Wedding Band Woes

[Independent Gal]

Well, I'm back in my condo from my 3 weeks away and finally got sorted through my mail. Somewhere in the pile was a letter from my condo association that explained the reasons for a special assessment (for those of you who don't do 'condo', that's where everyone who owns a unit contributes extra into the common kitty for repairs to common areas) of... wait for it... TWELVE THOUSAND DOLLARS. That's a lot of dough. That's half our wedding budget for parts 1 AND 2. Needless to say, I'm bummed. We'll have to scale back on a lot of stuff. But everything except the food is already pretty much on the cheap. Well, everything except the bling. So we decided to scale back on wedding rings. After all, we can 'upgrade' later.

My e-ring is platinum, and eventually I'd like a platinum 7 stone to wear with it. But for the moment I guess it's got to be a plain gold band!

I'm thinking white gold, and I'll wear the e-ring on the right hand.

Sigh! That's life, right?

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Wow, I cannot believe that each condo owner has to contribute THAT MUCH! What are they doing to this condo complex? Covering everything in 24 karat gold??

It sounds like most things are booked, but I''m sure you can scale down the things that aren''t. And don''t be afraid of negotiating, I saved thousands by talking vendors down.

Saving on the band will help. You can get the simple gold bands for now, then down the road, get the wedding band you planned to get. I really like the idea of a having a simple band, especially matching bands. I''m getting a plain platinum band to match my FI''s in addition to the eternity band. I have a friend who''s doing the same thing--her FI wanted a yellow gold band and she bought a thinner, matching one in addition to her 5-stone platinum wedding band. I love the simplicity of a band and think that you guys will really like having them, even when you get a second band later.

 

[Maisie]

I feel your pain! We have realised that we can''t afford the wedding band I wanted so its a plain platinum for me too! I will get my diamond band eventually but for now its just a plain one. I don''t mind that much - I can hold out for the one I want.

 

[rainbowtrout]

That''s terrible! They couldn''t have given you a little *warning,* for goodness'' sakes???

Well, I suppose you can always get an even bigger "anniversary" ring down the road, eh?

 

[luckystar112]

What the......?
What do they do if you can''t afford 12k?!?! Stone you to death?!

 

[Independent Gal]

They''re doing several facade repairs, etc. But the big cost is that apparently, we have to rebuild all of our balconies because the developer used substandard materials and we have water issues. The condo association is suing the developer, but apparently an engineer they just had in said that they have to be fixed NOW before some concrete falls from the 25th floor onto the busy traffic artery below and potentially kills someone. So, there''s a chance I will get a portion of the money back, but it could take three years I''m told. (sigh)

I''m not sure what they do if you can''t pay, but you''re definitely under a LEGAL obligation to pay, so maybe they sue you? Not sure. But I guess if everyone doesn''t pay their share, then while I may not get stoned to death, someone on the street below inadvertantly might! So I guess there''s a moral obligation here too.

Sorry to hear you''re in the same boat, Maisie!

I think I''ll save my spending pennies and get FI a platinum band anyway. I can live with gold, but he should have something special to be married with since I already have the e-ring.

 

[Steel]

Tut tut tut. Management fees make me see RED.

Please consider http://www.e-weddingbands.com/store/platinum_wedding_bands.html and upgrade to a plat band for yourself also. It would be nice to match metals and if you are like me you will always look fondly on your origional wedding band, no matter how many blingy eternity bands you buy in the future.

Buy the Plat, it will save you money in the long run in plating costs...

I bought from them and am very happy. I am moving at the moment so no pics but bought the 2 mm pipe cut comort fit and knife edge and 4 mm pipe for DH.

If you find them cheaper on the web then I think they pricematch, but I would use them.

It is a mind match aswell, you can''t look at the band later and wish it plat, so buy the match now- if you get me.

Go on...nudge....

 

[Steel]

I never bought from them, but https://store.weddingringhotline.com/section.php?xSec=6 have fantastic prices. Worth a look?

 

[Independent Gal]

Thanks for the link Steel! We'd been looking at the eweddingbands site and I'd been planning to get his band there (probably still will).

Not sure what I'm going to do about mine. My e-ring is curved which makes it complicated if I'm not going custom or going into Bulgari and dropping the crazy cash for the one they make to match. But I think the sensible thing is just to move it to my right hand and wear whatever on my left for now.

I'm surprised at how relatively un-freaked out I am given that my wedding plans are partially imploding and my liquid savings being wiped out. I guess it's just life!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Sorry to hear this IG! That is a lot of money. Here in NC they will foreclose on your home if you don''t pay your HOA dues. I hope you find a beautiful temp band until you guys can afford your 7 stone.

 

[AmberWaves]

IG, I totally hear you. I just found out we''ve got a huge amount in taxes to pay, and it''s going to be a plain band for me, too. I''m actually okay with this, since I''ll get my "fancy" band on our 1st anniversary, and once engraved, my plain band will be my "forever" band to pass down. I hate sudden things like that- so much can change with one phone call or letter, right?

 

[Pandora II]

Indy, check the details before you pay.

I deal with this situation a lot here in the UK and you have 3 payment options - pay all in one lump sum, pay in installments over 3 years or pay when you sell the property in the future.

Maybe they have a similar payment option scheme. After all someone who was a pensioner probably couldn''t just find £12k.

 

[Independent Gal]

Thanks Pandora! We''re going to talk to the building manager on monday who will have all the details. I know we have the option to pay it off over five years at 7% interest or in a lump sum now. I''m not sure if we can do something in between which would be ideal. The thing is, in terms of the interest, it''s higher than my mortgage interest rate and definitely higher than what I get in my savings account. So it seems to make sense to pay off the debt as fast as possible. But we''re going to consider all the options and cost things out.

I hate debt!

 

[pavelover]

IG I am sorry to here that your original plans have to be changed. But I am really impressed with how well you are handling things. I live in a condo association too and have a fear of those sudden assessments. also had just moved from another condo where the association was suing the builder. That can be stressful because it can take so long to settle.
I think it would be nice to have the engraved band for the sentimental value and then upgrade when the time is right. Plus it means more time on pricescope daydreaming and comparing ideas. which is always fun, right?
take care and I hope things get sorted out o.k.
bye

 

[firebirdgold]

Well here is an idea for a curved platinum wedding band for yourself: Check out Antique Engagement Rings.com, click on bands and go to the bottom of the second page of classic recreations. It's an art-deco style curved plat band with little bead-set diamonds and it's only $550! Which I think is a pretty good price. (my ering is from them and it really lived up to the description and photos)

You might also want to consider going for palladium rather than platinum. It has most of the same characteristics including durability, non-reactiveness, and hardness without the weight or the price. (the only thing it reacts to is really really high levels of hydrogen gas). Not only is palladium less expensive per ounce, it's much less dense so that it takes fewer ounces for a given volume (like a 5mm man's ring) than platinum. I really wanted this heavy engraved platinum wedding band but we just couldn't afford it. The store offered to custom duplicate it for us in palladium which brought it down to something we could afford even with the hand-engraving and custom work! (plus it's a whole lot lighter)
I wear it with my platinum e-ring and no one including me can tell the difference in metals between the two. They haven't worn away at each other yet either. I wear it constantly and there's not a scratch on it yet either.

Also, are you sure future hubby wants a platinum band? You never know with men. Alot of them are really into titanium and also men can be surprisingly fussy about their bands. My dh insisted on a flat and narrow red gold band with a matte finish. Do you have any idea how hard that was to find??

Good luck on that horrid condo fee!

ETA: That's an insanely high interest rate, can they even do that?? Try negotiating them down on the interest rate to something more reasonable. Or heck, take out a loan for it... the interest has got to be lower than that on anything other than a credit card!

 

[Independent Gal]

Ooooh Indie! I LOVE that website and had completely forgotten about it after I got my ring. I don''t think that particular band would go with my e-ring since it''s all swooshy hyper modern curves, but I''m going to check into some of the other rings on there as stand-alones. THANKS!

FI definitely had told me he had his heart set on platinum because he wanted it to match my set. I definitely want to get a w-band to match my e-ring once we can afford it again, so I think he''d still want platinum. I''ll run it by him again before I take the plunge! And luckily he has average size fingers and only wants 4mm so it won''t be as crazy expensive as it could have been.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Total bummer about those condo fees!

Could your pennies consider this?

http://www.signedpieces.com/item.cfm?item_id=6280

Not suitable?

cheers--Sharon