A SouthBound Guide to Diamond Shapes

Image: Alexis June Weddings /Aisle Society/Susie Saltzman on SouthBound Bride

The French are said to die for love, they delight in fighting duels. But I prefer a man who lives and gives… expensive jewels. So sang Marilyn Monroe, and so I agree (plus, isn’t that a fabulous lyric?) and that’s why year after year, alongside all the pretty dresses and details, I find myself sighing at the diamond rings on our brides’ elegant hands. And while I’m a sucker for a classic round solitaire, I love the variety that modern brides have in their choices – different settings, different metals, and for many, non-traditional stones (because diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but I also love hanging with morganite, sapphire, etc.) Another area of choice if you’re on the engagement ring hunt right now is shape (sometimes called cut, but not the cut referred to in the Big 4: Cut, Colour, Clarity, Carat, which is rather the reflective quality of a diamond). There are actually a huge range of diamond shapes or cuts that you can choose. And, while the ones best suited for sparkle are the old classics (round, cushion), the fancy cuts, as they’re called, can make up for it in uniqueness (after all, how many of your friends are rocking a trillion?) We’ve rounded up some of the more popular shapes in this comprehensive guide to diamond shapes, along with lots of pretty, pretty rings from Etsy to show them off at a range of price points.
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A SouthBound Guide to Flower Meanings

wedding flower meanings

*UPDATED FOR 2021* I did a post on the language of flowers a few years ago, when Kate Middleton selected the blooms for her bouquet to represent various sentiments, and I thought it was about time to update it and introduce some of you to a beautiful tradition you might not be aware of. In fact, the language of flowers goes back about 200 years, and was especially popular in the Victorian era, when young ladies consulted one of the many flower dictionaries available at the time in constructing their ‘tussie-mussies’. These days the interest in ‘florigraphy’ has largely been lost, but I think it’s a super romantic vintage tradition to bring into your wedding (as this real bride did to gorgeous effect) and a really sweet, meaningful way to construct your bouquet. You can find meanings for dozens of blooms online, but today I’ve drawn together ten of our favourite wedding flowers together with their meanings, which come from The Knot Book of Wedding Flowers by Carley Rooney. And some gorgeous wedding flowers to get swoony over too, of course!

*Links in bold denote affiliate links. The cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive a commission for any sales made.

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A SouthBound Guide to Wedding Cake Terminology

Yay, it’s Friday. And yay, it’s time for the latest in our SouthBound Guides, teaching you all the wedding lingo you need to communicate effectively with your lovely suppliers. Since this is about the time that many of you will be finalising your cake choices, I thought today was a good day to talk about just that – and with it being Nelson Mandela’s birthday, a cake feels kind of appropriate. In fact, it’s been a cake-y kinda week here on SBB, so feel free to indulge yourself in something sugary as you enjoy each of these handy (pinnable!) examples. (Any excuse, right?)

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