Is ok to propose without a ring??

Digiscrappy i went heard a lot of "where's your ring". it was rather annoying. but to be able to show it to the naysayers was ohhh so sweet lol.

Its amazing the different out looks on the ring...

I'll admit I didn't read every post, but I agree with many women on here who say that the ring shows planning and committment. I also think that if a couple can't afford a ring, it may not be the right time to get married. It doesn't have to be a $20000 ring. Even $50 will do the trick. But money is the root of most fights, so why enter a marriage before being financially sound?

Ladylee: you got that! Co-workers were driving me absolutely nuts - they were the worst. At one point, when they knew we were making our plans but he hadn't "officially proposed" yet, a couple of them actually accosted him at his car to DEMAND to know if he was going to buy a ring for Valentine's Day. Like he was going to tell them if that was his plan! And these were grown women! In their FORTIES! Ha, good for him, he refused to roll down his car window.

I think it's unique to each couple just like the proposal itself. Some want the guy to get down on his knee some could care less if he just rolls over in bed and says lets get married. We know who our guys are by this point and while we actively work to have them put more effort in to household chores, we don't really want to change them. So in my openion it really just depends on the relationship you have. I expected a ring, why because I'd been engaged three times prior and never got an e-ring. I wanted him to be different than the other times, something special.

@ Maybe a Mrs, I disagree with saying people shouldn't get married if they can't afford a ring. People come from all walks of life and prioritize their money different. People don't have to make a lot of money to love each other and want to spend their lives together.

@Michelle yes it is all very interesting lol.

@digiscrappy that type of stuff is the reason why i pretty much kept my planning quiet which actually worked very well for me b/c i'm very synical about weddings lol. but the flipside was i got the ring 3 months before the wedding so now people were like what's the rush lol. i would just jokingly tell them that i was going to hurry up and marry him before he changed his mind. and i'm sure plenty of folks probably thought i was preggo.

@maybe a mrs i agree with ladylee being able to afford a ring should not determine if you get married. It could be you both are going through a rough time & all you have is each other & you may want to solidify your relationship

I was proposed to without a ring...although we knew we were going to be picking out a ring in the next few days.

@Michelle and Ladylee...I totally get what you're saying. I by no means meant that people can't spend their lives together without money. Of course they can. And priorities are important. I personally was annoyed that FS spent what he did on my ring because I'd rather spend the money on something more practical. But if you can't afford to buy even an inexpensive ring, it COULD POSSIBLY be a sign that you should wait a bit. Hell, I'd settle for a gumball machine ring. Just something to say "my committment to you is important enough to me that I'm willing to spend some of my hard-earned money to make it official".

I'm with ladylee and Michelle...

DH and I are both professionals, we make a decent living but we're also supporting a houseful of children. Yes, he gave me a diamond ring before we were married but the ring wasn't our priority - our marriage was. Hence why we put the focus of our efforts on planning our modest wedding rather than spending 2-3 months salary on a ring. Being able to call him my husband was far more important than having a diamond on my finger.

@maybe a mrs i get what your saying-something is better than nothing

Here is another thought...some of us that are wanting rings are saying something is better than nothing....honestly how many of you that want rings would have been ok with a $20 costume jewelry ring

For me it was never about the ring. I told my FS he didn't need to get me a ring, that I would be just as happy without one. But he wanted to get me a ring, and I love it!

My fiance and I have been together for over 6 years now, we have a baby, a house, and a car all made/purchased together. He had planned on proposing in 2006 but I lost my job (he had been saving money for months) and he told me about his plans to propose and said I want to marry you someday but right now I think we should use the $$ I saved to pay the bills since you lost your job. I was devastated but I agreed. Things settled down we decided to have a baby, buy a home, buy a car...we always talked about marriage, but felt that the other stuff was higher on our priority list. He proposed to me on my birthday with NO ring. We were actually arguing at the time, and he kept trying to calm me down to propose, lol. Of course I said yes! Ring or no ring he's the man I am going to spend the rest of my life with. I announced our engagement to everyone and was really annoyed that the first thing said was not "congratulations!", or eve "its about time!", it was always let me see the ring. He had

Regardless of the history or possible social implacations - we have to admit there are certian signs that are part of our society that speak on marriage. Now I don't need anything expensive but I agree with Ianthe. THere is more involved with asking someone to marry you than just asking. My FS asked me to marry him SEVERAL times throughout our relationship. But I knew he wasn't serious until he bought a ring. That ring took TIME. He had to think about it, plan, make a decision. But that was his process.

@MrsJ..as usual, you hit it right on the head!

Saved up all his tax money to buy the ring but we have very different taste and he wanted me to go get the ring with him. Sure enough at the store I liked the really plain and simple and he liked the big and flashy. At one point he saw one he loved and decided it was the one. It was way bigger than I had ever planned (I am such a plain person!) but its a beautiful ring and he ended up picking it out himself. We had it sized and when he got it he got down on one knee AGAIN with a ring this time and re-proposed..and duh I said yes again! lol

I think it's fine.. people love eachother and want to make a committment to one another, that doesn't mean they immediately have the funds for a suitable ring. Of couse the "suitable"-ness of said ring all depends on the couple and their preference. I'd take a garbage bag wire tie in place of nothing, if I had to...part of being engaged is the joy of sharing the news and its hard because ppl expect to oogle at a ring at that point in time. BUT, whatever, do what you like I had a friend in college who was crazy and she found a guy online and they fell head over heels, a yr and a half later, he fedexed her a box and inside the box was another smaller bubble envelope that said CALL ME BEFORE YOU OPEN THIS. And so she did. Then he said, open the envelope. Inside THAT envelope was a small, flat box. He said.. i have to ask you a favor. She said OK, he said Will you marry me?? LOL And she was like WHAT?! She said OF COURSE! And he said, OK, open the box And there was a gorgeous ring!

@Maybe a Mrs I get what you're saying. I guess it goes back to individual priority. A couple may be making ends meet but $50 might blow their budget. Or simply may not care that much about even having a ring. I was in the doctor's office last week and I noticed that my doctor had on a very thin simple gold band. Now she's a doctor. I am certain that if she wanted more of a ring, she could afford it. I, too, was a bit annoyed to find out the reason we were "waiting" was b/c he was still paying for the ring. Like seriously dude I would have married you last year without a ring lol. Like digiscrappy said, being married was far more important to me.

It is ok to get engaged without a ring. But I personally need a ring, I want everyone to know that I am engaged or married.