Proposal with no ring...

[littlelysser]

Hi guys. One of my good friends is going to be proposing soon. HIs future FI has NO idea.

He was going to get his GF a ring beforehand, but has since realized that he would much rather propose and then let her pick the ring herself. But he doesn''t want to propose empty handed!


Any ideas for what sort of token or gift he could give her when he proposes?

 

[TheDoctor]

Well, it''s not the same as putting a deposit on a house or a car.You really don''t need to have anything in hand to propose, unless you choose a diamond prior to the event and present that. This alows the fiancee to still choose what kind of setting she would like, and the aspiring groom to put a sort of limit on his expenditure.

 

[blodthecat]

I live in England, and I don't really understand the need to have a 'proposal plan/idea'

You find the lass of your dreams, and together, you go to choose the ring that she loves! (end of story!)

All this down on one bended knee etc....it's a bit dated, old fashioned and a tad cheesey!

Be spontaneous....tell her you love her, and want to buy her a gorgeous ering.

Blod

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 1/8/2006 10:27:42 AM
Author: blodthecat
All this down on one bended knee etc....it''s a bit dated, old fashioned and a tad cheesey!

Blod

I DISAGREE. It is very special when the man you loves gets down on one knee to propose! Besides everyone will ask her if you did. Get her a sapphire ring to wear until you find the ring of her dreams. That way she can wear it on her right hand as her "something blue" (is that cheesy too blod?) on your wedding, or get her an eternity band that can be used as her wedding band (I like the backwards approach), empty handed or not she will be so excited she probably won''t care.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 1/8/2006 10:20:49 AM
Author: TheDoctor

... unless you choose a diamond prior to the event and present that.

Second that - $50 on a temp setting should do.

I like to think that the implicit task to choose or create a personal ring with the stone is a great engagement present. It would take one girl completely disinterested in jewelry to hate that.

There may be a little catch to the idea, since some setting options could be expensive, or the idea to find a jeweler to set a diamond they did not sell not too appealing... But there''s more than one pleasant way to sort it out; my fave - present the stone in temp setting along with a booking for consultation at a custom jeweler''s shop. That at least avoids the potential reluctance of some shops to work on customer''s diamonds, and makes the cost and quality predictable.


My 2c ... of course I am biased pro custom-made jewelry. No secret, I guess

 

[littlelysser]

Good suggestions. I''ll pass the sapphire idea along to him.

He was going to get her a round brilliant - he thought it was what she would want, until he showed her pics of my e-ring (asscher with a halo) that she loved...and went on and on about wanting something unique...so he decided it would be better to let her pick it!

Thanks guys!

 

[pebbles]

One of my friends bought his girlfriend a pendant and proposed with that. It wasn''t really expensive, just something for her to have to remember that special night. They then picked out the e-ring together. She wears the pendant all the time, and that was more than 10 years ago that he gave it to her.

 

[Mimikins24]

The idea of buying the stone and putting it in a temp. setting is nice, but maybe not the best for your friend. It seems like he doesn''t have any idea what she likes, so it might be too risky for him to pick out the stone (for example if he doesn''t know what shape she likes or what characteristics are most important to her in a diamond). My vote would be for another ring of some kind. I love the idea of a blue stone (for her something blue) or a ring that could be used as the wedding band. A nice touch might be if he had the ring engraved on the inside (with the date or something), just to make it even more connected to the engagement. Let us know what he ends up with --- and pictures please (of course!) if he gets something sparkly!!!

 

[researcher]

Date: 1/9/2006 11:06:24 AM
Author: pebbles
One of my friends bought his girlfriend a pendant and proposed with that. It wasn''t really expensive, just something for her to have to remember that special night. They then picked out the e-ring together. She wears the pendant all the time, and that was more than 10 years ago that he gave it to her.

I LOVE this idea! At least for me, I would feel like the ring I was proposed to with would be my engagement ring--it would be the one with the memories attached to the moment when my SO told me he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. So, if I was proposed to with a sapphire ring, I would feel that was my e-ring. But a pendant, a pendant would always be the closest thing to my heart. I therefore think this idea is brilliant! It''s so much better than earrings (ever since my brother-in-law proposed to his now wife with the center stone from the 3-stone ring he had proposed to his previous girlfriend with and given her earrings as a wedding gift I''ve not liked the diamond earring thing) and gives the man a chance to express himself. I mean, there are so many options out there! I think the best would be a 3-stone necklace (whether or not it was actually 3 stones or made up of 21 smaller stones or whatever) because of the past, present, and future significance. How romantic!