A wedding is a ceremony that celebrates the beginning of a marriage or civil union. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. In some countries, cultures and religions, the actual act of marriage begins during the wedding ceremony. In others, the legal act of marriage occurs at the time of signing a marriage license or other legal document, and the wedding is then an opportunity to perform a traditional ceremony and celebrate with friends and family. A woman being married is called a bride, a man called a bridegroom, after the ceremony they become a wife and a husband, respectively.

If your wedding day is approaching, there is no doubt that most of your time has been occupied with preparing for the special day. Deciding who is coming, what type of dress you should get designed, your style of shoes, the bridesmaid dresses, and arrangement of flowers are just the beginning!

And of course, let's not forget the wedding jewelry!

Wedding jewelry forms one of the most important parts of the wedding. Let's face it; out of everything that happens that day, it's the wedding rings that continue on as a reminder of the event. Since weddings are seeped in tradition, particular use of jewelry on this day has also been an age old tradition, such as wedding rings and bridesmaid gifts. So it's important that you plan your jewelry and spend sufficient time in purchasing exactly what you want.

The first wedding jewelry always on the mind are the wedding rings. No wedding is complete without the wedding rings because the ceremony includes the exchanging of rings between the bride and groom. Wedding rings are the symbol of your love towards the person you are going to spend your life with. The age old tradition says that wearing wedding rings on the left hand prevents your love from escaping.

Though gold rings have in the past been the most preferred metal for weddings, these days there are variations that include a mixture of metals such as silver and platinum, or yellow gold and white gold. You can even choose to have gold rings studded with gems just for something unique.

The wedding rings for the bride and the groom need to be selected according to taste. Some brides and grooms decide to have matching ring sets while others go for completely different styles; one may be plain and the other a more intricate design.

Once you've purchased your perfect wedding rings, the other jewelry you may decide to buy are necklaces, bracelets, or earrings for the bridesmaids; cuff links for the best men; and possibly a new type of wedding jewelry - the groom's watch. If you're interested in the tradition behind the wedding jewelry, go online to find out the historical history behind the gift giving.

If you do decide to go for the traditional yellow gold you need to decide whether you want 9K, 14K, 18K, or 24K. The K stands for 'karat' or 'carat' and that refers to the gold content of the metal used. The carat measures the proportion of pure gold and other metal alloys mixed with it.

The higher the proportion of gold used the more expensive and valuable the wedding jewelry will be. Most men's wedding rings will be in 9K, 14K, or 18K for hard wearing. Antique wedding rings often come in the softer 24K gold.

When choosing the wedding jewelry for the groom, keep in mind his interests and taste. Ask him which metal he would like to have in his wedding jewelry. Confirm if he would like to have plain metal jewelry or jewelry studded with stones and diamonds.

Sometimes, there are sets of engagement rings and wedding rings. These look very smart together and are often designed to fit into each other like jig- saw pieces.

When choosing the wedding jewelry accessories, remember the type of dress you're wearing, your hair style, and also the neck cut of your outfit. All these are important when choosing your jewelry pieces as your jewelry must compliment what you are wearing.

Do not mix up your wedding jewellery. It doesn't look good if you have a necklace made of platinum while your ring is made of gold. Be it gold, silver or platinum try to have all the jewelry of the same metals and design style.

By choosing the proper wedding jewelry, you can make your day even more memorable for your bridal party. As a special event in your life, wedding jewelry is a reminder of this memorable day.

Summary:

Wedding jewelry forms one of the most important parts of the wedding. Since weddings are seeped in tradition, particular use of jewelry on this day has also been an age old tradition, such as wedding rings and bridesmaid gifts. So it's important that you plan your jewelry and spend sufficient time in purchasing exactly what you want.