materialistic, sometimes those rings are evil and they're out to ruin your life one sweater at a time!

we got engaged again!!

So we're engaged... again! :)

Not that we ever weren't engaged anymore... it's just that well...

Aaron wasn't happy with the first engagement. It wasn't really "his style." He's more of a shy and low-key kinda guy. He had a plan that didn't involve my mom and dad and cousin and various aquarium employees, etc. So Aaron had another plan...

I had picked out two different rings from Na Hoku and Aaron had a chance to pick one and surprise me. We wanted to get "officially" engaged in Maui but we also had a very small budget and a limited time. So i picked two rings that I would be happy with so that I could give Aaron some choice and I could be somewhat surprised.

The choices:

The first one is more meaningful and it also had a matching men's band. So if he chose that we could have matching wedding rings. But the second one was more of an engagement ring. And I've always wanted a diamond engagement ring.

When he first proposed he gave me the first ring and I was happy. He told me that he bought the matching band for himself and everything was good. If I am to be honest here, I was a little disappointed that I wasn't going to have a pretty diamond ring. I had my heart set on a vintage ring with a cushion cut diamond in a pave setting. But I understood that Aaron had a huge amount of medical bills on his plate and that I was lucky to have anything.

But Aaron, being the sweet thing that he is, took into account the fact that I wanted something sparkly, the fact that my family would be all over us when we got engaged in Maui so he decided that he'd by both rings. One to use in his Maui proposal and one to use at a later date when it felt right to him.

That day came a few days ago when we were on our way back to Los Angeles from his parents house in Texas. We take that road trip at least once a year together. I had just gotten mad at Aaron for not buying me Twizzlers and was sulking in the passenger seat when Aaron took a random exit off the 10 highway somewhere in Texas or New Mexico. We didn't know where we were exactly, but it looked like this-

and this-

I grabbed our dog Jackson and took him for a little walk, still all pissed and bitchy what with the lack of Twizzlers in my possession, I didn't even think to ask why we pulled over! Aaron fumbled around for something in his trunk, I assumed it was a jacket since it was FREEEEZING cold out. When I came back with Jackson, Aaron was on the ground "tying his shoelaces"- or so I thought. He called me over to him, grabbed the leash from me and took my hand in his and looked up at me. And there in the middle of nowhere in Texas-maybe-New-Mexico Aaron got down on one knee and asked me to marry him again. And he presented me with the second ring!

Aaron and me right after he proposed (again)!

Then we drove on and I forgave him for not giving me Twizzlers.

pooPlantation

Sad news: the Olowalu Plantation idea didn't work. Jane's friend says he doesn't have much to do with the place, he lets other people run it for him and from what he knows it's reeeeeeally expensive. Bummer.
So now I'm at a loss. For a minute I had it all planned out perfectly. But now I'm lost again.

all dressed up...

I found my wedding dress!!!! 

I went to visit my friend Kimmy at her new place of work- Foley + Corinna on Melrose Ave.

Kimmy (on the left) and me

Foley + Corinna is a really cool boutique-y type place with original clothing designs by the Foley part and handbags by the Corinna part, mixed up with refashioned vintage stuff.
My mom and I went crazy in the store. We bought a bunch of fabulous stuff...

this is me in the dress- Kimmy is showing me all the different ways I can wear it.

It's a silk wrap dress that can be worn like a sarong. And the top layer of sheer fabric is slightly longer in the back so there's a little hint of a train! It's perfect for a small wedding on the beach. This dress can be worn so many different ways- I'm going to wear it the way it look sin the picture for the ceremony and then another way (maybe like a halter) for the reception. And the best part is that it was around $300! Waaaaaay cheaper than most of the wedding dresses I was looking at online.

While I was in the store I noticed a dress that the dress my friend wore for her wedding reception was from Foley + Corrina too!


I bought another dress for my rehearsal dinner that I absolutely love. I couldn't find any pictures of it online. I guess you'll just have to wait for the rehearsal dinner blog!

My cousin bought this top...

Her last name is Foley so she just had to get something. No seriously- my mom MADE her.

And my mom bought some vintage dresses that I'm planning on stealing.

and now for fun picture time:

Mom on Melrose Ave- a blackberry in one hand and a glass of champagne in the other. Typical.

this dress was ridiculous. It was like an ice skating outfit with sequins all the way down one arm. yikes.

So now I'm all dressed up with no where to go!

my sister ruined my wedding

Well so much for my fabulously even 6-2-08 date. My sister ruined that with her stupid graduation. boooo. How selfish of her to graduate 2 days before I want to get married in Maui. (sigh.)
So I guess I'll have to wait a year and a fucking HALF to get married in June. But I'm sorta bummed because I really wanted to get married in 2008, since 8 is my lucky number.
Stupid graduating sister.

"taking the plunge"

Oooh I'm getting excited. It looks like early June is a really affordable time to fly to Maui on Aloha airlines. And I've admittedly (read: embarrassingly) always wanted to be a June bride. And i like the even-ness of a date like 6-2-08. I've decided that this is my ideal date.
I even have a GREAT idea for "Save The Date" cards. I want to make a Maui postcard using one of my own photos I took on the island and a cheesy announcement on the back, like "Megan and Aaron are taking the plunge!"

"taking the plunge" hee  hee... get it? ocean --> water --> plunge! oh man I'm a genius.

planning update

Well... the wedding plans are taking a back seat to Aaron's rehabilitation plans. I want to make sure that Aaron can comfortably walk again before I set an exact date. 

Aaron and I are talking about having the wedding in Maui some time in 2008. I just talked to my cousin Jane who lives in Maui and she suggested that May would be a good time to have the wedding. So I'm going to do a little research as see what the 'ol Internet says about that!

Oh! And I've made the initial guest list. Just the immediate family count is close to 70 people and that's without babies!

 
NO BABIES ALLOWED!!!