Colin and me with our engagement rings.
“Oooh, Miss M.!” squealed my students the day after I got engaged. “Your diamond engagement ring is HUGE!”
Well, folks, it’s time to come clean. I do not have a diamond engagement ring.
What I really have is… a $25 crystal ring. Hah!!!!!
Colin and I bought the fake ring together, laughing uproariously the whole time, from the back of a sketchy store in Boston’s Downtown Crossing. ”The funniest part about this,” I squeaked amid gales of guffaws as I handed over my twenty-five bucks, “is that no one is going to call me on it!”
“I mean, what jerk is going to say: “Hey Lillie, congratulations on your engagement, but that’s totally a fake ring”?! Hahah! We are so going to get away with this… and it’s awesome!”
Our love is real, though my ring is faux until the wedding switch!
At this point, the shady man who was taking my cash was giggling, too.
Come to think of it, we probably could have bargained the price down, but given that we had just saved several thousands of dollars on an engagement ring, I was content.
So there’s secret one to saving mad loot on a wedding, especially if you’re (like us) going to use a family heirloom ring for the wedding and not continue to wear the engagement ring: Consider a faux diamond!
On our wedding day this July, we will remove the fake engagement rings and don the real deal: in my case, Colin’s grandmother’s lovely heirloom piece.
What’s great about this is that after we switch out the cheapo rings on our wedding day, we will still have the option of going back to the $25 fake for international travel, dirty work days, or moments we’re feeling low-maintenance.
What’s even nicer is that Colin’s proposal was so wonderful and our love is so sparkling that the $25 piece of crystal on my finger feels like a million bucks to me! 
Still don’t believe me that this money-saving ring trick actually works? I have a new hobby of taking photos of my fake ring next to real diamonds of the same shape. (Fun hobby!) See if you can spot any differences worth thousands of dollars in the next two photos. I know I can’t!
Can you spot the thousands-of-dollars difference?
Now let us sashay over to the second secret to save money on a wedding:
Use electronic invitations!
If you’ve read the article about my 10 secrets to being super-productive and organized, you may realize that I adore electronic organization systems and abhor paper. Actually, you could figure that out from seeing the heaps of disorganized, crumpled paper on my desk.
To make the case for electronic wedding invitations even stronger, know this horrific fact: brides often spend THOUSANDS of dollars on paper invitations, once you factor in buying fancy paper, creating and printing the design, postage, and in some lavish cases, hiring a calligrapher. That’s a lot of money for a piece of dead tree that most people spend two seconds looking at, or (like me) promptly lose in the sea of papers on a coffee table.
So how exactly does one do electronic wedding inviations? Enter GloSite, Paperless Post, and Google Forms. Through any of these three channels (along with several other online options), you can do all your wedding invites online in a classy yet paperless way for a FRACTION of the cost of paper. Not only that, but sites like GloSite (which I happily chose based on the recommendation of my cousin) let you electronically sort all your RSVPs and create an accompanying wedding website, all in a highly organized manner. Love it!
Which is the real diamond and which is $25 crystal?
So there you have my two (slightly scandalous) secrets to saving money on a wedding. Now if we can only find a way to save on Honeymoon packages, we’ll be all set!
Readers, what other ways do YOU suggest to make Wicked Expensive Wedding World more affordable?
Oh, and if you haven’t yet read our romantic engagement story, click here. It’s the perfect reading for Valentine’s Day, even if you are not currently in a couple. If you asked me on Valentine’s Day two years ago (when I was living in Ghana) whether I thought I’d be getting married in July of 2012, I would have laughed at you so hard I’d have fallen into my delicious fufu.
Oh, and in 2 days I’m flying to China with 42 Boston students. Wish us Bon Voyage!
Wow, I really wouldn’t have known the difference. I’m definitely going for a cheapo ring, I don’t care and I literally can’t believe how much my friends have spent on theirs! More money for travels suits me!
Wow! I couldn’t even tell that it was fake even if I do see you every Monday-Friday.
Best. Idea. Ever. I don’t even WEAR my engagement ring any more (full disclosure–it doesn’t FIT anymore) though fortunately it was a hand-me-down ring and thus cost exactly $0. But I never would have wanted a thousands of dollars ring. Just think of the airfare I could have purchased instead! Ha! Love it!
More money saving ideas–skip the expensive dress (though I recall that you’re doing something awesome and I think thrifty with that?) and don’t stress about the food (wedding food is never good anyway). In fact, I just attended (and photographed–for free) a wedding held in the bride and groom’s back yard. It was the most fun, laid back wedding I’d ever attended. And the least expensive.
Congrats again, and many calming thoughts as the big day approaches!
Love these tips. Thanks, Tracy!
That is such an awesome idea! I’m stealing your idea, for future purposes. (:
I think this is really romantic. Weddings are a special moment for love birds but that does not mean you have to spend a million dollars for a wedding. Make it special but to your liking. Wish you the best.
It never came to my mind that your wedding ring was fake! Your plan worked.
Are you serious! That nice ring only cost twenty-five dollars. When I get married that’s where I’m going to get my proposal ring. No one would notice. Ha ha ha ha ha! Now that’s what I call a true bargain!©
MInes fake too!!! only $15!!!!
High five!
HAHA! Thats a nice ring for $25.
Oh my goodness. I would have never guessed that your engagement ring wasn’t real. I hope you and Collin the best!
Much to the shock and horror of my grandmother, I have no desire to have an expensive diamond ring. I always said I would do something else, or perhaps a good fake. I’d rather put that money towards a fabulous and relaxing honeymoon
Way to go!
Love it!
Wow! I would have never guessed that your ring was fake but that is very smart of you and your fiance. The ring is still beautiful though and I wish the two of you the best
You’re not alone in the fake engagement ring idea. I travel solo a lot, and bought myself a very impressive (and very inexpensive) three-stone cubic zirconia ring to wear it on all my trips. It works wonders in keeping men from harassing me. I think it just intimidates them into thinking I am “taken” by a very wealthy man already. And if necessary, (for instance, when dickering on prices) I turn it around and it becomes a plain gold wedding band, and I become just another wife. I don’t particularly care for diamonds, and my boyfriend knows he is under no pressure to buy me a diamond ring. I’d rather use the money for travel any day! The fake diamonds are so good these days; nobody without a loop can tell the difference.
I also love the idea of e-invites. What true friend or family member is going to turn down an opportunity to help you celebrate your wedding just because they didn’t receive an engraved and hand-calligraphied invitation?!
Yee haw! Solidarity! Well said.
I also do the turning-around-the-stone trick!
Aww! Ms.Marshall, you’re so lucky to find someone who you truly love. I’ll probably have to wait for a couple of years for me to go searching for my soul mate.
It’s funny, how I didn’t even notice if it was fake or not since it looks real enough for me, and real enough to brag. 
What? I was fooled by my own teacher -__-. That was a good plan to save money though. I wish you guys the best (:
Wow! He did it just to buy you a cheap ring. Hah! I’m just messing around. I hop you two have a great wedding and are forever married.
Those are some nice tips that you have. I am still wondering how the ring looks so real.
Fooled…by my teacher. -. – [not to be rude] They look similar but, I see the slight difference. The shape of the cut is different. Usually the crystal is more fragile so they cut it until they feel it’s near perfect. The diamond is cut by hand and measured with exact measurement. If your look at the picture your crystal is a bit slanted than the diamond. (But that is just the picture)
Hello Ms. Marshall,
In your article you said that you and your husband to be are going to get away with having fake rings. Well, your secret is out! I am not going to go around chanting, “FAKE RING, FAKE RING!” Don’t get me wrong, your current ring is beautiful, and so is the heirloom. The only redo that I could spot the difference between the two, is that I see your crystal ring every Monday-Friday.
Hah! Note that I haven’t yet showed a photo of the heirloom, just photos of my fake ring and rings of other women that look like it. Stay tuned for the pic of the real piece! It’s amazing!
I know your secret, and Victoria doesn’t got nothing on this one. Ha ha ha! ↑↓↑↓↑↓©
Ms. Marshall, you tricked us all! .___. Anyways, the diamond on the real ring has a see through look and the crystal looks kind of blurry.
Congratulations – what a beautiful ring, and it looks so much more expensive!
Amazing Ms. Marshall! I can’t tell the difference between them. You saved a lot of money there since the ring would have been forgotten after the wedding anyway.
Wow! The rings are really pretty, wish you guys the best. (:
What?! They both look alike. Even though you tricked everyone that was
<3
a really smart way to save some cash. I HOPE YOU HAVE A GOOD WEDDING!!
I wish you both the best of luck!
Aw. That is such a cute couple. Ms. Marshall you’re really smart on saving money because now you probably have twice as much money as other couples do. <3
That’s awesome! When I first saw you with the ring, I really thought it was real. Congratulations Ms. Marshall!
Wow! That ring looks real. That was a smart move and a great way to save. I should give this idea to my sister’s boyfriend for future references. Hope you and Mr.Colin the BEST!
I should do this when I have my wedding because it looks good and it is cheap. Well if I am rich I will buy real and better rings.
I think that both of the rings look real. I think that it is a wonderful idea to use a fake ring until the wedding. You have saved thousands of dollars. You are great at saving money. Maybe you can give me some tips. My mom keeps on saying I spend to money on useless stuff .I don’t think that the stuff I buy is useless. I hope you have a fun trip to China.
Once you realize the great things your money can buy if you save it, you may stop spending it on silly little things! Here are some tips to save money (mostly geared towards adults): http://www.aroundtheworldl.com/2009/07/28/loot-to-scoot-strange-secrets-to-save-travel-money/
And here’s a fun activity you can do at any age to save hundreds: http://www.aroundtheworldl.com/2010/07/16/how-to-save-mad-money-and-get-a-new-wardrobe/
I think that both of the rings look very nice. I would want to get a cheep ring like that! Thanks for telling me how to save money. I love to save money too!
Ms. Marshall, you really have fooled us with the fake ring, but the ring is indeed similar to the real ring! =)
Wow! I hope that you and your fiance have a wonderful life together.
Thanks!
Wow! I thought the ring was real, but it was actually fake! Also, it cost 25 dollars!! That’s a cheap ring.
It is!
Nice ring! But can you tell that the ring is crystal and not diamond?
Given that the ring seller could have made thousands of dollars by proving the ring was diamond, I’m pretty sure a $25 ring is really crystal, as stated
Aw. This is so cute. It’s totally okay to have a $25 ring because it’s the thought AND LOVE that count.
Wow Ms.Marshall -_- you really fooled me. Which is not very nice in my book, but that’s a cool way to save money.
Bwahahahahah
I think the real ring is the one without all the designs on the part that goes around your finger. Wow those diamonds are huge!b
Wrong! Hahahaha!
Your two secrets to saving money on a wedding are smart ways to keep it cheap. I always thought you $25 ring was a real diamond. I am glad you found ways to save money on a wedding, while keeping it fun. I think that everyone who is going to get married should try these ways to save money.
Oh my gosh. Congratulations on your engagement. I hope you have a perfect and beautiful wedding.
Hi Lillie
Lovely story and tips, wish your the best for your wedding plans
Regards
Thanks! I’m just waiting for the first shocked/horrified comment