If you’re a celebrity singer, you insure your voice and if you’re a professional athelete, you insure your body.  If you’re like me and everyone else on this planet, we insure our properties such as our cars and homes, or insure certain events in our lives such as critical illness and traveling abroad.  Nowadays, the trend is insuring your weddings.

I never insured my wedding, but I’ve read that wedding insurance could cost from $100 to $1,000 depending on the type of coverage.  The coverage could be for damage to wedding halls and reception facilities or cancelation due to bad weather such as snowstorms.  I could see protecting yourself from the “day after” the reception if you have intoxicated guests that caused damage to the reception hall.   Some even insure against the possibility of a “change of heart” by either the bride or the groom.

Wow… insurance is smart, and it’s especially good protection for individuals who have a lot at stake in the event.  We always hope for the best but rarely plan for the worst, especially on our wedding day.

Today I came across this unique ”letterpress” boutique shop (Bella Figura) that prints, amongst other things, wedding invitations.  The shop is quite unique in that it uses old-fashion printing machines with antique cast-iron presses to add a special old-fashion touch with fine artistic calligraphy.  In keeping with the theme of “green” decisions from my earlier entry, the shop is 100% wind-powered and carbon neutral.  It also supports the environment by donating 1% of its sales to the “1% for the Planet” cause.

Following are some wedding invitation samples:

The Nantucket design:

 The “Printemps” design (btw, “printemps” means “spring” in French):

Special promotion for our readers: If you order their products, you can get a 10% discount by using this reference code: EWTPR1 (valid up to December 31, 2007). 

Being green is an “in” thing these days.  No wonder, when you have celebrities advocating the issue, it’s hard not to get into the hype.  If you want to contribute to this cause, following are some suggestions.  You can either aim for a completely green wedding (i.e., using recyclable supplies and minimalist decor with lots of green plants) or simply add ”green” favours to give to your guests (such as bamboo plants, which will last a long time and will likely not be thrown out in the trash).

Not only would the green theme be eco-friendly, it could even save you money because you’d be in a “minimalist” mode as opposed to “going all out” !!!    

Actually, if you cannot afford a big rock, you can simply give her your love.  That’s enough for many women.  But if you’re stuck with one of those that really want something to impress their friends and family members, you may have no choice but to head to the only place in the U.S. where you are allowed to dig up your own diamond.  That’s right!  Whatever you find is yours, that is, if you can find something. 

According to the article referenced below, more than 700 diamonds have been found this year at the Crater of Diamonds park.  Actually, I was wrong…  That park is not the only place in the U.S. that allows people to find and keep diamonds.  It’s the only place in the world!!!  That’s the American dream! 

See: Wis. Man Finds 3.92-ct White Diamond