#63: bling.

http://www.beckykelso.com/jewelryPress.html

oh yes. i covet thee. 18k rose cut diamond studs. E767KD. i wish i could get a big picture of just the studs. they're beautiful!!!!! and i'm so happy colored gold is back. i was feeling all down and out with the whole platinum craze.

are you wondering how in the hell those earrings would fit in my budget? well...i actually wouldn't include those earrings as part of my budget. *gasp*

my reasoning = my budget isn't really about the have to's...but more about my want to's. i don't HAVE to throw a budgeted $10k wedding. i just REALLY REALLY REALLY want to. all the over-marketed superfluous wedding costs to honor 'the best day of my life (more accurately, 8 hours of my life)'...to me, is a waste. but i still want to share the day with loved ones by throwing a nice wedding and i do not have the option of eloping...so i'm going to do it and i'm going to make it special. i'm just going to also be very conscious of the decisions i'm making and be wary of regretting any expenditures. (buyer's remorse kills me.)

as with all things, there are {my own} exceptions to the budget rule. exceptions that are, to me, exceptions not only because the cost is 1000% justified...but also because the money is spent on items that exude 'forever'. jewelry is NOT a one-day affair. you are not going to eat jewelry and poop it out. you are not going to look at it once and toss it into the recycling bin. it's a token of the day and will be as everlasting as you make it.

it's...significant. and that's good enough reason for me to leave it off the budget list.