These Wedding 2021 Trends Are #CouplesGoals

Selena Gomez actually sang about her future engagement ring in 2015.

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A post shared by benny blanco (@itsbennyblanco)

Benny Blanco shared a video of Sel after the proposal as they cheers two glasses of champagne, and Selena Gomez's engagement ring is on full display! I'm also obsessed with the fur coat she wore to the date — it's the perfect shade of bridal white.

The marquise diamond is the perfect cut for Selena because it's both classy and modern but it's also unexpected and romantic all in one. And fans are calling out how Selena sang about marquise diamonds in 2015's "Good For You," so she basically manifested her ring and didn't even know it.

How many carats is Selena Gomez's engagement ring?

Selena Gomez's engagement is estimated to be around four carats, according to Julia Hackman Chafé, a jewelry content creator and gemstone wholesaler (via TODAY). The larger marquise diamond is set on a chunky gold band made up of smaller .25 carat stones. Gorgeous! And if you're wondering how much is Selena Gomez's ring? “The diamond itself, if Benny chose a high-quality diamond, is probably around $75,000 and up,” Chafé said.

Benny Blanco also revealed his proposal to Selena wasn't your average picnic.

Behind the scenes look of the studio where Benny Blanco recreated a date to propose to Selena Gomez pic.twitter.com/b6jJmL5190

— Selena Gomez News (@SELENAT0RSARMY) December 14, 2024

Benny also posted a behind-the-scenes look at his Taco Bell proposal picnic, and revealed the proposal took place on a soundstage! Talk about a real-life romantic movie moment. Ever since he popped the question, Selena's been "glowing," and these new videos and all the photos are totally proving it.

“They’re so supportive of each other,” a source told Peopleafter the couple got engaged. “He wants the best for her and she wants the best for him. They’re perfect together. They really are.” I just love love.

Selena Gomez is engaged! And she's all smiles in the announcement.

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A post shared by Selena Gomez (@selenagomez)

Selena Gomez posted four photos to Instagram celebrating her engagement to Benny Blanco, and captioned the post (which begins with a close-up of her amazing engagement ring), "forever begins now.." The post also includes a photo of Selena wearing a fur coat and jeans during a picnic, an overjoyed selfie, and a shot of Benny with his arms around her.

Of course, friends and fans flooded the comments with congratulations, led by Benny himself. "hey wait… that’s my wife," he said. "yes I will be the flower girl," Taylor Swift commented.

Nina Dobrev (who recently got engaged herself to Shaun White) commented with plenty of emojis, saying, "YES !!!! Congratulations!!!!! So happy for you both!!!! 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍‼️" while Selena's official Rare Beauty account commented, "CONGRATULATIONS 🥹💍 so happy for you two!!"

While we won't know details about Selena Gomez's wedding for quite some time (if she chooses to share them), we do know one thing: she's keeping her last name. "I’m not changing my name no matter what,” she said in a September interview with Vanity Fair. “I am Selena Gomez. That’s it.”

The "Lose You To Love Me" singer added that she's "never been loved this way," and called Benny "a complete light in my life" before adding that "he’s my best friend [and] I love telling him everything.”

The internet (and the paparazzi) have focused on Selena's relationships since she began dating Justin Bieber in 2010. Despite the intense scrutiny, the actress has found ways to both speak honestly about her desire for relationships (like in 2020's "Boyfriend") and have fun with her singleness too (like with 2023's "Single Soon").

Selena went viral in June of 2023 when she sat on a field watching a soccer game and called to the players to let them know she was single at the time. "I'm just a little high maintenance but I'll love you so much," she said. Looks like you don't have to sit on any more soccer fields Selena!

1. Get a good board.

Throughout the years, I’ve learned that your charcuterie is only as good as the board you use to craft it. I’ve had moments where I tried to use a single dinner plate or even a plastic cutting board for my creations, and, well, they just didn’t cut it.

The perfect charcuterie board is durable, easy to transport, and easy to clean once all the snacks are gone. Of course, the size of your board matters, too, but that really all depends on the amount of people you plan to serve.

I was lucky enough to be gifted this wonderful foldable charcuterie board ($87) from Uncommon Goods (thanks, mom!), and it’s my go-to for small gatherings (more typical than large parties, per my lifestyle).

I also really enjoy it because it’s easy to travel with if I’m setting up a snack spread at someone else’s place. The foldability also makes it a breeze to stow away in my kitchen cupboards between uses.

My only (very minor) complaint about it is that the nooks and crannies between the folding mechanisms can be hard to fully clean.

If you plan to take your charcuterie skills to a larger get-together, I recommend looking for a long board, like these ones from Amazon ($65) or Crate & Barrel (above, $70).

2. Variety is key.

Now that the board’s out of the way, it’s time to get into the fun stuff – the food!

My personal preference when it comes to charcuterie boards is that they have a ton of variety. Not just variety in flavors, but color, texture, and layout.

Having a wide range of different snacks will please the palette and the eyes, which is the number one key in impressing those people that hover around the snack table, leaving them with a lasting memory about your amazing charcuterie work.

As a quick guide, I always strive to have at least one item from each of these categories on my charcuterie board: meats, cheeses, crackers, nuts, olives, fruits, and chocolates (because who doesn’t like chocolate?!).

Bonus points for fancy picks like veggies, dips, breads, honeys, baked bries, cookies, pastries, and dipping oils.

Now, all of that is just for a regular-schmegular charcuterie moment. When it comes to a Christmas charcuterie board, you may want to stick to seasonal foods (like Christmas cookies, cheese balls, and rosemary crackers) and flavors (like cranberry, gingerbread, and peppermint) to really nail the theme. Using red and green foods is also welcome!

It’s no secret that I love to shop at Trader Joe’s for all of my charcuterie needs. They carry a ton of items in each of the aforementioned categories, and the best part is their products typically favor the more-elevated culinary palette (not to sound pretentious AF!).

Plus, their aisles change according to the seasons, so you’re bound to find the perfect items for your Christmas charcuterie board in a single trip. I can’t recommend TJ’s more!

3. Get creative with presentation.

The presentation of your charcuterie is the part that people will remember the most, which is why I fully lean into my creativity to create an eye-catching snack spread.

My best advice is to simply be patient and don’t rush this step! It should be pure fun – sometimes it’s even more fun for me than actually eating the charcuterie!

You really can’t mess up the presentation, and if you do, everything is easily rearrangeable.

Meat roses – it sounds so silly, but making meat roses was the first thing that really leveled up my boards’ presentations. You can create them by layering slices of cured meats (like salami) around the rim of a glass. I watched a quick TikTok tutorial to learn how (thank you, internet!). This YouTube video also has some really helpful and clear tips!

I also enjoy employing methods like alternating and layering different cheeses, stylishly folding meats onto toothpicks, stuffing olives, creatively cutting berries, and more.

The next tip kind of goes hand-in-hand with my notes about using a good board, but it definitely plays into presentation: using small bowls to section out things like olives, baked bries (my fave), jellies, and dips. Tiny bowls like this set of 6 from Amazon ($23) not only look cute, but they help in separating charcuterie items that shouldn’t touch other things (AKA oily olives or piping-hot baked cheeses).

You’ll learn more and more about your charcuterie presentation preferences through practice. Plus, no two boards are the same, so you really have free reign on each one!

4. Scale your charcuterie appropriately for the occasion.

If you’re going to serve a big Christmas party, you’ll want to up the ante with the size of your charcuterie spread. As I noted with the size of your board, you’ll want to have enough snacks to fill the blank space on it.

The real key with this is just being prepared – make sure you get a solid head count ahead of your charcuterie shopping trip, and you’ll know exactly how much to buy!

If you’re only feeding a few mouths, it’s okay to keep it small! For reference, between two people, I only need to grab one of each item. For larger gatherings above 10 people, I might be extra cautious and grab 3 or 4 of each.

I’ve found that meats, cheeses, and crackers are typically what’s gone from my boards first, so I’d recommend focusing on having enough options there for your own creation.

Another important thing to take into consideration is if your guests have any special dietary needs like allergies. That way, you can know what to avoid (or set out separately from the main charcuterie board if you’re up to making a couple of options).

If you’ve committed to the charcuterie for a function at someone else’s house, make sure you arrive in advance with all the components packaged. Building the board beforehand opens up the possibility of it getting messed up during travel.

I’d tow along my board, a bag full of the snacks, and some necessary prep items like knives and bowls. Bringing your own paper plates to coordinate could also be helpful to the host!