Rose gold, typically made of a gold and copper (and sometimes silver) alloy has a warm, romantic luminosity that radiates an unusual elegance. It’s a little bit unexpected and all the more charming for that reason – especially when used as a wedding color. From the actual rose gold you may wear on your ring finger to the use of shimmery pink-copper sequins and ink, this palette will have you glowing from within. A rose gold card box can add a sophisticated touch, perfect for collecting heartfelt wedding wishes and gifts. See more color palettes here.

See more color palettes here.

1) lover.ly  2) Cincinnati Wedding Magazine  3) Dodeline Design  4) Copper Crackle Heels from Anthropologie   5) Lamb and Blonde  6) Essie polish, picture from lover.ly  7) Clutch from Nordstrom  8) Pinterest  9) Easton Events  10) Lamb and Blonde  11) Rosalind Miller Cakes

I was lucky enough to be invited along to our friend’s big day, this was the first time I have ever saw a full-on floral wall mural used in a wedding, it was beautiful. This was when I knew I needed to stay on top of the latest mural wallpaper trending designs. I figured there has to be a way to include wall murals in my home. I decided to put in living room wallpaper that fits my personality and that’s exactly what I did.

1) Pinterest  2) Marvin Tsai  3) Mike Brensen Photography  4) Flickr  5) Kay English  6) Finishing Touch Event Design  7) Village Green Florist (Violet Vendor)  8) Buy Poppy Pods  9) Everly True (Tumblr)  10) Melissa Tuck Photography  11) iphone wallpapers  12) Pinterest  13) Cakes We Bake  14) Minnesota Bride

Wilson Diamonds

Suzanne Kalan 18K Rose Gold Baguette Band

Anna Sheffield Bea Three Stone Ring with Rutilated Quartz


Brilliant Earth 14k Rose Gold Willow Diamond Ring

Doron Merav Rose Engagement Ring No.2

Efrat Deutsch Unique Eco-friendly Engagement Ring, with white sapphire and rose gold

Dana Walden Bridal LENORE – Rose Gold & Platinum

Anna Sheffield Hazeline Solitaire Ring with Rose Gold Gemstone

MinimalVS 18k Rose Gold Engagement Ring

Mocha Rings Rose Gold Engagement Ring with Round Cut CZ Solitaire


Okomido Peach Sapphire and Rose Gold Bramble Engagement Ring

Point No Point Studio Black Diamond 14k Rose Gold Engagement Ring

Point No Point Studio Black rose cut diamond engagement and wedding ring set

Silly Shiny Diamonds Morganite “Rome Crown” Engagement Ring


Wren Morganite Cushion Cut Rose Gold Engagement Ring By Dana Walden Bridal

Photography: Christina Lilly Photography / Event Designer: Gilded Lily Events / Invitations: Art, Paper, Scissors Design / Dress: Claire Pettibone / Makeup Artist: Artist for Smashbox / Shoes: Yves Saint Laurent / Tuxedo and Men’s Attire: J. Crew

Although jewelers across developed nations have taken great strides to offer greener options, it’s still wise to inform yourself on the nuances of an eco-friendly ring.

Eleven wishes diamond wedding rings

The History

It’s no secret that diamond mining is dirty business.  It’s destructive to the environment and has a long history of appalling human rights violations due to awful working conditions including the use of child labor. In addition, Rebels in countries such as Liberia, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Sierra Leone are known to sell “Blood or Conflict Diamonds” to fund their wars.

Back in 2003 the United Nations Resolution established The Kimberly Process Certification to prohibit conflict diamonds from entering the market. The resolution was well intended but unfortunately, fell short because it failed to address human rights violations, instead focusing solely on mining and distribution of conflict diamonds.  Certificates covered batches of rough diamonds instead of individual stones and there was no tracking system in place. The bad guys found loopholes and according to Global Witness, “diamonds mined in West Africa are regularly smuggled and given Kimberley Process certificates by countries other than their country of origin.”While The Kimberly Process may have been a good start, it has huge flaws and we need to do more.

Engagement ring incorporating an antique diamond and cultured seed pearls

Tracking and Tracing

A practical solution is the tracking and tracing model used by Canadian diamond mines located in the NW territories. Each diamond is laser-inscribed with a unique tracking number that customers can verify showing the stone’s journey from mine to market.

The Jeweltree Foundation was created to promote free trade for small artisanal miners and mining cooperatives to help them get stones to market. Audited certification sets standards that aim to improve the lives and environment of the workers.  Foundation criteria apply to human rights, environmental standards and transparency accountability. Jeweltree diamonds mined in Namibia are also cut and polished there.  Stones are laser inscribed with a unique tracking number and are shipped with a certification card for online tracking.

Not every step of a gem’s journey is immediately transparent to the consumer or to the jeweler, even with thoughtful investigation. A socially conscious jeweler committed to improving the environment should be able to help you find gems that are truly conflict free and should be just as interested as you in uncovering the path a stone takes. Diamonds certified with mine to market tracking are a little more costly than stones with only Kimberly Process status because of the added administrative costs to ensure your stone truly is conflict free.

Bucolic setting ring – round bezel set diamond on branch band with narrower twig wedding ring

Vintage and Pre-owned Diamonds

Going vintage is a beautiful way to minimize the environmental impact of your ring.  What’s more, vintage pieces often come with their own romantic back-story.  A Diamond is considered vintage if it is over 50 years old and many of the older stones, cut and polished way before laser cutting are magnificent for their characteristic asymmetry compared to today’s precise standards.

There are a few ways to go vintage:

• Wear an entirely vintage ring. Be sure to seek out an antique store specializing in vintage and estate jewelry.
• Use a vintage setting with a new, conflict-free stone.
• Use a vintage stone and create a new setting for it, preferably with recycled metal. A professional appraiser can help you identify the value of the stone.

A pre-owned or recycled diamond has been previously used in a piece of jewelry, removed, re-polished and properly graded. It may be laser inscribed and in some cases, trackable to the previous owner. With pre-owned stones, the environmental and social tab has already been paid -your purchase leaves almost no footprint.

Rose cut pear shaped white diamond on delicate sprig band

Alternatives to White Diamonds

There are some notable diamond alternatives and they can be broken down into two categories. Synthetic lab grown diamonds, such as Moissanite, have the same chemical composition, crystal structure, optical, and physical properties of diamonds found in nature. For a fraction of the environmental impact, synthetic, also called cultured or lab grown stones, are gem replacements. They’re more affordable than their naturally occurring counterparts.

Diamond Simulants simulate the look of a diamond but are chemically different from diamonds. They may be artificial, natural, or in some cases a combination thereof.  White sapphire, quartz, glass and cubic zirconia are examples of simulants.

Twig and Branch Wedding Bands in 18K recycled Rose Gold

Colored Gemstones

Colored gems often come from smaller mines, many scattered throughout developing nations. Mine working conditions can be far from ideal. To guarantee that your colored gemstone is free of social ill, look to incorporate fair trade gemstones.  Fair trade means fair and safe working conditions for miners including appropriate pay and no child labor.  Mine communities should benefit through improved infrastructure and the building of schools and hospitals. The land and water supply should be protected.  Lastly, fair trade should ensure product integrity by being legal, transparent and ideally, fair trade gems should have accompanying certificates, which is not always the case presently.

Fair Trade Garnet ring with cultured pearls, art deco style with organic details

Precious Metals

Modern gold mining creates obscene amounts of toxic waste and pollutants. Finding a jeweler who works with recycled metals should be a no brainer. The beauty of recycled metal is that once it’s melted down and refined, it’s new again.  This process saves significant damage to the environment and there is no compromise in quality.

Eco-conscious jewelers and sources for eco-responsible raw materials to the jewelers are increasing in number.  With a little creativity, together you can craft a beautiful jewelry that will reflect your values and bring you joy for years to come.

This guest post was written for Sweet Violet Bride by Barbara Polinsky of Barbara Michelle Jacobs Jewelry (Violet Vendor) and Mary Hood.

Organic elements, yet structured silhouettes make for some of my favorite pieces this season. You do not want to miss out on these!

From the Bride:

The inspiration for the day was based on the interests we have within our relationship. We are very inspired by nature so we loved the idea of highlighting aspects of wild and untamed nature, as seen in the floral arrangements, decorations, and in our venue choice. We are also inspired by simplicity and touch of the hand so all of the decorations were made by us and our closest friends.

We decided that on our wedding day we wanted to walk down the aisle together instead of the more traditional procession of the bride and father. For this reason, our favorite moment was holding hands walking down the aisle and looking around at all of our closest family and friends smiling back at us. Our processional song was ‘Here Comes the Sun’ by the Beatles.

Some of our favorite details from the day: we brewed our own beer as the take away gift for our guests + had guests sign our favorite books as our “guest book” so that we could rediscover their lovely messages throughout our life together.

Three pieces of wisdom:
1. Choose which traditions are important to you and which aren’t. Part of making the day your own is to be truthful to who you are. No pressure, just think about what feels right.
2. Take time before your big day to relax. On the morning of our wedding we decided to participate in our every day yoga practice just the two of us and looking back, this time together was exactly what we needed.
3. Don’t stress – you’re marrying your best friend, what could be better?

Photography: Maharaj Photography / Venue: The Dragonfly Retreat Bothell, Washington / Floral Design + Hairpieces: Marigold and Mint / Wedding Dress: Alhambra, a small women’s boutique in Seattle / Shoes: Madewell / Groom Suit: J.Crew / Paper Goods: friend of couple, Jeremy Sanford / Catering + Pies: Portage Bay Cafe

From Anna Campbell:

My first dress was worn to our first look at Lavandula, a beautiful Swiss Lavender farm, with sweeping lavender fields. I wanted a free-moving dress that flowed beautifully, but that was still sparkly and special enough to be the first dress Murray saw me in.

Walking down the aisle was the moment I had always dreamt of, and I wanted to be wearing something truly incredible and sparkly, so I created my ceremony dress with thousands of shimmering beads. Knowing how the dress would sparkle under the vintage lights of the barn, I couldn’t resist being embellished head to toe!

My third dress, worn upon arrival at the reception and for our sunset photos, was very fitted and intricately beaded, with gorgeous off the shoulder tulle sleeves. Although I was nervous to wear the fitted, mermaid shape, it created the most incredible silhouette, and it ended up being my Murray’s favourite!

The final dress was always designed to be my party dress! It was very simple, made of a soft Japanese lace, with an embellished belt detail. It was so much lighter than all of the other dresses, and so fun to dance in!

Anna Campbell is excited to announce that a new collection, inspired by each of her four custom gowns and the feelings of joy and excitement experienced by walking down the aisle, is currently underway and will be available to Anna Campbell brides later in 2016.

Photography: Brown Paper Parcel Photography / First look location: Lavandula / Ceremony and Reception:
Anderson’s Mill, Smeaton / Bridal gowns: Anna Campbell / Bridesmaids’ dresses: Anna Campbell / Mens Suiting / Briggins Clothiers / Videographer: C2 / Styling: Oh Perfect Day / Makeup: Melonie Santos / Hair: Momu / Flowers: Flowers in a Vase / Desserts and Cake: Sweet Empire / Cake Topper: Glistening Occasions / Photobooth: Smugshots Photobooth / Gelati: Bianco Latte /
Food truck: Lil Nom Noms / Celebrant: Anastasia Meek / On-­‐‑the-­‐‑day Coordination: Wedding Day PA

Photographer: ENV Photography / Dress: Faerie Brides / Event Planner: Lighthouse Wedding Coordinator / Submitted via Two Bright Lights / Flowers: Opal Flowers and Balloon / Stationary: Love Plus Design / Costume rentals: Theater Garage Linen / Rentals: Knotwood Event rentals / Decor: Engravables Design Studio / Snow White: Stef Williams / Huntsman: Joshua Colson