The "next level"

[Sniffles]

Hey guys and girls,

Basically i've been seeing my current girlfriend for almost a year now and i know this will sound strange but i really think she is the one for me.

We both get on really well and i'm really as happy and in love with her as i believe she is happy with me.

The thing is, we all know it's coming up to christmas, but this year for us, it will mark our first year together, so i want to do it something special for it.

drum roll...... :p

I was strongly considering proposing, but i know that it is tradition to spend a lot of money on the ring...money at the moment i can't afford to spend...

Is the ring really that important? I know she isn't materlistic about stuff like this...but i know wedding rings are a lot differnt in regards to tradition..etc

So my thoughts changed to just a "promise ring", do people still give those to each other? I don't know if it's done here in the UK as much as in the US....

How do I go about it? Basically i'm worried that i'll bring out a promise ring that she'll get the wrong idea...

Also, can you confirm what a promis ring in the UK means?

Please give me your thoughts/opinions on this :)

[clementine_the_tangerine]

Not sure about a promise ring. Haven't really come across it. I always thought a heart pendant with a photo on the inside is a really sweet idea or even an engraving. Maybe my boyfriend will channel into my thoughts somehow and get it for me. Haha

[Onyxfalcon]

Yea, if you give her a ring she will automaticly think you are proposing to her. If you really love her then I would say go for it. How much can you afford to spend on the ring?

If you're not in a great financial situation right now then maybe you should put the whole thing off untill you are? Its really not a fun thing to do planning a wedding with a very limited amount of money.

What I would do if I were you is wait another 4 months or so and propose in a nice park in dusk with flowers all around ect... Hopefully you've got a bit more money then?

[icey]

Yea, if you give her a ring she will automaticly think you are proposing to her.Nah, i wouldnt say that. I've been with my gf for 2 and a half years now and she was asking for me get her something for xmas last year that proved our love for each other, I bought her a silver ring with a 'diamond' on it along with a nice wooden box to put it in. Cost me about £50 in total but she hasnt taken it off since she got it which just makes me uber happy everytime i see her :D

[bluewisdom]

Aww, that's really nice icey!

To the OP - If you really want to propose this Christmas you can do it without a ring. Just pick a special moment and place and pick out a symbolic gift - something that somehow represents the ring (a pendant, a poem, a painting, whatever.. be creative ;) )- until you have saved up more money and buy the real thing (if that's what you want to do).

I do think it's worth to give it a second thought though and put it off until you have saved up a bit - because as it has been mentioned for the wedding itself you'll still need a fair amount of money.

[ShyBoy]

If she's got rich parents I'm sure it's the bride's family's responsibility to pay for the wedding. So just get the ring sorted and tell her to pay for the rest :thumb:

but really :p we both had promise rings in my last relationship. It was more like a thing to remember each other by, we joked about getting married or being husband and wife, but never were engaged. The rings were lovely though... though embarressing when people asked us whether we were engaged. At 18!

I'm not that mental ;)

[Ballerina]

I've been with my bf almost a year, i wanted a ring in the summer so he got me a white gold ring with a pink cubic zircona, i wear it on my right hand. It doesn't mean anything in perticular, just a nice present.

[Kermit]

If the only thing stopping you proposing is the cost of the ring then its probably not a good idea to get engaged yet. My wife's engagement ring wasn't much, because we had no money.

I think promise rings are a load of bunkum, tbh. If you're not ready to get engaged then don't get promise rings or anything like that, just give her some nice jewellery and lots of oral sex.