All the best, CV and Ross!

Wedding Day Barbie is not a problem. Bridezilla is. There are continents and oceans between the two.

There are continents and oceans between the two.

Not to mention great big gnashing teeth and the destruction of Tokyo!

Congratulations Cybervixen!

Not to mention great big gnashing teeth and the destruction of Tokyo!

And a Blue Öyster Cult song!

YAY for Cybervixen!

We love love!

I will try not to be bridezilla. It'll be interesting planning the wedding, trying to find a compromise between the fantasies and the realities of what we can afford. It's good that I'll have a year and a half to work it out!

The ring. I'm a lousy bride to be, I picked the damned ring out and I still don't know much about it. It is a "diamond spray" according to the jeweler. Which means it has five diamonds sprayed out in a unique shape. It isn't actually an engagement ring, I found it in the "right hand diamond" section, but it is unique and I fell in love instantly. I need to take it in to be sized, and when I do, I'll have to ask about the carat weight and all that, because I don't know. It's one of those rings that looks like it is bigger than it actually is - it was very affordable, actually, but it has plenty of bling to make me happy! Oh, and it is white gold - I hate yellow gold.

As I said, I picked it out, but trust me, I had NO idea I was getting it. More than six months ago, Ross changed his excuse from "I'm not the marrying kind" to "I can't afford the ring." So I told him that I'm not the kind of girl to expect a ring that costs thousands of dollars, and one day when we were out and about, we stopped at the jewelry store and I proved it by falling in love with a ring that was perfect in my eyes AND affordable. About two months ago he asked me to go in again and get the jeweler to write down the details about the ring. Even after I gave him the little card they made for me, I still didn't think he was going to do it. The last couple months, he's been back to saying "I'm not the marrying kind," and so I really thought I'd be waiting forever. He definitely fooled me!! He said he decided more than six months ago, but decided to wait for Christmas. When I opened the ring, I was SHOCKED!!!!!

heh, my ring is also not an engagement ring, a fact that the jeweler took great pains to tell us. I didn't care!

Oh, good news!

I....don't have any. I'm back. That's a good thing. Let's just say the holidays lived down to my expectations with an extra added tonnage of horrific. Never thought it could be that fraught.

I categorically refuse to do that again. Next year, somewhere tropical. I'll see brother and immediate company at some other time of year.

I'm over any guilt.

heh, my ring is also not an engagement ring, a fact that the jeweler took great pains to tell us. I didn't care!

Agreed, who cares what the jeweler thinks? It makes ME happy. And screw it, when the wedding band is added, I'll just wear the engagement ring on my right hand!

Wait, if you got and wear the ring as a token of your agreement to marry, it is an engagement ring. It might not be a diamond solitaire, or a solitaire of any kind, but it most certainly is an engagement ring, unless you don't want it to be.