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re: How much to spend on engagement ring?
Posted on 6/22/16 at 1:49 pm to blizzle
Posted on 6/22/16 at 1:49 pm to blizzle
No more than 3k, EVER. You can exchange it down the road for a $15,000 if she's THAT materialistic.
Honeymoons are where it's at. Not a wedding, not a ring.
A NICE Scandinavian honeymoon...or maybe Banff, or Seattle/Ranier/Crater Lake. Maybe Napa, San Fran, and Yosemite. Why not Prague, Munich, and Vienna? Possibly Iceland. No, New Zealand.
Honeymoons are where it's at. Not a wedding, not a ring.
A NICE Scandinavian honeymoon...or maybe Banff, or Seattle/Ranier/Crater Lake. Maybe Napa, San Fran, and Yosemite. Why not Prague, Munich, and Vienna? Possibly Iceland. No, New Zealand.
2
Posted on 6/22/16 at 1:51 pm to GenesChin
quote:
Clarity - You want something that is EYE CLEAN. Some imperfections cause downgrades but are completely invisible to the naked eye.
Clarity is important, but it's ok if you have a barely visible flaw in the diamond. Not a single one of her friends will take a magnifying glass to it. I actually prefer a small flaw in my fiance's stone because I know what to look for when it's being cleaned so that the jeweler can't swap it out on me.
Posted on 6/22/16 at 1:51 pm to Sgt_Lincoln_Osiris
quote:
I actually prefer a small flaw in my fiance's stone because I know what to look for when it's being cleaned so that the jeweler can't swap it out on me.
How's about getting a better jeweler
Posted on 6/22/16 at 2:10 pm to LSU1018
quote:
If you know that she would want a bigger ring than you can afford, then I would just hold off a little longer.
I'd recommend holding off forever
Posted on 6/22/16 at 2:24 pm to bayoubengals88
No, Santorini. That's where we did ours.
Posted on 6/22/16 at 2:29 pm to blizzle
A few tips:
Go to local shops, not chains/mall stores
Preferably look at loose diamonds. The diamond is what you are buying, the setting is secondary.
Any reputable shop will let you take the stones outside and see them in natural light if you wish. The lighting in most shops makes even CZ's have fire
Get a GIA certified stone, I wouldn't budge on this.
I went for color/clarity over size
Get a prenup. I'm serious
Go to local shops, not chains/mall stores
Preferably look at loose diamonds. The diamond is what you are buying, the setting is secondary.
Any reputable shop will let you take the stones outside and see them in natural light if you wish. The lighting in most shops makes even CZ's have fire
Get a GIA certified stone, I wouldn't budge on this.
I went for color/clarity over size
Get a prenup. I'm serious
Posted on 6/22/16 at 2:31 pm to dabigfella
quote:
Buy her what you can afford without breaking the bank, if its not enough for her, you should consider leaving her because she clearly wants more than you can afford in life. Thats just honest advice.
Basically this.
I honestly plan on getting the cheapest one possible when it comes time for me to take a knee. My girlfriend knows that I do not believe in fancy/extravagant weddings or rings. We have talked about this quite a bit and are on the exact same page. I could literally do a 20 person wedding with my immediate family and a couple best friends and cap it at that. My girlfriend and I will travel the world on an amazing honeymoon before we ever spend huge amounts on a big wedding or rings.
...so that's my perspective for the 'not breaking the bank' on the ring.
Posted on 6/22/16 at 2:32 pm to blizzle
Try JamesAllen
Definitely the color, cut, clarity, carat plus a factor on your budget.
I chose a smaller carat with ideal cut, near perfect clarify and color for my wife. She got compliments everywhere she been with it. The fire in the diamond is just great. I spent way less compare to shopping locally.
Definitely the color, cut, clarity, carat plus a factor on your budget.
I chose a smaller carat with ideal cut, near perfect clarify and color for my wife. She got compliments everywhere she been with it. The fire in the diamond is just great. I spent way less compare to shopping locally.
Posted on 6/22/16 at 2:34 pm to blizzle
Find out what style your lady likes and start looking for something that matches her description.
My wife wanted a simple solitaire diamond and we found one right around 1 carat that looks gorgeous. She tried it on and fell in love with it, I asked the price and it was only $1,300! I still think they made a mistake and we got the steal of a lifetime as it looks as good or better than many of the rings my friends bought for 4x or more that price.
Also, we were in a situation where we were just getting started on our own and didn't have a lot to spend. I know the stereotype is that women are materialistic, but they can be more rational about these decisions than they get credit for. I'm guessing you already have an idea of what you can spend. Don't force yourself to try and go way over budget just to try and prove something. Good luck to you
My wife wanted a simple solitaire diamond and we found one right around 1 carat that looks gorgeous. She tried it on and fell in love with it, I asked the price and it was only $1,300! I still think they made a mistake and we got the steal of a lifetime as it looks as good or better than many of the rings my friends bought for 4x or more that price.
Also, we were in a situation where we were just getting started on our own and didn't have a lot to spend. I know the stereotype is that women are materialistic, but they can be more rational about these decisions than they get credit for. I'm guessing you already have an idea of what you can spend. Don't force yourself to try and go way over budget just to try and prove something. Good luck to you
This post was edited on 6/22/16 at 2:50 pm
Posted on 6/22/16 at 2:34 pm to bayoubengals88
quote:
Honeymoons are where it's at. Not a wedding, not a ring.
A NICE Scandinavian honeymoon...or maybe Banff, or Seattle/Ranier/Crater Lake. Maybe Napa, San Fran, and Yosemite. Why not Prague, Munich, and Vienna? Possibly Iceland. No, New Zealand.
Amen. Didn't see this post until I made my prior post.
If possible, I will take a month off for a honeymoon and spend $20-30k on the trip.
Weddings are a soap box issue for me. I'm going to send electronic wedding invites for example...cheaper and more reliable / better response rates. We can print like 5-10 so that her mom can frame one if she wants.
Posted on 6/22/16 at 2:40 pm to lynxcat
quote:
I could literally do a 20 person wedding with my immediate family and a couple best friends and cap it at that.
I know what you are saying, but this can still get expensive quickly. My wife and I had about 35 people at our wedding and still managed to spend quite a chunk of change. She was one of those girls who always dreamed of her wedding being a certain way though so certain things she wouldn't budge on.
Posted on 6/22/16 at 2:44 pm to lynxcat
quote:
I could literally do a 20 person wedding with my immediate family and a couple best friends and cap it at that
You gf have no friends or family? Between family and wedding party, we were well over 100. Couldn't have had a small wedding if we wanted to.
Posted on 6/22/16 at 2:47 pm to LNCHBOX
You don't have to invite EVERYONE in the family
I certainly did not to keep it under 40 people.
I certainly did not to keep it under 40 people.
Posted on 6/22/16 at 2:49 pm to tlsu15
quote:
You don't have to invite EVERYONE in the family
Trust me, this was not everyone. Parents grandparents, aunts and uncles, and first cousins that we got along with. My wife has a huge family.
Posted on 6/22/16 at 2:52 pm to LNCHBOX
quote:
You gf have no friends or family? Between family and wedding party, we were well over 100. Couldn't have had a small wedding if we wanted to.
Gf has a small family. I am pretty indifferent on aunts, uncles, cousins attending. I see them a few times a year. I want my immediate family, grandmother, and a few best friends.
Realistically, I think we can keep it around 60 when the time comes (this feels high to me, but I know I will need a budge a little). I also won't let my mom pull a "WELL, YOU HAVE TO INVITE ________".
if it were up to her, then everyone on her tennis team would come to my wedding regardless of whether I have ever met them or not. I am expecting about 20-25 family members total from both sides and then about 15 friends (each bringing a date/sig other) gets me into the 50 range.
This post was edited on 6/22/16 at 2:56 pm
Posted on 6/22/16 at 2:54 pm to lynxcat
quote:
I also won't let me mom pull a "WELL YOU HAVE TO INVITE ________".
good luck
Posted on 6/22/16 at 2:56 pm to Salmon
quote:
good luck
No joke huh?
My wife and I met people that were guests at our wedding. You think we invited them? Posted on 6/22/16 at 2:56 pm to Salmon
quote:
good luck
I have no doubt this will be a point of contention. And, I will remind her that she already got married.
Posted on 6/22/16 at 3:06 pm to slinger1317
quote:
Get a prenup. I'm serious
Best advice in this thread.
Posted on 6/22/16 at 3:11 pm to lynxcat
quote:
Weddings are a soap box issue for me.
Me too. No engagement ring for me, we eloped. Not even a photo, just some awesome memories. Had a lovely long vacation, complete with a wedding dinner in a Michelin-starred restaurant. Look, I cleaned out my deceased MinLaw's house not too long afterward & found boxed, unused wedding gifts (china, crystal, silver, etc) from fifty years before...and it reinforced my ideas about the consumerist wedding being a showy waste.
The wedding industrial complex in the Deep South is out of hand. Do what makes the two of YOU comfortable....not what your parents/friends/family want or expect. Don't be a sheep.
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