I Hereby Protest

[Coffee Warlord]

Engagement rings are too damned much money.

That is all.

[Easy Mac]

Knock her up, then you have a built in excuse for being cheap on the ring. Of course, you'll have to pay for the diaper and apartment, so its really your choice.

[Easy Mac]

dola, you better not be marrying anyone from Galesburg, I don't want your penguin kind in my family.

[st.cronin]

Keep in mind, she'll pretty much have to...

[Coffee Warlord]

dola, you better not be marrying anyone from Galesburg, I don't want your penguin kind in my family.

She continually makes fun of me for having lived in Galesburg. So no.

I just try and pretend I never set foot in that hole.

[st.cronin]

Instead of a ring, you should just get her a yak. Much more practical.

[Coffee Warlord]

Hmmm....I like this idea.

[Easy Mac]

Keep in mind, she'll pretty much have to...

You mean hxxp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrdPJ9j3LnE

[King of New York]

Me + Missus = no engagement ring, his and hers plain gold wedding bands, wedding in the living room with a few family members. No yak.

The military-wedding-industrial complex fears me and my kind.

[JeeberD]

CeeDub is settling down?!?!?!?! :eek:

[Coffee Warlord]

Scary, ain't it.

[molson]

Are there ANY women in the world who are cool about the ring thing (i.e. buying a fake one and using the money as a down payment on a house).

[Easy Mac]

As long as you don't mind infidelity, sure.

[molson]

As long as you don't mind infidelity, sure.

LOL

I new a guy whose finance's grandmother gave him a family heirloom engagement ring that was appraised in the six figures. I thought he scored big time. Turns out she wanted ANOTHER ring on top of that, one he would pay for and pick out.

[Ksyrup]

My wife insisted that we use a diamond handed down from her great-grandmother, so all I was in for was the cost of the setting ($100) when we got engaged. A few years after we were married, I bought her a sleeve for it. Eventually (within the next couple of years), she's expecting the real deal. So I've bought myself, including the engagement years, about 12-15 years before having to spend thousands on a ring.

Of course, now that I can really afford something expensive, I probably would have been better off buying something more reasonably priced as a poor government attorney than now.

[Eaglesfan27]

My wife insisted that we use a diamond handed down from her great-grandmother, so all I was in for was the cost of the setting ($100) when we got engaged. A few years after we were married, I bought her a sleeve for it. Eventually (within the next couple of years), she's expecting the real deal. So I've bought myself, including the engagement years, about 12-15 years before having to spend thousands on a ring.

Of course, now that I can really afford something expensive, I probably would have been better off buying something more reasonably priced as a poor government attorney than now.


Almost the same situation for me.. We used my grandmother's ring that my grandfather had given me since I was a poor medical student. A few years in my wife started hinting she wanted a bigger diamond for our 10th anniversary. Then again, she hasn't hinted for a few years, so maybe she has forgotten? She is starting to talk about an Alaskan Cruise for our 10th anniversary (which is something I've always wanted to do,) so she can't possibly expect that and the bigger diamond...

[KevinNU7]

I like to tell my wife we could have his' and her's plasma TVs instead of that ring.

CW have you read up on diamonds to know what you need to pay for and what part of the diamond you can skimp on to save money?

[Butter]

so she can't possibly expect that and the bigger diamond...

LOL

[wade moore]

LOL

You beat me to it.

[Cork]

Me + Missus = no engagement ring, his and hers plain gold wedding bands, wedding in the living room with a few family members. No yak.

The military-wedding-industrial complex fears me and my kind.

Did you get married in a trailor park? ;)

-Cork

[lordscarlet]

My wife insisted that we use a diamond handed down from her great-grandmother, so all I was in for was the cost of the setting ($100) when we got engaged. A few years after we were married, I bought her a sleeve for it. Eventually (within the next couple of years), she's expecting the real deal. So I've bought myself, including the engagement years, about 12-15 years before having to spend thousands on a ring.

Of course, now that I can really afford something expensive, I probably would have been better off buying something more reasonably priced as a poor government attorney than now.

My fiance's setting alone was $1000. :)

[Pumpy Tudors]

Did you get married in a trailor park?
He said "no yak."

[Telle]

Does it have to be a diamond? Is she one of those "I must have a great big giant rock to show off to everyone I know" kind of girls?

Render got me an absolutely beautiful engagement ring, and the main stone is an amethyst (my birth stone and favorite gemstone). It then has little diamond chips on either side of it. I love it much more than I would any "typical" engagement ring.

[CamEdwards]

Me + Missus = no engagement ring, his and hers plain gold wedding bands, wedding in the living room with a few family members. No yak.

The military-wedding-industrial complex fears me and my kind.

Yep, we had almost the exact same wedding, only we got married in the rose garden of a public park (and didn't buy the $75 dollar permit!). All told, rings included, we spent about $350 on our wedding.

Our ten year anniversary is coming up in August, and I have a feeling my wife will want something that costs a little bit more, though I thank my lucky stars every day that I married a woman who doesn't care for jewelry.

[sabotai]

I new a guy whose finance's grandmother gave him a family heirloom engagement ring that was appraised in the six figures. I thought he scored big time. Turns out she wanted ANOTHER ring on top of that, one he would pay for and pick out.

Stab her. That's the only logical reaction.

[Coffee Warlord]

Does it have to be a diamond? Is she one of those "I must have a great big giant rock to show off to everyone I know" kind of girls?

Render got me an absolutely beautiful engagement ring, and the main stone is an amethyst (my birth stone and favorite gemstone). It then has little diamond chips on either side of it. I love it much more than I would any "typical" engagement ring.

Not at all, actually. The only jewelry I've EVER seen her wear is a couple pairs of earrings and her class ring. Ever. My only Don't Do directive I have from her sister is stay away from yellow gold.

[Telle]

Not at all, actually. The only jewelry I've EVER seen her wear is a couple pairs of earrings and her class ring. Ever. My only Don't Do directive I have from her sister is stay away from yellow gold.

Well there ya go. You can find a non-traditional engagement ring for a LOT less money than getting the typical diamond solitaire. Plus it gives you a lot more leeway to be able to find a ring that really seems right for her rather than just what everybody else expects.

[rkmsuf]

Well there ya go. You can find a non-traditional engagement ring for a LOT less money than getting the typical diamond solitaire. Plus it gives you a lot more leeway to be able to find a ring that really seems right for her rather than just what everybody else expects.

Well won't she be disappointed when she gets the "affordable" option.

Nice going.

[dawgfan]

On a related note, how do you determine a ring size for an engagement ring if you are trying to keep your proposal a surprise?

[Coffee Warlord]

On a related note, how do you determine a ring size for an engagement ring if you are trying to keep your proposal a surprise?

Ask a friend or a relative. Worked for me, unless her sister has spoiled it.

[st.cronin]

On a related note, how do you determine a ring size for an engagement ring if you are trying to keep your proposal a surprise?

You need a spy. Mother, sister, somebody like that.

[dawgfan]

Ask a friend or a relative. Worked for me, unless her sister has spoiled it.

You need a spy. Mother, sister, somebody like that.

Ah - makes sense.

[MalcPow]

A friend of mine also took one of his soon to be fiance's rings, put it on his finger, traced with a pen where the ring could go no further, and then went and sized accordingly at a jeweler. Worked out well.

[dawgfan]

A friend of mine also took one of his soon to be fiance's rings, put it on his finger, traced with a pen where the ring could go no further, and then went and sized accordingly at a jeweler. Worked out well.
That's a good one - I'll have to remember that trick.

[sterlingice]

I second, or third, or whatever we are up to on the yak idea.

Seriously, tho. My wife has small hands so she didn't want a giant rock- we got something that has cooler looking metalwork instead. A lot nicer looking and more distinctive and, frankly, cheaper. I've never understood the "I want to have a giant rock on my hand"- I always figured it was like carrying around a giant sign in your hand that said "I'm incredibly shallow" instead of the "I got him to buy me this, see how much I have him wrapped around my finger" that I think a lot of women think is what they are saying.

SI

[MalcPow]

I second, or third, or whatever we are up to on the yak idea.

Seriously, tho. My wife has small hands so she didn't want a giant rock- we got something that has cooler looking metalwork instead. A lot nicer looking and more distinctive and, frankly, cheaper. I've never understood the "I want to have a giant rock on my hand"- I always figured it was like carrying around a giant sign in your hand that said "I'm incredibly shallow" instead of the "I got him to buy me this, see how much I have him wrapped around my finger" that I think a lot of women think is what they are saying.

SI

Most women don't have post counts, they have to have some way to measure themselves.