wedding/ engagement rings...

I'm wearing a £30 engagement ring. The ring means very little to me... It's the every day proof that my partner will fight for us a happy future that I need. I do have a £400 engagement ring I cannot wear due to weight loss... It means no more to me than the £30 one.

I don't want an expensive or flashy wedding... If I were to get married it'd be a small ceremony. The only thing I'd want is to be at goal weight and have a nice dress. Few closest people for a meal and I'd be happy.

I'm, 27...So consider myself young. I don't understand the vast amounts people spend on rings, but I also don't judge them. Each to their own. My twin sister had a £12000 wedding plus 2-3000 in rings. It's important to her, but males no odds to me!

Zara x

Mine is a simple sterling silver wedding band. No stone in it. Engagement ring, if you can call it that cause it was only needed for 1 month, is a simple CZ in sterling silver. Cost us all of $30 I think & that was 17 years ago. Don't need anything fancy, flashy or expensive to show for it. Hell, don't even NEED a ring. All it is, like getting married, is to show OTHER people you are married.

I like big rings and I cannot lie. Lol.
Honestly my ring is beautiful, not cheap but not outrageous. I believe a man should save for a ring, not go in debt, but save for something his future wife will love wearing every day. I agree young people are bad with money, but they will live and learn.

Disagree with your last part. It's the same generalization that the OP made, even though you love big rings!
Not all YOUNG PEOPLE are bad with money. I am a young person and am proud of my investments and savings at such a young age. However, I see numerous OLD PEOPLE (40+, yes I'm categorizing that as "old" if I'm categorized as "young') who live so far beyond their means it's embarrassing that after 40+ years they still haven't lived and learned.

To the OP, my soon-to-be fiance and I have discussed what we think is an appropriate amount for a ring that we're both happy with and that we can afford and that we'll both love to look at, and that's that. It's not $20, and it's not $10,000. It's perfect for US and our realistic financial situation.

One aspect to consider is the investment.
Diamonds and gold have ballooned in price over the last decade or so.
My wife's set cost $725 ... in 1966.
If they were appraised today, I'm sure the set would go for 10-15 times what I paid.
Maybe more.
I'd say put all the money you can in the rings -- they'll last forever; and put a minimal amount into the ceremony -- that's gone in an hour or two.

The resale price on a piece of used jewelry, and what you would pay for it retail today are not the same thing, and often not even close. Also, many people are attached to their rings, and would have a hard time selling them. Overall, there are probably better investments.

hahaha tell me you wouldn't wear this ring:


and if you think that's extravagant, you should see my birthday present.

but hey, i also cooked dinner for the guests at our wedding, planned and executed it myself for under $2000, and am renovating our house (which I bought, btw) with my own two hands. I also cook, clean, work hard to look good and put out on the regular and therefore think that I deserve every damn diamond I own. doesn't matter if you can or can't - having one or many doesn't make you any more or less loved, just more or less judicious with expendable income. or non-expendable income in some cases, I suppose. it's not a reason to judge people who have any more than it's a reason to judge people who have not.

hahaha tell me you wouldn't wear this ring:

I wouldn't. LOL, I'd be terrified to lose it (and I probably would).

It is beautiful.

thanks mama. and that's why it's insured! i actually got a killer deal on the stone - bought it pre-set from someone else (it is GIA certified and has a quantifiable value, unlike uncertified stones or stones with unrecognized certifications) so a quick change of the mounting and it is worth double what I paid. not talking over-inflated appraisal prices either, actual wholesale value to a jeweler on the stone alone is substantially more than my cost. it pays to do your research! xoxo

My boyfriend (now fiance) of three years recently bought this and proposed. Complete surprise, shock, and happiness. Yes it os 2 carat, which some may find too much, do I care? No. He bought it because he thought I would love it. and I do.. Would I have said yes even had it been a tiny ring with a CZ? Absolutely. I love him much more than I could ever love the ring. That being said:

I am young. 23. He is 27. We both work our *kitten* off every day. I work full time and go to school full time (graduating in May). He also works full time. He is well set into a great career where he has already moved up beyond most in his company, and is valued for his knowledge and hard work. We pay every single bill EARLY, EVERY MONTH. No bill is ever late. We never worry how we are going to pay for something. We have plenty of money in the bank so that if either of us lose our job, we will still have the funds to pay our bills for at least six months, if not more. We have money saved for a down payment on a new house in Sept when our lease is up. We both own nice vehicles and rent a very nice apartment. We have money to go out and enjoy dates and not have to worry about who is paying or where we are going.

The point is, not every YOUNG person is bad with their finances. We have money saved that WE WORKED FOR, not because anyone gave it to us. We pay our bills on time, get absolutely no assistance from anyone- and if he wants to buy me a nice ring- why can't he? why does it make us irresponsible or bad with money?

We pay every single bill EARLY, EVERY MONTH. No bill is ever late. We never worry how we are going to pay for something. We have plenty of money in the bank so that if either of us lose our job, we will still have the funds to pay our bills for at least six months, if not more. We have money saved for a down payment on a new house in Sept when our lease is up. We both own nice vehicles and rent a very nice apartment. We have money to go out and enjoy dates and not have to worry about who is paying or where we are going.

The point is, not every YOUNG person is bad with their finances. We have money saved that WE WORKED FOR, not because anyone gave it to us. We pay our bills on time, get absolutely no assistance from anyone- and if he wants to buy me a nice ring- why can't he? why does it make us irresponsible or bad with money?

Dang, you sound like MY daughter, except that she and her husband already own a home! Congratulations! I actually think there are quite a lot of young people out there who have learned to tame their finances, and quite a lot of older people who still haven't learned that.

I believe the guy should have all the input on the ring. He can spend however much he wants. The idea that a guy wants to spend the rest of his life with you is way more important to me then how much the ring costs. I am recently got married and to me my ring is too flashy for me but I am not going to tell my husband that!

To each their own, I say. I just got engaged on the 16th, and my wonderful fiance presented me with a gorgeous ring that was well within the budget. It's not a typical ring, sort of antique looking and the main stone is .25 carat. I am going to wear this through my engagement, and I am going to have an heirloom ring (my Mom's) as my ring when we are married (and that's a very nice piece of jewelry, my Dad did good. lol). The sentimental value outweighs monetary value. My husband to be will put that on my hand the way my Dad did for my Mom. Amazing. I cannot wait!

My ring is the one my dad placed on my mom's finger 45 years ago. I can't tell you the size of the stone and I don't care. It's the family history behind it.

Of course, I'm probably prejudiced here. I can't wear rings. Arthritis in the hands. Although if someone buys me a nice silver ring, I sometimes put it on my charm bracelet. I would dearly like to be able to wear one on my finger, but it appears that this is not to be.

I don't really care much about what other people do, but I can see the OP's point to a degree. I got married four years ago (second marriage) and I was somewhat appalled by some of the things I saw and heard on the wedding board where I posted. It did indeed seem that several of those girls were interested in the wedding, not the marriage. One girl complained constantly about how her fiance worked too much and how it cut into their time together - but never once did she consider scaling back their $50k wedding that they were paying for.

And frankly, I do recall seeing some of the rings that these girls had and wondering how they could afford them - some of these couples were barely out of college and struggling to make ends meet, but were sporting $5k and better rings.These were the same girls complaining that their electricity got cut off, or how they had to borrow money from their parents to buy groceries, most of the time.

It's really no one's business about other people's financial outlook, but it does raise eyebrows when someone is spending thousands on weddings and/or rings while complaining they can't afford the day to day bills. Having been through some pretty tough financial times myself (sometimes of my own doing, more recently due to other "influences") I can empathize with folks who have money issues, but it is difficult to empathize when someone is wearing a $5k diamond ring, driving a brand new $40k car, and getting weekly mani/pedis, all while claiming they can't afford to pay their water bill (and yes, I know someone who does that).

It's not a generalization, because I don't think it applies to "everyone" in a certain age group, or everyone in any group - but I do believe that for some people, the appearance of having money, and how that affects their wedding plans, is much more important than the marriage. And that is something that transcends age - a lot of people get caught up in "keeping up with the Jones's."

My ring is the most beautiful thing I've ever owned. I still smile every time I look at it. Who's to say what is and what isn't a reasonable way for someone else to spend their money?