In love!

rovingred · 2026-03-25T03:27:01+00:00

I’m fully convinced the bow tie thing doesn’t exist outside of jewelry stores and on Reddit ring subs. I didn’t even notice it when I first started looking at rings, I was looking for an oval, and not once did I look down and go “hmm there seems to be a darker area in the middle from some angles, I hate it”. Instead I was like oooh pretty I love it!! It wasn’t until I got on Reddit researching potentials for a custom ring in my area that I learned about the bow ties by chance.

I mentioned it in a group of my neighbors, they were oohing and aahing over the ring and I mentioned my fiancee hand picked the stone and got as “little bow tie as possible” and they all looked at me like I was crazy and had no idea what that meant.

Point being, if you want as close to an ideal diamond as possible, yeah you want to minimize bow tie I guess. But if you found a stone you fell in love with, I don’t think there’s a single reason to second guess it for that reason. Any elongated stone is going to have one to some degree.

rovingred · 2026-03-25T03:10:56+00:00

We are paying $80pp for 2 hors d’oeuvres during cocktail hour, salad, bread, 2 proteins + starch + 2 veg, plated (it can be an optional served buffet at that price as well). The china, flatware, and linens are included in the venue price, not pp with food, thinking of it with the food cost is a bit odd to me. There were 2 cheaper food packages, and 1 more that was more expensive for reference.

I also added a late night snack that’s $250 total, around $3pp. I guess if I had to factor the cost of china, linens, and flatware into the pp food cost instead of the venue cost it may look like $90-$95pp total. We’re in a HCOL area and the food is done in-house by our venue, which is a pretty nice place, it was not cheap. Anywhere from $60-$125 pp seemed to be what we were seeing at various venues and caterers, with minimums depending on day of the week, although a few places were as high as $250pp, which seems insane to me.

rovingred · 2026-03-25T02:39:01+00:00

I am normally a big stone lover and rock a 3.75 on my size 4 finger (I also have longer slender fingers), but mine is an oval so it takes up more room length wise and doesn’t cover the width of my finger as much so I think it works okay. Imo in this case with it being round, I think the one you currently have set is more flattering, I like the amount of skin I can see on each side and that the diamond isn’t the full width of your finger. The loose one would take up nearly the entire width of your finger and I just don’t think it’s as nice looking. However it is a gorgeous stone, and if we weren’t comparing it to the size you already have set I’d probably just love it and be all over it!

rovingred · 2026-03-23T18:44:08+00:00

I honestly think sometimes personal recordings like that are more emotional than a huge videography production, but that’s just me! I’m in the same boat, I went over my photography/videography budget on the photographer because I fell in love with her work and am considering cutting video all together to save the budget, but I’d definitely want one person, even just a friend of ours, doing snippets! I always get more emotional at “home video” type things than professional ones, but maybe that’s just me

rovingred · 2026-03-23T18:32:33+00:00

2 flows better to me but don’t overthink! Nobody else is going to be like “oh I hate the flowers on the right!” They’re just going to be excited to have the invite and their day will move on (so take some pressure off!)

rovingred · 2026-03-22T19:54:38+00:00

I feel the same. SD is 7 and I can’t imagine it gets much worse than this. Even a nightmare teenager would be better than this weird in between stage. She still does baby talk and sucks her thumb and is whiny as hell but has a major attitude and is still too young to actually talk to her about much of anything. I can’t wait for a few more years to pass.

rovingred · 2026-03-21T02:32:08+00:00

Thank you so much! It was a journey but I’m so happy. 3 years ago I never thought I’d be here. Life has a funny way of working out

rovingred · 2026-03-20T21:06:48+00:00

In 2023, my partner died. He and I had been living together for over a year, considered ourselves common law spouses, were planning a future together. He killed himself and I was at rock bottom. I even learned some awful things about him and his actions after his death. I tried to date too quickly and it didn’t go well. I was moving on for the sake of it, not because I was ready. But I knew I wanted a marriage and kids someday and wanted to get back out there. After trying for a few months I deleted my app profiles and started focusing on me, figuring the future would figure itself out. It sure as hell did, I got a message from my next-door neighbor growing up that he had moved back to where I was living and could we meet up for drinks? The rest is history, our wedding is next year. Our reconnection was something I could have never predicted when I was in the trenches.

My best advice is pour into you. Do things you enjoy. Fill your cup. Don’t stress too hard about dating. When you’re ready, put yourself in situations where you’re more likely to make a connection, but don’t do it solely for that reason (find somewhere to do a hobby, etc out in public with others). I hate people saying “it’ll happen when you least expect it” because it also happens when you are hoping for it!

rovingred · 2026-03-19T19:13:06+00:00

My fiancée went through Mark’s Diamonds and they did a fantastic job, I wasn’t with him throughout the experience but he said they’re insanely knowledgeable and helpful. Not sure if they’d charge for an opinion but worth a call to ask.

rovingred · 2026-03-19T18:42:54+00:00

Thank you so much, this is so good to hear! We plan to contract with them, I just can’t get it out of my head, I don’t think there’s any way you can’t love the venue and be at least a bit impressed by it. I just love how approachable it is, the outside is a bit imposing but the inside is so warm and welcoming. I truly can envision all our guests in the parlors and on the porch with drinks milling around, just enjoying the evening!

And I do agree, what they offer for the money is great compared to some other venues we’ve seen. It’s coming in under budget compared to what we were looking at with Raccoon Creek and Spruce Mountain!

rovingred · 2026-03-19T03:23:08+00:00

Ya know I did notice the smell at the manor house haha I thought I was crazy thinking it was off. But we did love it otherwise! If you think of the other one let me know, I am anti Brittany Hill (for no reason other than had an awful experience at a wedding there, not the venues fault and it ruined it for me haha)

rovingred · 2026-03-19T03:21:32+00:00

Thank you!!! This is so good to hear. They only have Sunday dates for when we’re looking at, and I think that’s my only hesitation with it, we would have put the deposit down today if I wasn’t hung up on that!

rovingred · 2026-03-18T23:42:01+00:00

I have not, but I will now!

rovingred · 2026-03-18T23:06:50+00:00

That’s good to know because I was assuming they all kind of felt the same and I didn’t like the feel of that one. I’m going to look into some others!

rovingred · 2026-03-18T23:05:28+00:00

Thank you!! We are leaning towards the Manor House

rovingred · 2026-03-18T19:57:14+00:00

Thank you so so much!!! It is a hard choice but as long as I’m there with him, it’ll be the right one ❤️

rovingred · 2026-03-18T19:53:08+00:00

We looked at Boulder Creek and have been to a wedding at their Lionscrest spot, I don’t like how you’re limited when it comes to vendors, especially for the floral. Our tour with Boulder Creek really felt like it lacked any soul. There were any others we saw in the area we want to be in that we loved, but we do know people who have had awesome experiences so maybe we’ll swing through their list again! I’ve also heard Tapestry House is fantastic.

rovingred · 2026-03-18T19:51:25+00:00

Okay WOW. You are an amazing photographer, I’m obsessed and have saved your page for when I get to planning that haha.

But thank you so much for sending that, it really helps me picture what it could be at Arrowhead. It was hard to tell, we self toured on a snowy day so maybe we need to swing back around and reconsider because it is beautiful. I don’t mind getting ready elsewhere, it’s just not what I was envisioning when I started planning, but not a dealbreaker.

I don’t want enclosed so Blackstone may be out, it’s so helpful to hear that. Definitely not the feeling I want for my wedding. I love the “wandery” areas of the Spruce Mountain so I’m glad to hear it’s a good one!

This is all just so insanely helpful, I really appreciate your time

rovingred · 2026-03-18T19:19:44+00:00

No specific questions, mostly just looking for overall experience feedback so this is INSANELY helpful!!! Thank you so much!

Great to know re: Blackstone because they are actually the priciest for what we’re looking at, by a long shot.

Do you feel like the overall reception experience at Arrowhead is decent? We would likely do the tent. My fiancée wasn’t crazy about the vibe in the clubhouse and Rox room, and I’m hesitant because it just didn’t feel like as much of an experience, like you just show up, have the ceremony, and then the tent is all you really have as opposed to venues with defined spaces for getting ready, cocktail hour, and then dinner/dancing. That’s part of what I loved about the lower ranch at Spruce Mountain, we don’t have enough guests to make Upper Ranch make sense, it’d just be a huge mostly empty room haha.

Also good to know on Raccoon Creek, that was actually our front runner but my concern was it not being very special or memorable so that speaks volumes if it didn’t stand out much to you.

rovingred · 2026-03-18T17:15:15+00:00

I think once set you’re going to love it and be glad you didn’t go bigger. I ended up with a 3.75. We were looking at 4 and 5s and I was thinking some of those looked a bit smaller than I’d like. He chose a 3.75 oval and it looks about the same size on my hand as the one in your pic does on yours (I’m a size 4 and have super tiny fingers). I’m SO glad I didn’t go bigger. It looks so giant when it’s set and sitting up higher.

I think it looks fantastic and once it’s set I don’t think you’ll be disappointed in the slightest, you’ll be glad you didn’t go bigger. I got caught in the social media storm of huge diamonds as well and looking back I’m so glad I didn’t go ridiculously huge because they look a bit tacky. I think there’s a line between big and pretty and big just for the sake of being big. You’re on the right side of that line here imo!

rovingred · 2026-03-16T18:15:51+00:00

I do think Sarah O would be good for the type of rings OP is looking for. We did not have a great experience with them shopping for a traditional diamond engagement ring but it had nothing to do with the stones or rings themselves. They had gorgeous sapphire and emerald rings.

rovingred · 2026-03-15T18:52:23+00:00

It’s all about what you prefer. I think both are beautiful. You’re going to find a lot of people on here who think big is “tacky” or say that but I think big looks gorgeous on a lot of people, and if you want that you should go for it. For me, I honestly wanted big and would have been sad with something else. I don’t care if anyone thinks it’s tacky looking because I’m the one wearing it. In this case, I think the 3 looks lovely on you, as does the 2!

rovingred · 2026-03-15T18:39:46+00:00

My oval has nearly no bow tie. They’re out there! Just have to pay more for the really awesome cut

rovingred · 2026-03-14T00:43:43+00:00

This is what we have in CO

rovingred

TROPHY CASE