by Danielle Frawley

After the first few days of engagement bliss it is easy to feel overwhelmed. There are so many things to do. If you don't have a wedding planner it's usually the bride's responsibility to contact the following: venue, DJ or band, florist, photographer, wedding officiant, a caterer, and more. You also have to design invitations or have someone design them for you. And what about wedding bands?

Your wedding is the most important day of your life; it can also be the most enjoyable day of your life too. I have told myself this very thing on several occasions. For those of you who are unaware, I became engaged to my boyfriend of five and a half years in December 2009. Our Oct. 23, 2010 date is approaching and making decisions about the details is becoming more frequent and certainly very important.

Two items on my to-do list were easy, our invitations and our rings. I left both of these important bridal necessities in the capable hands of two Shelburne businesses. The first is Inviting Creations, owned by the Managing Editor of the Shelburne News Margo Callaghan. Callaghan creates everything from baby announcements to wedding invitations. Wedding invitations do not simply mean the invitation to the wedding. There is the save the date card, the RSVP card, the program, place cards, and table numbers to name just a few of the designed requirements.

As soon as I told her I was engaged, Callaghan jumped at the chance to create everything for my wedding. When the person you work with offers to design your invitations, and can create the exact thing you want people to understand about your wedding, it is unbelievably convenient, and a great experience. I had a friend tell me that the invitations were one of the hardest parts of her wedding planning. Not for me. Callaghan understood what I wanted, created samples, and has happily made everything to my specifications.

The second very important wedding detail where a Shelburne business helped us out: wedding bands. Paul (my fiancé) proposed to me with his grandmother's gorgeous engagement ring. With something so precious on my finger, I wanted a wedding band equally as beautiful to compliment it. At the same time, we inherited Paul's great-grandmother's diamond wedding band. We wanted to incorporate this family wedding band into Paul's ring and use the diamonds to create a necklace for me. This seemed to be a tall order, and Paul and I were a bit nervous as to how it would turn out.

From the very first meeting with Matthew Taylor, we were immediately at ease. Taylor sat down with us for over an hour to listen to what we wanted, draw out what he would make, and offer detailed suggestions regarding diamonds, sizing, and pricing. Not for one second did we feel as if he was just selling us another ring. We felt that he takes great pride in his work and would accept nothing less than perfection for his young and excited customers. The first thing he finished was the necklace: a gorgeous small pendant of shiny diamonds on a delicate chain. Paul's ring was made of Damascus steel. Taylor took Paul's great-grandmother's wedding band, sized it correctly, and placed it in a line on the outside of Paul's wedding band.

My wedding band would take a bit more time. First, Taylor made a mold of my engagement ring so that the wedding band would fit perfectly with its mate. The entire band was handmade by Taylor. It is intricate, beautiful and exactly what I wanted. I get more excited each day the wedding comes closer because I cannot wait to wear my beautiful rings together.

In short, a wedding is full of details. When you trust the vendors and the businesses to help you create your wedding and make it special it is a great relief. I could not have asked for better quality with my invitations and rings, and I know for sure that they were made with care, and just a touch of love.