The fiancé and I have tried to pinpoint a honeymoon destination and its been pretty tough for the following reasons:

1. we want it to be romantic

2. we want it to be cultural (as in, we want to experience the culture we are visiting, not be in a resort that could be anywhere in the world and completely isolated from the country we’re visiting)

3. we want it to be adventurous. (not too adventurous, but still exciting)

and here’s the clincher:

4. we NEED it to be affordable (like, we can’t afford it to go over $5000, for both in total, and that is a MAJOR max)

I’ll share with you some of the places we consider, some of them will be pipe dreams and others could actually have potential. The one I’m sharing this post is of this amazing igloo village in Finland where you stay in glass igloos. The best part is the view of the northern lights you can get at night! Now that is romantic! Found via My Modern Metropolis (a great place to find inspiration of all kinds), this place seems WAY over our budget. But, a girl can dream, right? Do you guys have suggestions?

The moment that my the boyfriend proposed to me, the only thing I was sure of (other than my groom) was who I wanted responsible for the most important part of that special day: the photos!

I met Tim at my very first real job after graduating from my masters. We were both suffering under a horrendously mean boss, who actually made me cry on more than one occasion. (She would also not let me wear my red scarf to work, because she thought the color red was too garish). Because she had just started her own design firm, we were the only two poor souls who were working for her, so really, we only had each other to turn and roll our eyes when she was on one of her insane trips.

Thankfully, both Tim and I eventually left that firm and found different, more creative professions! Even back then Tim was into photography, and he began tentatively setting up a wedding photography business, along with a great blog that showed off his work. I followed his blog from day one, and I watched as he (and his very talented wife, Angela) took their fledgling business to the very peak of creativity. Just looking at his photos you can see why I love their style. They capture moments, expressions, feelings that will stand the test of time.

The best part is now I can rest assured that my special day will be captured perfectly.

See Tim Chin’s website for more images and enjoy a few of my favorites below. It was super tough to pick a few favorites from his amazing collection, so I URGE YOU to go and see his portfolio on his site!

I’m so excited to show you all my engagement ring! Like I mentioned yesterday, This ring is an heirloom in my fiancé’s family. It was his great grandmother’s wedding ring that was passed down to the first great-grandson. I did some research on the ring, since I wanted to know more about it and found out a few interesting tidbits I will pass along.

During the 1920′s (when his great-grandfather purchased it) the Art Deco style was in high fashion. Intricate filigree work was common in that era, along with Egyptian and geometric influences. More than one diamond would always be incorporated into an engagement ring. (It may be hard to see, but mine has one big diamond and 10 smaller diamonds that are set within the filigree)

Platinum became the “go-to” metal for engagement rings because of a combination of circumstances. The first being in 1924, when the largest platinum deposit was discovered in Johannesburg, South Africa  and secondly, The Duchess of Windsor (who was seen as a fine connoisseur of jewelry) declared Platinum as the “only choice for evening wear”. Once world war II began, platinum was decreed a strategic metal because of its use in machinery making it in high demand and low availability. Platinum is rarer than gold!

You can see from my ring all the traditional elements of an Art Deco ring, which makes it so utterly gorgeous! I’m so happy with it! what do you think?

If you’d like to read more about platinum and see the sources of my Art Deco and platinum information please see the following: Precious Platinum

Alright, so I’ve been off in la-la land lately, I admit it. At the beginning of this month, my band of merry-men and dog-lady moved to larger digs, which was a crazy stressful experience. We are not even close to unpacked yet, but we are really enjoying our new place thoroughly, it being about twice as large as our old apartment!! On the more exciting side, my lovely boyfriend also surprised me on our third anniversary with a lovely lunch out in the country at a beautiful inn followed by wonderful massages and a dip in the pool at a spa. Possibly the most exciting part of the day was when he got on one knee pre-lunch, in a beautiful green field filled with trees and lilies and proposed with his great grandmother’s gorgeous platinum and diamond ring!! That’s right, folks, I am now engaged (because, of course, I said YES!).

Being a designer I automatically started planning the wedding, what a fabulous chance to organize a pretty party!!! Possibly the only time I’ll have so much of a budget to throw one! I will be sharing the beautiful art deco ring I received, but first, I would love to share my colour palette, inspired by a photo of a bouquet from Martha Stewart weddings.