Winter 2010 BEYOND THE BOUQUET www.havredailynews.com A3 Tips for picking the perfect engagement ring When planning your wedding, it's best to start early and be disciplined in keeping up with the tasks. From KeepandShare, publisher of the "Fairy Tale Wedding" eBook At Least One Year in Advance to the local newspaper. big/small). financed. After the Deciding, Then the Booking ... You will commit and spend most of the cost of your wedding in the booking decisions you make, whether it's selecting the location and cost of your reception or picking your photographer. and book them. ceremony. of the most memorable moments in your life. You pull an engagement ring out of your pocket and ask the love of your life to be your wife. You desperately want her to say yes and fall in love with her ring too, right? But how do you make sure that happens? Guys who successfully navigated this step in their relationship share some tips. Use a Fake Ring Mike Vietti, of Washington, D.C., wanted his fiancée's engagement ring to be a complete surprise but had no idea what she would like. So he decided to use a fake one for his proposal and take her shopping later. "I thought it was brilliant," said Emily Vietti. "I love surprises, but I couldn't imagine wearing something for the rest of my life I didn't love. It was the perfect solution." Consider Her Taste and Style Make sure the ring fits her existing jewelry collection, said Kevin Saghy, of Chicago. "I realized all of my fiancée's jewelry is very clean and simple, like one large pearl on a string or a clean trail of diamonds on a necklace, so I chose a threestone engagement ring that of the kind of ring she would like and gave it to a friend to hold — under the condition that the friend would not tell her when she gave it to me," s a i d A n d r ew B r ow n , o f Havre Daily News/Nikki Carlson Graduate gemologist and Heirloom Jewelers owner Jan Leibel (left) watches as Chris Skoyen decides on his wedding band with his fiance Melanie Walker Feb. 11. was overwhelmed by the number of options he faced when he started to shop for his fiancée's ring, so he asked her to join him. "It was g r e a t t o h ave La u r e n involved," he said. "It was romantic and took a lot of pressure off." Do Your Homework Erik Mason, of Boston, did a "ton of research" on diamonds before he even set foot in a jewelry store. "I think most guys believe as long as they're familiar with the four Cs, they're all set," he said. "I was surprised to find that was only half the story you should be thinking about." Mason spent almost five months learning about the four Cs — color, cut, clarity and carat weight — and how that translated to his budget and girlfriend's taste. He used online resources, visited retailers and flipped through fashion magazines to get a sense of what she liked. "I got a great learning experience and another connection to our marriage through a spectacular piece of symbolism I truly understand inside and out," he said. looks simple but impressive. It has gone over really well." Get A Little Help From Her Friends "My wife found a drawing Detroit. "She was totally surprised the day the exact ring she wanted was given to her." Shop Together Randy Holmes, of Atlanta, her. How to file for a marriage in Montana Tim Leeds Havre Daily News One part of the often-lengthy planning in holding a wedding has fairly simple requirements in Montana: to receive a marriage license, people need to fill out an application with a clerk of district court in the state, swear the information is true, pay the $53 fee and either have a blood test completed or sign a waiver of that requirement, then get married within six months. While people in Montana can have a common-law marriage, going through those steps can save some trouble later on. Common-law marriages result from actions of a couple, typically living together as husband and wife while of legal age and not being legally married to someone else, holding themselves forth as a married couple and having an agreement to be married, says a brochure by Montana Legal Services Association. But common-law marriages have been known to cause troubles with applying for or receiving insurance or Social Security benefits and other issues because of a lack of a license to prove a marriage exists. In Montana, people also can be married without a ceremony by filing a written declaration of marriage with a clerk of court. Even that could cause problems depending on whether it would be recognized under rules in other states, including by insurance companies. The requirements in Montana to apply for a marriage license are fairly simple and straightforward. Residents of the state don’t even have to apply for marriage in the county where the ceremony will be performed. A license issued in Hill County, for example, can be used in any Montana county. If neither party to the marriage is a resident of the state, Montana Code Annotated says that the license may be obtained from the clerk of court in the county where the ceremony will be performed. If one person is a nonresident, that person’s section of the application may be completed before an official authorized to accept such applications in the county and state where the party resides, the law states. The application is fairly simple, requiring information including the names of the parties, their residence and address, names of the parents and their birthplaces, race, education and information about any previous marriage and its termination. The participants are required to swear under oath that the information provided is true, and state law specifies that the parties must pay a $53 filing fee. The law requires that the parties applying provide satisfactory proof that they will be at least 18 years old when the license is issued, or will be 16 and have judicial approval of the marriage, generally with the consent of the parties’ parents. The parties must also be able to provide proof that their marriage is not prohibited under state law, such as a marriage between first cousins or an uncle and a niece. Montana law does specify that the woman applying for a marriage license must submit a blood test confirming immunity to rubella, but also allows the parties of the marriage to request a waiver of the requirement after reading information about the need to ensure rubella immunity to protect any children conceived. Infection of a woman with the rubella virus during early pregnancy can lead to cause senior complictions with the pregnancy or a variety of congenital defects if the fetus survives, the waiver reads. The marriage must take place within 180 days of the application being completed, and there is no waiting period before the ceremony can take place, a change in former law. That is a change from previous Montana law, in which a three-day waiting period was required before the marriage could take place. Once the marriage is completed and the license issued, it is kept on record both in the county where it was filed and on the state level. Another issue people might nned to remember is taken care of after the marriage: making sure any name changes are on record. If a name is changed due to marriage — such as the woman taking the family name of the husband — it is important that the change is recorded by any agencies or entities that need to know. That would include the Social Security Administration, for recording income and issuing benefits; insurance companies; bank and other financial accounts including mortgages, and making sure names — and addresses — are correct on driver’s licenses, passports and other identification, as well as any other documents or entities that require a name to be on file. book him/her/them. Ten to 12 Months in Advance ring or buy additional jewelry insurance. desired. fittings). Six to 10 Months in Advance recessional and postlude). rehearsal dinner. position. fathers. hotel for out-of-town guests. from church to rehearsal dinner. wedding is) to include with directions. event tickets. would be on it. bridal registry if desired. Four to Six Months in Advance petals on floor in sanctuary. seed or rice. throwing birdseed, bubbles or casual?). from ceremony and reception. rings, necklace, purse, shoes, cufflinks, etc. balloons, arches, etc. for ceremony and reception and any other accessories. carry a single flower instead and inform florist. wedding cake. and style and inform baker. reception to include with all wedding invitations. rehearsal dinner invitations. registries at nearby and/or nationwide store. groomsmen for tuxedos. Three to Four Months in Advance purchased, if any. Sunday's service, if desired. etc. See Page A4