Asking girlfriend to marry me

Mac1991

I've been with my girlfriend 11years now. So it's come to the time where I'm going to propose. I have it all planned out, where when and all the rest of it just one thing. I know she wants to choose the ring she wants that's for sure. I want to get like a cheap ring to propose and let her pick her own ring. Maybe go to the jewelers and have them put out all the rings I can afford and let her choose from them. I'm just not sure what way everything works so if anyone who has been in the same situation and has any advice let me know thanks. Sorry if this is in the wrong category I'm only new to this. Just to add she's my best friend we've been together since our early teens so I want to make this perfect.

love_love

Hi Mac, congrats in advance

My fiancé proposed with a necklace instead of a ring (as he proposed on holiday and my ring wasn't ready yet). It worked for us and is perfect because I can wear the necklace and the ring at the same time. I've heard from others that a "token" ring to propose with can end up being more sentimental than the one that you actually spend the dosh on, and I could definitely have seen that happen for myself, so you may prefer to propose with something other than a ring. On the other hand, proposing with something other than a ring might be a bit non-traditional if she would prefer the straightforward down on one knee open the box kind of thing. Is there a family ring in yours or her family that you could use to propose with?

Good luck with whatever you go with!

infor123

Mac1991 wrote: »

I've been with my girlfriend 11years now. So it's come to the time where I'm going to propose. I have it all planned out, where when and all the rest of it just one thing. I know she wants to choose the ring she wants that's for sure. I want to get like a cheap ring to propose and let her pick her own ring. Maybe go to the jewelers and have them put out all the rings I can afford and let her choose from them. I'm just not sure what way everything works so if anyone who has been in the same situation and has any advice let me know thanks. Sorry if this is in the wrong category I'm only new to this. Just to add she's my best friend we've been together since our early teens so I want to make this perfect.

I heard of a friend who used pandora charm to propose. She had the bracelet obviously and he had the charm in a small ring-like box and it just said marry me on the charm. A nice idea and something she’d always have. Good luck with it. And congrats in advance.

My first Husband made me a ring out of a teaspoon. (He was an apprentice engineer at the time) It was the only romantic gesture he ever made, but I still treasure it, even though the marriage didn't last. A friends husband proposed with a broken ring of his grandmothers. You see, it doesn't matter what you use. It's the thought that counts.

clint_silver

congrats OP. Id arranged with a jeweller to have several rings that I thought shed like and in her size ready, proposed near the jeweller, used a really cheap ring for the deed that the jeweller had given me, she was so swept up in moment Im not going to say she didnt notice what it looked like but more that it didnt matter, after she said yes I told her to ignore what ring looks like we were off to jewellers for her to pick one she likes. The one I proposed with was her favorite for years though which we kept as well.
All worked out.

jellybear

Posted this on another thread but my now husband proposed with this. It was very personal as I collect them and he always buys them for me for birthdays, Christmas etc.

We then went to choose a ring the next day. We set a budget and the jewelers showed me plenty of styles in that price range. You're planning on spending the rest of your lives together so I'd just be upfront regarding the budget as, in my opinion, how much you are comfortable spending should be a joint decision.

Toots

My husband proposed with a bunch of roses, and I kept some of them and pressed them and have them in a frame on my wall now. One of my friends proposed to his now-wife with a ring-pop lolly :pac:

With the jeweler, you could always phone ahead and book an appointment to try on rings and tell them your budget, if you don't want your OH to know what it is.

pooch90

My OH bought token ring from jewellers and they said they'd give him discount if we went back for the real thing. We went elsewhere though

dragonfly!

Congrats to you!
My OH proposed using a claddagh ring which I now wear on my right hand
We decided on a budget together for the actual ring
We went to Martin's jewelers in Wexford town and told them our budget.
They only showed us what we could get for this price - or lower
Best of luck

Zadkiel

Hi Op,

Sorry i'm late to the game on this but for my two cents I wouldn't go to a jewellers as their mark up is quite high.

You can go to somewhere like Voltaire Diamonds or Bespoke Diamonds and they will have a far larger selection of settings to choose from.

We saved about 30% on our engagement this way.

No affiliation by the way.

Anyway best of luck and congratulations.
z

Voltaire Diamonds: Seamus

Many thanks for the mention Zadkiel.

Hi Mac1991, Voltaire Diamonds would be delighted to meet with you. We meet all clients privately at our offices just off top of Grafton Street in Dublin.

We have a wide range of rings available on the day we meet, however if you have a bespoke ring style in mind, our Dublin workshop can handmake.

You can see some of our styles on our website https://www.voltairediamonds.ie/

Please call us on 016778449 or PM me your number.

Many thanks
Seamus

shortie_chik

If your new fiancée loves a particular ring, but it's not within your budget, it's worth asking the jeweller / goldsmith if they can change the centre diamond. This can hugely alter the price! They may be able to just swap out the diamond for a lower grade, or remake the ring to hold a smaller stone.

Also switching from platinum to 18ct white gold can make a difference to the price.

Best of luck with your proposal!