We’re all familiar with the traditional wedding day accoutrement– the big white dress, the big white cake, the big white flowers– and there’s nothing wrong with any of those things, but the demand for updates and new ideas is understandable when one considers that many of the traditions surrounding the wedding day are quite old and do not take our modern age into account.

While the dress and the cake are definitely crucial, it’s fair to say that the most important purchase related to one’s wedding is that of wedding rings. Of all the accoutrement involved with the wedding day, only the rings will be worn and seen every day thereafter. Classic domed wedding bands in gold are still among the most popular choices, but modern wedding band styles gaining ground include diamond eternity rings as well as metals and materials new to the jewelry industry like tungsten and titanium.

Tungsten carbide rings, commonly abbreviated as “tungsten rings” are perhaps the most modern choice one can make in picking the right jewelry for a cutting-edge contemporary wedding. These rings are very hard and strong, scratch-resistant, and tarnish-proof, and they look great with a brushed or polished finish, laser etching, and all of the other distinctive design accents tungsten rings and the related technology make possible.

Another important part of your wedding day is the music used in the ceremony. Music sets the mood and inspires or heightens the emotional response to an event, so a meaningful occasion like a wedding needs it. However, don’t feel bound to the old standards of the wedding march and processional typically used– I was a part of a wedding last year that used songs by Muse and from the original “Star Wars” films to great effect, and it made the day memorable and endearing for everyone.

Another factor to consider is the flowers. In the past wedding flowers were limited by convention to only a few types of flowers in mostly white. Most weddings aren’t bound by that rule anymore, though, and details as varied as fiddlehead ferns and Swarovski crystals accenting orange lilies to metal sculpture and peacock feathers standing in for the standard floral bouquets have made today’s wedding stand out in a wonderfully creative way.

The point is, in this modern age where we can be and do anything we dream of without being limited by social convention of the past, our dream weddings are within reach as well.