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Dante White, thrown out of his mother’s home at the age of 14, has been living on the streets of Washington, DC for half of his life.  Nine years ago, he met Nhiahni Chestnut, now 39, who is also homeless after a long battle with drugs and alcohol.  They began talking and spending time together, finding safety and comfort in knowing someone in the same situation. 

The couple regularly attended a Bible study and meal program run by Grace Episcopal Church in Georgetown, an affluent neighborhood in the Capitol City.  A few months ago, White confided in another parishioner that he would love to marry the woman who made his situation bearable for so long. 

According to Margaret Davis, another Grace Episcopal churchgoer, “In good Grace congregation fashion, everyone got behind the idea: one person managed flowers, I helped with wedding rings, one woman made the cake, someone helped with the tux and someone else with the bride’s gown.”

Yet another parishioner paid for a two-night stay at the Key Bridge Marriott Hotel in Virginia. 

The couple’s wedding was much like any other wedding, but there was an element of sadness to it as well.  After the service, the couple posed for pictures and fed each other chocolate layer cake.  Two Washington jazz musicians played during the reception. 

The bride told an AFP reporter, “This is beyond my wildest dreams.  This is exactly how I wanted my wedding to be.”

However, once their short honeymoon is over, the couple will return to the streets, where, according to White, “You have to sleep with one eye open.”

The Grace Church parishioners are not done yet, however.  They are working now on helping the couple find jobs, affordable housing, and some furniture to start building for their future together.

“There is a certain element of urgency to this,” said Davis. “Love will get them through so much, but at the end of the day they do need housing.”

For a few short and wonderful days, however, Dante White and Nhiahni Chestnut got to feel like any other newlyweds, something they wouldn’t have dreamed possible.

 

Filed under  //   dream wedding   homeless wedding   wedding band   wedding bands   wedding ring   wedding rings  

 

You can thank the diamond industry for creating one of the most effective marketing campaigns in history (aimed at grooms of course). Thanks to massive global advertising efforts, diamonds are now considered the ultimate symbol of love and commitment, and therefore, an ideal choice for engagement and wedding rings.

The first step is to do some research to understand how the quality of a diamond is measure and how it affects pricing. Truth-be-told, the hardest aspect of buying an engagement ring is knowing what your bride-to-be prefers. If you have an idea about what she likes, you can narrow it down by what’s known in the diamond business as the four Cs — clarity, color, cut, and carat.

The four Cs
When you go ring shopping, take notes and compare the differences of the four Cs. This will help you understand the different qualities of diamonds and how they’ll affect your budget.

1. Clarity – the clearness or purity of a diamond

Technically speaking: Traditionally, a diamond’s quality meant clarity, but in today’s world this is the second most important quality that affects pricing. Clarity is determined by the number, size, nature, and location of any internal inclusions and external blemishes (the number of crystals or clouds that can be seen using 10x magnification).

In regular guy terms: Let’s be honest, before you stress about being able to afford a flawless diamond, remember that 99.9% of the time you and your fiancé will be looking at the ring with your naked eyes. Unless you’re viewing the diamond with 10x magnification, there really isn’t a noticeable difference. A medium clarity diamond is just as striking as a flawless one.

2. Color – the amount of color the diamond contains

Technically speaking: The majority of diamonds have a hint of yellow or brown, but a perfect diamond is perfectly transparent with no hue. All diamonds are graded by their comparison to perfect diamonds. So the closer the grade is to D, the closer the diamond is to being perfect.

In regular guy terms: Before you break into a sweat and call off the engagement altogether, remember that the vast majority of diamonds are not perfect. It’s more typical for people to purchase a diamond that’s Grade G or below, but depending on your budget and priorities, Grades D, E, and F are slightly more beautiful diamonds.

3. Cut - the proportions, finish, symmetry, and polish of the diamond

Technically speaking: A diamond’s cut doesn’t actually refer to its shape, but its reflective qualities. A diamond’s angles and finish are what determine its ability to handle light, which creates the sparkling effect that girls love.

When a diamond’s well cut, light enters it and travels to a point where it reflects from one side to the other. It then reflects back out of the diamond and into the observer’s eye, once again, creating the sparkling effect.

Diamond cuts are separated into four categories: ideal cut, very good cut, good cut, and fair-to-poor cut. Because ideal cut diamonds reflect the most amount of light that enters the diamond, they typically sell at a premium, while poorly cut diamonds usually sell at discounted prices.

In regular guy terms: Diamonds with a cut grade of good or very good are the best value with high-quality appeal. Just find out what works best for you and your budget.

4. Carat - the unit of weight of the diamond

Technically speaking: The value per carat increases exponentially with carat size because larger, rough diamonds occur less frequently than smaller ones. In other words, 2 half-carat diamonds taken together won’t cost as much as 1 one-carat diamond because the one-carat diamond is rarer.

In regular guy terms: Does size really matter? That’s a personal question for each bride. If you’re like most grooms-to-be, your budget makes a difference. Your bride might prefer to have a lower- quality diamond for a larger look, or she might prefer quality over a larger size. It’s up to you to determine her preference.

A Few Recommendation:

Diamond engagement rings and wedding bands are personal to each bride. It’s best to follow this general approach:
1. Establish the budget you can afford. The rule of thumb is to go with the two month’s salary approach. For example, if you make $10,000 per year, you should spend approximately $1,667 on the engagement ring.
2. Be sneaky and determine her preferences on size, quality, and shape on the sly. Or be direct and ask for her opinion; she’ll thank you later.
3. Narrow down the four Cs of a diamond based on:
         a. Her preferences
         b. What your budget will allow
4. Make sure to shop around. The average markup for a diamond ring is 200% to 400%. It pays to do your research! A great resource is Whiteflash.com!
5. When you’ve narrowed down your selection of diamonds, make sure to ask the jeweler to let you review the independent Diamond Grading Reports, also called certificates. These reports will verify the classification of the four Cs and will help you compare apples to apples.

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