Of late, bridal forums worldwide are divided over whether your engagement ring size and look really matters. Here’s a few concerns and points of view that have arisen from the debate.
The match that lights the fire
The posts that spark this kind of debate include complaints of “My fiance proposed to me, but didn’t give me a ring because apparently he believes we don’t need rings to show our love and commitment. But I want a ring!” and “My fiance gave me his great grandmother’s engagement ring from the Great Depression, but it’s not really my style and I don’t particularly like the look of it. Do I tell him?”
“Your wedding, your ring – you should receive a ring that you LOVE and want to wear for the rest of your lives together.”
These particular forum members have taken the stance that the ring itself DOES matter. It’s a bride’s right to have a beautiful engagement ring to show off to her friends and family when they ask (and they will – trust me) “Let’s see your ring!”
And just because a particular bride is underwhelmed by the material engagement ring given to her, does not mean she’s in any way disappointed or underwhelmed by her relationship or love for her partner. This bride is going to wear her engagement ring for the rest of her life – she needs to love looking at it!
“Your ring isn’t what matters – it’s what it symbolises.”
Some forum members have sided with the belief that, in reality, the ring is a mere symbol or token that represents the gravity of love and commitment behind it. These members believe that they’d say yes to a Burger Ring if that’s what was given – it’s about the commitment and the next step in their relationship, not about the jewellery itself.
This argument puts a spotlight on the more sentimental value of the ring, rather than its expense or look. Forum members that have sided with this believe often say that they couldn’t care less about the ring – they could even go without one!
However, it’s also important to note that these forum members have probably been given a ring, and therefore never personally had to face the dilemma of “Why has my fiance proposed, but not given me an engagement ring?”
Our two cents
We here at Easy Weddings can see the merit behind both arguments. While we believe the sentimental value of the engagement ring is of utmost importance, it is also important to have something to show when your family and friends ask to see your ring – because that’s what will happen!
It’s all well and good to say the ring itself doesn’t matter – “We don’t even need one!” HOWEVER, when someone announces their engagement, unfortunately it’s a reflex of the modern times to immediately ask “Where’s your ring?” or “Can I see the ring?”
Two of our own brides here at Easy Weddings believe it’s worth looking at the bigger picture: if your fiance gave you something that doesn’t suit you or that you don’t like, or didn’t give you a ring at all when you were expecting one, does he or she even know you well enough to marry you- shouldn’t he or she know what’s important to you? But also, they say they’d accept regardless of the ring, because they love their partners anyway.