When Rich proposed to me in October 2008, he pulled out all the stops:  He took me back to my beloved Italy, where I spent several months as an undergraduate studying my life’s passions, Classical languages and archaeology, and proposed amid the rustic, natural beauty of Vernazza, a village in the Cinque Terre.  He presented me with the exact diamond and platinum engagement ring from Tiffany that I had been salivating over for months.  The setting and the ring couldn’t have been more perfect, though my reaction to the surprise proposal — choking and then coughing hysterically — could have been a bit more polished and lady-like.  In any case, almost as soon as I got my beautiful sparkler, I started thinking about what sort of wedding band I would wear with it.

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Almost as soon as I found a wedding gown and plunked down a few thousand dollars for the thing, I started thinking about what sort of practical use I would get from it in the future.  It seemed frivolous and vaguely ridiculous to pay such a large amount of money for a garment I would use only once in my life.  Though I generally don’t mind paying a lot for clothing items that I love and “gotta have,” buying a wedding gown is on a whole other level.  Basically, you invest thousands in a dress you only intend to wear for a few hours of your life.  Though they’re some of the most important few hours of your life, and you’ll have the hundreds of photos of you wearing the dress forever, it’s still – in my opinion – a frivol.  I did a bit of research on what I could and should do with my gown once The Day has passed, and as it turns out, there are many options. 

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As you might remember from my “Gilding the Lily” post, I’ve been in love with Regina B. accessories for months.  I’ve been planning on purchasing my bridal jewelry from her for the past year-and-half, and I thought I had a clear idea of which pieces I wanted.  Recently, however, I’ve had to reconsider my “vision.”  While I was watching wedding planner extraordinaire David Tutera’s show “My Fair Wedding” (presumably, I’ll return to being a normal human being after my own wedding and will stop watching such things), I saw a magnificent, elaborate comb that I had previously not noticed on her website.  Here’s a photo of its beauteous sparkliness:

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