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A Plentiful Life

Wedding

The Ring

June 28, 2017

Finding our way to being engaged and deciding to get married, didn’t go the way I had imagined.  I always thought it would be a surprise and I’d be swept off my feet.  The thing about love, like real love, it sweeps you off your feet from the very beginning and everything else is a bonus.  We’ve talked about getting married since very early in our relationship.  It wasn’t something we felt we had to do, but knew one day we would want to.  Life happened, we went on a trips to Spain, LA, San Francisco, Hawaii, spent time with family and friends, bought a house, I changed jobs, Mark was promoted, the list goes on.  Then at the end of last year I felt we talked about getting married more and more, it seemed like it was time.  (Side note, I may have also had a mental break at one point, after some wine, stating to Mark that when we do get married no one will care because we’ve been dating forever, lol!)

At Christmas in the hot tub, as real men do, Mark asked my dad to marry me.   I, of course, was not supposed to know this, but my dad was bursting with joy and couldn’t contain himself.  There were definitely some tears shed and it’s been a nice little secret to hold.  Soon after Mark started asking ring questions, I realized then he didn’t have a plan or a ring.  We started talking about rings, what kind of designs we liked, the style, shape and at one point I asked Mark his budget, it was big, like more than the value of my car!  At first I was swooning, looking up all these amazing rings, they were stunning, beautiful and expensive!  Then one day, with my camera on a tripod in self-timer mode, and me trying to take a Frugal Fashion Friday photo, I had an ahha moment (these actually happen).  The ring we had been looking at was gorgeous, but in that moment I realized it didn’t fit the life we worked so hard to build.

Since being together we have accomplished so much in our careers, financially and as a couple, even though Mark had this money, I didn’t feel right spending it all on a ring.  One night I told Mark about my ahha moment and how I would like to look for something more affordable.  He actually asked me if I was sure, and I said yes.  He responded by saying, don’t you want to show this off, be proud and say my man bought this for me.  I laughed, because it was adorable, and said no I don’t.  I am proud of you, of us as a couple, the life we have built and all that we have.  I do not need a large diamond for anyone to know that.

I started searching, and surprisingly found quite a few rings under $5000 that were magnificent (article to follow next with rings under $2000! Yes I found some even less expensive but still to die for!) Then we found the one.  A ring made by Eden Philippa, a Toronto designer, using reclaimed metals and conflict free diamonds.  Here’s the catch, we bought my engagement ring, two bands for my ring and Marks ring for a little over Marks ORIGINAL BUDGET FOR ONE RING!  Now I realize we still may have spent more than some people can afford, but keep in mind we bought four rings for half the budget.  The best part!  I can’t wait to brag about how my boyfriend, oh sorry, FIANCE, found a Canadian designer using reclaimed metals, making beautiful affordable rings.

When we finally found the ring, Mark said the best thing, he told me that he loved this ring because you can see the wedding band.  I hadn’t realized it before but all the other expensive rings hid the wedding band, and this meant something to him.  I feel good that I stuck with my gut and we made the right choice for us.  I think we are beyond a time where partners have to spend three months’ salary because that is the rule or engagement rings can only be diamonds when there are so many unique alternatives or that anyone would judge our relationship based on ring.

We are choosing to get married because we want to celebrate with the people we love, in our hearts we already committed to one another.

Welcome to Wedding Wednesday.

 

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  1. Melani Bartoshewski says

    June 28, 2017 at 9:32 pm

    I literally showed people at my work pictures of your ring and said “my friend’s boyfriend wins the award for best and most gorgeous ring”!
    It is so perfectly your aesthetic. Simple, unique and elegant.

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Tijana Popovc

A frugalista who hunts for great deals, try's her best to budget and navigates life as honestly as she can. I love thrift shopping, do it yourself projects, exploring the trails by our house, all the flowers, and spending time with the love of my life Mark.
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03.10.18 5 Years. 1. Our wedding dance. A random 03.10.18

5 Years.

1. Our wedding dance. A random, simple picture I saw on my computer. I feel like it could be a regular Tuesday night in the kitchen with Mark saying something funny and me laughing. Add in two toddlers, probably screaming for a group cuddle, just out of frame.

2. Second Date, 9 years ago.

3. DIY photobooth photos. I love these photos. We look at them every year. I always roll my eyes where I can see the night takes a turn and the backdrop is halfway ripped down, but it cost $40, sooooo...worth it. 

4. Evie, Poppy, and Mama. The photobooth was supposed to be an early surprise for our anniversary as the 5th year is wood. It's an old-school wooden photobooth that happens to be set up in North Van right now, but Mark got really sick. Instead, we did a girl date, had croissants, bubbly water, photobooth photos, and a craft session. 
 
I'm posting this early because I'm signing off social media for a bit. Life with two 3 year olds is full and takes a lot of energy. Marks business is thriving, and I need to be able to support in any way I can. Plus, if I have an extra 10 minutes, I probably should be doing some self care, not scrolling on my phone. 

✌️
Have you ever been shopping at your local Salvatio Have you ever been shopping at your local Salvation Army thrift store and looked up? There is so much to discover in the aisles above the racks. Everything you need for a fun and connected long weekend with the family. 

Games, puzzles, colouring, and more! I was excited to find a floor puzzle and a few games for our younger kids. All 3 games and the puzzle only cost $12! A great investment and definitely something that will get good use in our house for many years. 

Any plans for the long weekend? Going out of town or staying home, I would definitely suggest a quick stop at your local Salvation Army thrift store to discover all of the wonderful items to keep your family entertained all weekend long.

#aplentifullifethrifted #thriftstorefinds #thrifted #salvationarmythriftstore #thriftedgames #thriftedpuzzles #thriftkids #thriftkiddies
Last one, I swear! 🤭 Swipe to see the inside o Last one, I swear! 🤭

Swipe to see the inside of the rainbow cupcakes. Honestly, so easy, and they look great! Next time, I might reverse it and make rainbow icing and plain cupcakes, a bigger wow factor. BUT three year olds LOVE sprinkles, so this worked.

🌈✨️🧁
THREE! 🦄 🎉 🌈 I had a lot of fun with thi THREE! 🦄 🎉 🌈

I had a lot of fun with this one! Do you think I accomplished this on a budget? You bet I did! The only thing about being on a budget is that it can be a bit more labour intensive. 

I used cookie cutters again, which makes for easy prep. I cut out all of the sandwich pieces in advance and froze the rice krispies oncee they were made. The rainbow cupcakes I baked in advance and froze, so it was easy to take them out and ice the day of the party.

As for the decor, from the dollar store: 3 bags of balloons, 10 streamer rolls, and 2 unicorn felt banners. Plus leftover string, tape and a Happy Birthday kit, which included the foil balloons and rainbow balloons. Total: $32.50

Now that might not be the cheapest decor but when balloon garlands sell for hundreds of dollars, I think that's a pretty good budget
Yup, I'm that mom. 🫣😂 My kids will be embar Yup, I'm that mom. 🫣😂

My kids will be embarrassed by my enthusiasm one day, but until then, I'm bringing it full force. A few friends sent me photos, and I looked like this in most of them.
TWO! I thought we'd have a big party to FINALLY ce TWO! I thought we'd have a big party to FINALLY celebrate our girls last year but then another lockdown. We had a few family members, and it was nice, but I still went all out! 

Super affordable decor: cookie cutters, $1.99 plants, and butterflies (I think this was a set of 50 for not that much). I also bought secondhand butterfly wings for the kids to wear. 

The cookie cutter adds a level of fun to the food and a bit of themed decor to the table. Butterflies were easy to add throughout our house. Plants ended up outside on our front stoop afterward. 

PS I won the balloon garland! That would be a big party splurge.
The kids have taken over the bath! I wanted to fin The kids have taken over the bath! I wanted to find a nice storage solution for my bath essentials that didn't take up a lot of room. To find what I needed, I headed to the kitchen section of my local Salvation Army thrift store. You might not think the kitchen area is where you'd find bath supplies, but I was looking for something different.

I was so happy to find this heavy cheese plate with dome. It would keep all my bath supplies safe from small children. Then I fell in love with this terracotta pot for my Epsom salts, along with a porcelain spoon, simple candle, and small glass vessel for the matches.

The matches I found at the dollar store, they were long bbq matches, so I cut them to size and taped the striker onto the bottom. I love how it turned out, and I was able to use this secondhand glass jar in a new way!

Don't worry, the kids' toys are still there, I thrifted a small little basket to keep everything contained and in ONE corner.

#aplentifullifethrifted #thriftstorefinds #thrifted #thriftedbath #relaxingbath #momtime #selfcare #budgethome #affordabledecor
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