Choosing a Conflict-Free Wedding Diamond

Shopping for your wedding ring is something many women dream of. Today most brides are choosing a conflict free diamond ring. Choosing this type of ring is easier to do the more you know about it.

Being able to identify your stone is the first step in choosing a conflict free diamond. These diamonds always come with a Kimberly Process certificate. The store you buy the diamond from should have a certificate to give you if the diamond truly is conflict free. Any legitimate jeweler will have the System of Warranties statement, which you can also ask to see when making your purchase.

One of the easiest ways to choose a conflict free diamond for your wedding ring is to give your business to a retailer that specializes in them. The most famous example of a jewelry retailer that sells conflict free diamonds is Tiffany & Co.

The countries that produce conflict free diamonds include Canada, Australia and Russia, among others. These countries are participants in the Kimberly Process mentioned above and have seen their revenue greatly increase as a result. The increased revenue benefits those living in each of these countries.

The initiative for the Kimberly Process was completed by both the gemstone industry and the United Nations. Its purpose is to ensure that conflict diamonds are no longer sold because in the past the sale of diamonds was a way to pay for brutal wars. Since the Kimberly Process was started 98% of diamond distributors worldwide adhere to its guidelines. It is now law in 74 different countries that any diamonds sold must be conflict free. In 2003 the Clean Diamond Trade Act was passed in order to provide legislature for the Kimberly Process. Those who are members of the process trade conflict free diamonds with each other and hold each other accountable for having their facilities pass inspection to prove their diamonds are conflict free.

During the period of time between 2010 and 2014 millions of carets worth of diamonds were mined under conditions that many people objected to on a moral level. The resulting idea was that going forward the definition of a conflict diamond became a rough diamond that was one that was mined specifically to pay for military actions rebelling against government.

Be aware of the fact that purchasing a conflict free diamond should be no more expensive than purchasing one that is not conflict free. Do your homework when shopping and you will be sure that you aren’t paying more for your diamond than you need to.

To go in a completely different direction consider purchasing a vintage stone wedding ring. If it is a vintage stone, you can be sure that it is considered conflict free. You will be purchasing a beautiful ring that is eco-friendly as well as produced ethically.

Choosing a conflict free wedding diamond is an important decision that every bride must make, either on her own or with the help of her fiancé.

Putting Together a Timeline for Your Wedding Day

You want your wedding day to go as smoothly as possible and one way to make that happen is to have a timeline put together in advance. This will help everyone involved in the wedding stay on track and collaborate on the sequence of events for the day.

When putting together a wedding day timeline it is important to build in enough time for tasks such as hair and makeup. The larger your bridal party is the more you need two or more makeup artists/hair stylists to make the process go as quickly as possible. Many wedding ceremonies have started late because the bridal party wasn't ready on time. Building in enough time for everyone's hair and makeup to be done is a crucial step in helping your wedding day flow smoothly.

Your wedding day timeline should take into account the time of day you want the ceremony to begin. Whatever time you put on your invitations expect that your guests will arrive approximately 30 minutes before then. It is important that any photos scheduled to be taken before the ceremony should be finished by the time guests begin arriving. You will also want to ensure that music will be playing when guests get to your venue and that they will be able to get into it. Also consider the fact that while the majority of your guests are likely to arrive before the scheduled start time, inevitably there will be at least one or more guests who arrive at the venue late. This should be kept in mind when putting together your wedding day timeline. Most weddings start anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes after the scheduled start time.

Scheduling your cocktail hour and sit down dinner is also important. The cocktail hour is especially important if guests won't have to travel between venues to attend your ceremony and reception. Even if they do have to travel, you will need to know the approximate time it takes to get from the ceremony site to the reception site. You can then choose when to have your cocktail hour begin.

Sit down dinners are typically served to guests within 15 to 30 minutes after the cocktail hour officially ends. Plan on 45 minutes to an hour for your guests to eat and enjoy their meals. Any toasts that are to be made during the reception should be made while guests have their dinner plates in front of them.

After the dinner has ended and dancing has begun it is typical to give your guests one hour until the wedding cake is cut, which usually signifies that the reception is coming to an end. Within that hour you should schedule your garter and bouquet toss if they are to be included in your reception.

Once guests have left your reception venue you will need to plan on approximately one hour for the breaking down of your venue. Keep this in mind when tasking wedding party members with cleanup.