Engagement ring - how to do it?

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NoseyPosey

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My girlfriend and I have been living together now for 18 months and we've often talked about marriage. She has hinted at a ring and can't go past a jewellers without looking at them but I'm wondering about the best way of going about it. I know the type she likes & her size so do I buy one and surprise her with it or is it better to let her decide?

I did have the idea of getting a ring and hanging it from her horses headcollar with a note asking her to marry me but have also wondered if it'd be better to do the same with a fake ring and put on the note that we'll go looking at real rings at the weekend. I have asked her Son to try sneakily finding out what she'd prefer (surprise or choose herself) but wondered what your views are?
 
I want to choose my own. I want him to propose with a haribo ring (just because I love them!!) and then we go and choose it
 
(Almost) COngratulations!

Hubby chose my ring...

So I would go for you buying and surprising her!

Love the idea about hanging it on her headcollar

xXx
 
My other half had some idea of what rings I liked and then went out and got me one. He apparently judged my ring size by trying it on the lady in the shop!!! Haha.

I love my ring and I love that he chose it, I would have never have let him spend as much as he did if I had been shopping for it with him!

Oh and I love the headcollar idea too...Good luck
 
Whatever you do - do not leave it anywhere near a horse. I was left a ring once fiendish pony made off with it :) I think he was trying to warn me :eek::cool:
 
I think you should buy it yourself too. My hubby tried on one of my rings that I wore at the time to judge the size. I didn't suspect a thing when he was fiddling with it. You should definately do the head collar thing though. So cool! Congrats:)
 
My OH made a lovely romantic proposal on horseback at sunset riding in the sea which I spoiled by not hearing what he said and saying can you repeat that please we then went to town the next day to the jeweller who sold my parents their ring and chose it together had a nice meal to together.
He timed it for the post Christmas sales ( he was always a canny one!! ) although he would refute that but I know him well.
I love the idea of the ring tied to the head collar pinch one of her rings for size or you can or consult one of her friends if you can trust them remember most rings can be sized check when you buy but it would be just perfect if it fit.
If you are turely not happy choosing ask her in some special way then have a lovely prearranged day the next day and take her to chose , I did not mind and he organised the day so it was all special I can remember it all well and it's nearly twenty five years ago.
 
How lovely! If it was me I'd want my prospective other half to pick the ring, it just seems more special that way!

Think the idea of tieing to her head collar is very original and personal!

Good luck and hope she accepts! :)
 
My husband proposed to me with a cheap ring from Debenhams and then the next day we went to the jewellers (we were on hols in Florence which was convenient!), he chose about 10 that he liked, I chose about 4 of them that I liked best from his 10, then I went to a coffee shop for a sit down (!) and left him to pick the one he liked the best out of my short list! I didn't see the price tags which is probably just as well as I'm sure it would have freaked me out! I liked doing it that way as we both sort of chose it.
Good luck! I am sure she'll be over the moon with whatever you decide. :D
 
Mr Dragon chose mine... I know I'm the one who wears it but it was his 'gift' so to speak and he knew me well enough to have an idea of styles I favoured so it felt right... I chose my wedding ring... :)

Have fun proposing... :)
 
Let her choose the ring unless she has been dropping hints so huge you know exactly what she would choose.

She has to wear this ring for the rest of her life so it is important that it is spot on 100% what she wants and there are many considerations to take into account too. I wouldn't have wanted my OH to choose my ring.

Propose with just the note, or use costume jewellery bought for a few quid from M&S or wherever, or an obvious fake plastic toy ring, or a sweetie ring.

She will appreciate choosing it herself and having exactly what she wants. If you think she would like an element of surprise tell her to pick three rings and you will buy one of them when she isn't there.
 
Choose it for her :) sounds like you have a good idea of what she would.want. Also be careful it is tied very very securely, you don't want your lovingly chosen ring being lost in a huge shavings bed or similar!
 
Aw, that's so lovely. My OH and I went shopping together and it was a lovely, lovely afternoon! We then went to MacDonalds while they made the ring up! It was an afternoon of memories that I really cherish.

JMHO, but I think that you should ask her in some beautiful way and then go and chose the ring together.

Whatever you do, I wish you both very happy.
:)
 
Vetwrap said:
Aw, that's so lovely. My OH and I went shopping together and it was a lovely, lovely afternoon! We then went to MacDonalds while they made the ring up! It was an afternoon of memories that I really cherish.

JMHO, but I think that you should ask her in some beautiful way and then go and chose the ring together.

Whatever you do, I wish you both very happy.
:)
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Same here, we had a couple of hours round the jewellery quarter in Birmingham looking and trying on, then went and had lunch and visited an art exhibition before collecting the ring. I wear the ring everyday and was able to choose it taking into account my other jewellery and the type of wedding ring I wanted.
 
Well you've said you know the types she likes AND her size so you just HAVE to buy it for her! And I LOVE the idea of tying it to the headcollar... what a lovely and original idea. DO go for it..... and let us know how it goes.... I'm welling up at the thought already :o (don't mind me, I'm such a sap!)
 
I am going against the tide here. My husband was all set to buy me a ring from an argos catalogue and he thought his budget was fine at just over £100. I have to say I would have been really disappointed if he'd done that, because I would not have been happy with a cheap ring. Sorry if that sounds horrible.

I think putting a fake ring on the heacollar is a really fab idea. 1. it means she can choose what she likes and 2. there is not risk to an expensive piece of jewellery.
 
I think the fake ring on the head collar is amazing - I wish mine had done that!

From my own experience, I would have preferred to choose my own ring, because the one I have is too impractical to wear. The diamond is set upon a raised mount. It's impossible to wear gloves over it, it catches and snags clothes, and the last time I wore it to a dinner I somehow managed to cut my face with it. I don't have the heart to tell my fiancé I don't like it - but I don't wear it very often because of those reasons.

Someone else mentioned that if she chooses it she'll know the price - but that's not necessarily the case. If you let the shop know beforehand, when you arrive, they'll be able to bring out the rings within your budget and not disclose prices to her.

Good luck, I'm sure she'll love whatever you decide :)
 
Oh how lovely! My husband had my ring designed and made by an independant jeweller. Sounds expensive but it was a similar price to a ring from a high street jeweller but he got to play with the design and choose the exact stones and the ring is unusual and beautiful. Made even better by the fact that it is unique.

We had talked about the kind of ring i liked, i had said i wanted 3 stones, at least one had to be a blood red ruby and he came up with something beautiful :)
 
DH chose my ring and I didnt like it. I'd buy a cheapy plastic one attach to headcollar with a note about going ring shopping for the real thing.
 
This is a lovely way to propose. I would suggest you let her choose the ring and attach an obviously fake ring to it. I really enjoyed being able to choose the ring together and that was a really special day in itself. Good luck and please post again to say what you decide and how it goes.
 
Aw, lovely :D

Maybe do the fake one tied to a headcollar, with the note, but then either go into town together and choose your rings; or do the fake/headcollar bit, then sit down with a nice jeweller and design it between you, with your wedding rings in mind :D
 
i'm a bit of a traditionalist, so i'm glad that calum chose mine for me!

it was a little big, but we just got it re-sized, no big deal.

its not the ring i would have chosen i dont think, but i absolutely love it and bar having it re-sized, or washing up (it kind of makes holes in my marigolds...!) its never left my hand!

we have been together for nearly 10 years though, so i had pointed out manys a time that i didnt want a huge big sticky out rock as it would be impractical for horses etc. and i think he knows me pretty well!

good luck, whichever route you choose to go down! ;)

oh! ETA: if you were thinking of white gold, then i would spend a little more and go for platinum! we didn't realise, but white gold needs to be rhodium plated to stay "white" this will cost at least £25 a year (for me anyway!) we got engaged in october, and already i need my ring re-plated with rhodium! i'm saving a bit extra to get a platinum wedding band!

xx
 
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Don't buy a platinum wedding band if you intend to wear it on the same finger as a white gold ring, as the platinum metal is harder you will find it wears away the gold of your engagement ring. If you don't want a white gold wedding ring, you probably need to get your engagement ring reset.

A good quality white gold ring shouldn't need to be rhodium plated regularly. The rhodium should just give it a slightly more sparkly silver look, the metal should be virtually white underneath. My engagement ring is now 4 years old and my wedding ring is 3 years old and neither have been replated. In fact at the shop where we got my engagement ring I saw it before it was rhodium plated and it was white in colour then. My mum has a ring that is white gold and over 30 years old that has never been replated.
 
If you've been paying attention when she's been looking in the jewellers windows then I'd definitely surprise her with the real ring. I'm so proud of my boy for choosing my perfect ring (he got the size right too). Once he had a shortlist of three rings he took one of my close friends to look at them just in case he's got it horribly wrong.
When friends tell me about their fake rings I always secretly feel a teensy bit smug, although I'd never tell them, and evertime I look at my ring it reminds of the actual moment he proposed, rather than of sitting in a jewellers.
 
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