Most people reading this are likely gonna be familiar with well-known, so-called “traditional” Western wedding customs like the ring exchange  or the saying of the vows. Today’s article is NOT about those; instead, for those planning an upcoming wedding-- we wanted to give ya a short sip of some international inspiration to create the perfect wedding ceremony. Coins in her shoes? A rosemary wreath? Handfasting, lassos and "Mazeltov!"? Be warned: while each of these international wedding customs are popular in at least some places of the world, or among some ethnic cultures, subcultures or small groups-- and one or more of the team here at the CubicZirconia.com shop think each tradition listed is pretty cool-- we  can understand how some people might think at least some of these things are just plain weird. 

We believe much of the unhappiness in many otherwise average marriages can be traced back to the question: “Who do you compare yourselves with?”. If your comparison ‘benchmark’ is other couples who you feel are happier, more intimate, more intelligent, more beautiful, more popular, more compatible, more powerful, more accomplished, fitter and wealthier than you and your partner? Well, that kind of marriage comparison is a giant, 34-car pile-up waiting to happen. Here’s the solution.

When love is fresh and/or marriage is new, it’s easy for a couple to believe their little two-person exception to the rule has everything figured out -- to be sure that nothing will cause them to argue, her to to raise her voice, or him to be angry (certainly nothing as dumb as dirty laundry left on the floor).  Romance novels reinforce the expectation that every perfect line of a perfect couple's perfect dialogue will live forever in their memories (promising an incredible connection, lust, trust, compatibility and amazing sex-- with little stress and few disagreements). SPOILER ALERT: A happy marriage isn’t easy: 7 things your romance novel doesn’t tell you about marriage success.

Funny, public, private, complicated, or perfectly simple—when you both look back on the moment you proposed, if you smile and feel the warmth of your love, you will know that your proposal was exactly right for the two of you. Here are ten engagement proposal ideas to create a memorable proposal story for you both-- a “how he asked” answer you'll each enjoy telling for years and decades to come.

Planning a wedding can be stressful! Protect your sanity and pursue plenty of leisure time activities. If you’re gonna relax and watch a movie -- alone or with your future spouse-- why not pick one of these 33 movies curated by CubicZirconia.com and get a little wedding planning inspiration along with your vegetative entertainment? Quality time together is especially important if either of you has snapped at each other recently. If it’s getting too hot in here, let’s lower the thermostat with a few silver screen laughs.