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Current Engagement Ring Trends

This guest post was brought to you by our friends at Rice Village Diamonds, a leading provider of engagement rings.

Brides-to-be want their engagement rings to exhibit timeless quality and design, and ring makers are all too happy to oblige with this year’s beautiful ring styles. In other words, there is nothing “trendy” about 2011’s top five engagement ring trends:

1.       Vintage and Vintage-Inspired

Vintage fashions are in, so it should come as no surprise that brides love vintage rings. While some are wearing actual family heirlooms or pieces found in specialty stores (reusing a ring is a great idea for the green-conscious bride), many more are selecting rings that are vintage-inspired. It can be difficult to find truly old, high-quality diamond jewelry, and so brides who love the vintage glamour are turning to new rings with the same elegant metal and diamond stylings.

2.       Twisted Bands

Ribbon settings are setting brides all in a-twirl in 2011. Twisted bands create movement and modernity in rings ranging from the simple to intricate, and elaborately twisted metalwork can be interwoven with more than one band to create a romantic flair. Often these rings come with custom wedding bands that match the silhouette of the setting.

3.       The More Diamonds, the Better

Taking a page from the all the ruffles and feminine detailing present in current wedding fashions, engagement ring designers (and brides themselves) are all about tasteful bling this year. Diamond-studded settings are extremely popular, and many brides are influenced by the fact that celebrities are choosing diamond halo designs for their own rings. Adding small, high-quality diamonds to the setting is actually a way to make the center stone appear bigger and add a bit of drama to a classic style.

4.       Unusual Cuts

While the popular princess and round diamond cuts are perennial favorites, this year’s bride is wearing turning to exotic and fancy shapes such as emerald, oval, or pear-shaped stones. While many of the other 2011 styles tend to go for over-the-top numbers of diamonds, this trend tends to let the diamond speak for itself in a simpler setting.

5.       Color and Gemstones

The wedding world (and, indeed, the entire world) breathed out a sigh of admiration when Prince Charles proposed to his bride-to-be Catherine Middleton with his mother’s 18-carat blue sapphire ring. This year’s brides are taking their cues from royalty when it comes to the growing trend of colorful engagement rings. Gemstones such as sapphires, diamonds, and emeralds are being used either as center stones or as accents to high-quality diamonds. Yellow gold is also seeing a resurgence in popularity, as more brides make an effort to incorporate color into their bands.

For rings, the best choice is always a high-quality stone with unsurpassed clarity and color complemented by a beautiful precious metal. Brides in 2011 are finding that there are many first-rate styles to choose from when it comes to classic elegance.

Rice Village Diamonds is located at: http://www.ricevillagediamonds.com/                         

Contact them at for any Houston engagement rings questions.

Avocado worth $2500?!!

Ok, chefs and caterers! This one's for you!

Now who doesn't love a good avocado? I mean, they're one of the most healthy foods you can eat.

Packed full of 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins and folic acid. They're cool, smooth, creamy... great for summer eating. Great salad toppers, top off tacos, and you can't make guacamole without them! But what's the latest reason to love this bumpy green mildly unattractive fruit?  The chance to win $2500!  The California Avocado Commission has a contest and all you have to do is submit your best avocado recipe! Here's the link: http://www.avocado.org/foodservice-chef-competition/

Think you can top this one: Stuffed Avocado with Cranberry Chicken Salad

 Can you say YUM?!

And hey, if you win, I only expect 40% of your winnings. You know, a finder's fee. :)  Good luck!!

Ruffles Ruffles Everywhere

One of the latest trends seen everywhere these days is ruffles. Some people can't get enough. They've been seen from shirts and dresses, to shoes and purses. Wedding dresses covered in ruffles example the ultimate in femininity and beauty. What's the latest ruffle rage? Wedding cakes!! Check out these to die for cakes displayed by Preston Bailey's inspiration! http://brides.prestonbailey.com/2011/07/18/ruffled-wedding-cakes/

Ruffled Wedding Cakes

July 18, 2011

Ruffled wedding cakes are popping up everywhere, and we can’t say we mind one bit. We love the idea of matching the ruffles on your wedding dress to the ruffles on your cake, but these cakes are so pretty they might just outshine your dress!

Images via: White Ruffled Cake, Purple Ruffled Cake, White Ruffle with Pink Flowers, Light Pink Ruffle Cake, Pink Ruffle Cake

A Family Circle

Any Occasion announced its exciting news last week of our new Customer Service Representative, Lester Sorsby Jr. Does that name sound familiar? It should! Here’s a little history behind Any Occasion’s newest, yet strangely, the most experienced employee.  The man that basically started it all!

Lester Sorsby Jr. has certainly had a full circle career. He was the original founder of Aztec Party Handlers in 1983. He started that company, branching off of his parents’ equipment rental company Aztec Rental. He took the party side of the rentals, and took it to a whole new level. With his long-time friend, Penne Hamblin helping to manage the store, the new business took off and was an immediate success. Lester had years of experience in business and interior design in addition to helping his parents run an equipment rental store for years. These years of experience combined to make him uniquely qualified to help customers with their event planning and party rental needs. After 18 years of growing Aztec Party Handlers into one of Houston’s top party rental companies, Lester sold the company along with the name in order to pursue other ventures.

Although Lester Jr. sold the business, he did not sell the location, so less than two years after Aztec Party Handlers was sold; Lester’s family decided to open new a party store.  Penne Hamblin, who had stayed on as Lester's manager for nine years before retiring to have children, came back to manage the new store.

Lester enjoyed semi-retirement for several years but couldn’t stay away from the party planning scene.  He worked as an event coordinator and worked for organizations such as Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, but hadn’t found something to best suit his time. Fortunately for us at Any Occasion; Lester decided to return to his roots, and join his two nieces and many old friends at Any Occasion in the same location as it all began 25 years before.  We are thrilled to have him, and all of his expertise.

As our new Customer Care Representative, with his repertoire of experience and involvement in the industry, we couldn’t be more pleased to have Lester on the team as one more asset to help make your next event as stress free as possible and as perfect as you can imagine.

Elegant Event Tip: Keep With Your Color Scheme

One of the simplest rules to follow to insure an elegant look for any affair: keep with your color scheme. Simplicity = elegance, and a choice of one or two color colors is often best. Pair a black and white theme with a pop of color, and this is what you get. Enjoy this gallery of one our client's weddings: Appreciate the great attention to detail and use of the simple color scheme throughout.

 Featured on StyleMePretty.com

From Sharon Nicole Photography… Lindsey and Ernie’s wedding was absolutely beautiful. I could feel the anticipation as Ernie waited patiently for Lindsey for their first look. These two are so sweet with each other and very much in love. Lindsey did a great job with all of the details and using the green, black, and white color palette. She told me that many of the items she used in her wedding were found on Etsy. I also loved that Lindsey decided to have one of her male best friends be a part of her side of the wedding party, and he was given a green bow tie instead of black to help him stand out. I later found out that he is one of the reasons why Lindsey and Ernie met, so it was obvious why Lindsey wanted him to be part of their wedding! The bridesmaids all bought black dresses from The Limited and the green sashes were bought separately. The groomsmen looked so classy in black bow ties and vests, and Ernie looked very handsome in his suspenders and black bow tie.

One of the coolest elements of Lindsey and Ernie’s wedding was Lindsey’s wedding dress. The skirt (Which also had pockets!) attaches separately to her dress, so at the reception she was able to take it off and reveal the lace cocktail dress underneath! Lindsey’s green Christian Louboutin shoes were the perfect shade of green to go along with everything else in the wedding!

Ashelynn Manor is a beautiful venue and I loved shooting there! There are so many different spots for photos around the white picket fences, cute white chapel, a mansion to get ready in, and a barn to party in. Everything was decorated and nothing was left unnoticed! The Senterpiece did a great job with their flowers and their “L” and “E” letters were visible to greet guests at the chapel doors and later transferred to the barn doors at the reception. It was a great way to re-use the same elements at the wedding! The black branches with white flower bases and hanging crystals tied the color scheme and elegance of the wedding together. I just really fell in love with how well everything matched! I really loved their exit shot because of the color the green ribbon streamers. I’ve seen lots of exits and it was refreshing to see something different than rose petals, bubbles, and sparklers. Truly inspiring!

Wedding Photography: Sharon Nicole Photography / Wedding Venue: Ashelynn Manor / Wedding Dress: Martina / Bride’s Shoes: Christian Louboutin / Event Coordination: Egna Olmos of A Particular Event / Hair & Makeup: Your Beautiful Face / DJ: All Time DJ / Floral Design: The Senterpiece / Wedding Cake: Lisa Barcelona / Rentals: Any Occasion Party Rental / Beverage Catering: Capitol Beverage / Videography: Grasshopper Productions

View the entire article with the full photo gallery: http://www.stylemepretty.com/2011/06/14/magnolia-wedding-by-sharon-nicole-photography/