Strange as it may seem the use of a wedding ring by men was not
common until recently. Whereas women have worn wedding rings for eons,
men have not. The use of rings as a symbol of everlasting love
enshrined in marriage can be traced back thousands of years. But not so
much for men.

It was, in fact, during the second world war that
the use of wedding rings by men became more common. (Note that mens
wedding rings and men’s wedding bands are interchangeable, both meaning
the same thing.)

It became the custom for US soldiers going to
war to publicise their marital status by the wearing of a man’s wedding
ring. They were happy to make public their commitment to their wife by
the wearing of a public symbol that declared that commitment to all.
Given that this habit of wearing men’s wedding bands was reasonably new
it was all the more creditable that these men were willing to forego
the marital obscurity available to them from not wearing a ring and
actively chose to make a public statement about their choice.

Men’s
wedding rings have become increasingly more common since that time.
Today it is probably as common for a newly married man to wear a ring
as not. This may be due to several factors. The modern man may consider
it his duty to choose to make the same public marital statement as his
wife will. And his wife may well consider it a condition of the
marriage that he do so. After all, in these days of equality, if she is
prepared to make a statement then should he not do so as well?

Despite
the fact that the wearing of a ring by a woman is a matter of choice,
it is in fact almost obligatory due to the fact that it is so common.
Many women do not even consider the possibility of not wearing one.
Often, however, a man usually considers the wearing of a man wedding
ring very carefully.

There are a number of issues to consider.
Firstly, is he concerned about a public display of his marital status?
Some men, whether rightly or wrongly, are threatened by this. Others
are not in the least concerned.

Secondly whilst the wearing of
jewellery by women is so common as to go unremarked that is not
necessarily the case for men. For many men the wearing of mens wedding
bands is just a case of being asked to wear jewellery. Men often do not
feel comfortable wearing jewellery and in many cases have never done so
before. Whilst some men see their wedding band as different to wearing
ordinary jewellery, others feel just the same as if they

Save the Date Cards are announcements that inform your guests of
your future wedding in order to keep your special day free. They are
essential in the following situations: if many of your guests are
traveling to your wedding, your wedding takes place on or around a
holiday, you are planning a faraway destination wedding, or your
wedding will take place in a seasonally busy or tourist locale, where
the flights and hotels perhaps book up early.

They are generally
sent at least 4-6 months prior to your wedding but, if you are planning
a destination wedding, for example Hawaii it is strongly recommended
that you send them 12 months in advance if not longer. For seasonally
busy and tourist locales or on or around a holiday it is best to send
them 9-12 months in advance. Your guests will then have ample time to
make all the necessary arrangements needed to be a part of your special
celebration and may even extend it into a vacation of their own.

Use
your imagination, Save the Date Cards are not meant to be formal. There
are many design options available. You can have them match your wedding
invitations, magnets, brochure style, post card size, multiple layers,
booklet style, you can add a picture of you and your fiancé, or
embellishments to add a personal touch.

Here are some guidelines
on what your cards should state, your names, date of wedding, city or
town and state of where wedding will take place. Also, because Save the
date Cards are a recent trend and many that have not attended a wedding
recently may mistaken them for the actual invitation be sure to include
something along the lines of, “Invitation to follow�, “Invitation and
details to follow�, “Invitation will follow� this is usually placed at
the bottom of the card. For more wording suggestions visit www.verseit.com. If you have a wedding website don’t forget to include the address for your guests to view.

If
you need to keep your guest list to a minimum, make a list of close
family and friends whom you want to make sure will be able to attend
and mail them a Save the Date Card, you do not need to send Save the
Date Cards to everyone you are inviting but, every guest that receives
a Save the Date Card must also receive an invitation.

We
recommend providing your guests with additional information to help
facilitate their planning such as airline, car rental, hotel,
information on things to see and do in the area and surrounding areas,
special events, theatrical shows etc. Go the extra mile and acquire
group discounts by calling specific companies and seeing if they offer
group discounts.

Article

Thousands of years ago, the Celts, a group of independent tribes
spread throughout much of current day Europe, were sophisticated
artisans, carving knot work patterns that have inspired modern day
jewelers to create wedding rings. These motifs have meaning. Yet
understanding the knot patterns and why they make such ideal wedding
rings can be illusive. The ancient motifs are rooted in mysterious
cultures that stretch back well before written history.

Though
the earliest written accounts of the Celts were from Roman
descriptions, some knot work motifs found in Eastern Europe may be as
old as 20,000 years. We know the Celts, similar to Native people of
North America, viewed that the earth itself as well as all aspects of
life and death as divine. They had a large and varied pantheon,
worshipping local gods. The natural world was considered sacred, and
every river, mountain and tree had its own spirit of place. Rituals
were rooted in a particular oak grove or waterfall. Early Celtic
leaders even mocked human-like images of Olympian gods or the wild
animals of their vale and forests.

Knot work, which has become
synonymous with today’s idea of “Celtic� was undoubtedly a form of
sacred, artistic expression. Some of the most famous designs were
preserved in highly embellished, illuminated manuscripts, such as the
Book of Kells which somehow survived the Viking invasions. It was
created in the 9th century at a monastery off the Scottish coast, and
depicts wonderfully imaginative images of humans and animals
embellished with knot work motifs, linking medieval Christianity with
ancient Druidic culture.

In Western culture, there is a long and
venerable tradition of artists that have been inspired by knot work
motifs. Celtic design was particularly popular in the Renaissance.
Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael studied and depicted knots
in their work. In modern times, some of Picasso’s early art is highly
influenced by knot work. And there has always been a group of metal and
visual artists that have kept the Celtic fires burning by using the
knot work patterns in jewelry and other forms of artistic expression.

For
some people, the choice to have a Celtic wedding ring is an expression
of their wish to connect deeply into their own ancestry. They feel
empathy with a European based tribal tradition that treats the earth as
Mother. It’s also easy to fall in love with soulful Celtic music and
poetry. Others simply want the one piece of jewelry that they wear
every day to have a beautiful design with significance.

Whether
one has Celtic heritage or not, a Celtic motif wedding ring is
appropriate because it has universal, symbolic meaning. In the most
general sense, the knots express two different paths woven together.
Life itself

I recall how Mrs. Ingridman taught me invaluable lessons on how to lower a wedding cake price while still going for the classiest of cakes. After her successful wedding, she told me how she managed to treat her guests with a mouthwatering cake which was bought at reasonable price.

She told me the reasons why most wedding cakes turn out to be expensive are because the cake pans used to bake them are expensive. I will list some of the ways by which you can lower a wedding cake price and choose the best cake for your wedding:

1. Before you agree to give an order to the baker, make sure that the decoration and design is the right kind to suit your taste. Go through referrals and see what prices are being quoted. Look through the samples first before deciding on your cake. A supermarket could offer a wide range of cakes at a lesser cost than your bakery.

2. Decide on how you want to decorate your wedding cake…whether you want to keep it simple and cute or splendid and rich. Avoid over decorating the cake. It is not necessary to have a five tiered cake. You can have your cake stacked if you want.

3. Bakers who are not specially into wedding cakes could still bake the best cakes and cost less. Home bakers too do not charge much and could make lovely cakes.

4. You can borrow the pillars. There are disposable pillars available with your local baker or rental companies which are a better alternative than those crystal pillars if you want to cut down on the cost of the pillars. Let the baker or your local rental company helps you with the disposable pillars instead of the crystal ones.

5. Another great idea would be to find prices at a cake making or culinary school near your place. Students have baking and decorating cakes as part of their curriculum. You can be assured that you will get gorgeous cake and have your wedding cake made at a very low price.

6. Investigate prices at a culinary school near you. If students are baking and decorating wedding cakes as part of their curriculum, the per person charge may be greatly reduced.

7. You can even save on your wedding cake topper prices. In Mrs.Ingridman’s case her uncle asked her what she would like to have as a wedding present. Her quick answer was a wedding cake topper. Often relatives and well wishers would ask you to ask what you need as a gift.

8. Another good thing which Miss. Ingridman did, which you may want to do, is that if you buy a multi-tiered cake, see that you decorate it yourself or have the