If you’ve seen the news recently, you’ll know that Poundland recently started selling a £1 engagement ring. As a result, lots of opinions have been expressed about proposal expectations, and it’s been highlighted that views and standards are shifting.
We got in touch with a real-life man, Phillip Marshall, to bring you a male perspective on proposals and engagement rings. He explains the idea behind ‘proposal rings’, and why he chose to use one when proposing to his fiancée Kirsty. Here’s what he had to say…
A solution to Proposal fears
The thought of buying an engagement ring can be very daunting:
- What if she doesn’t like it?
- What if it’s not the right size?
- How do I hide it?
Proposal rings wave their magic wand and immediately solve these and many other challenges in an instance.
I got the idea by simply browsing through the website of a well-known high street jewelers. I wanted to pop the question in New York, which presented another challenge of keeping the ring hidden in my hand luggage or risking leaving it in my case for the cargo hold.
I’d managed to get a good idea of size from Kirsty trying on my Dad’s wedding ring. I’d done some research on how to subtly work out her ring size and this seemed like a good way to do it.
Buying a proposal ring
Apart from the one retailer, nowhere else seemed to sell proposal rings. ‘Promise rings’ are trendy but are more intended to be a promise to get engaged at some point in the future.
I popped off to this well-known jeweller and made the purchase. A mere £55; a snip compared to what a proper engagement ring costs (and what I paid for the ‘real’ one). Sure, it’s only silver and cubic zirconia but it still looked pretty.
The lady who sold me the ring did say that airports are used to people keeping rings hidden from their partner. She also advised getting something that set the right expectations- Don’t buy a cheap ring to then bankrupt yourself buying a similar style as a ‘proper’ engagement ring.
the beauty of the proposal ring
From then on, I managed to keep the ring hidden for several weeks before we travelled and then kept it in my coat pocket for a few days, before popping the question at the top of The World Trade Centre. She said yes!
The real beauty of the proposal ring is that you get the chance to have a special day and choose an engagement ring that you both love together. We did some online research, chose a couple of jewellers to visit and headed into town to see what they had. This was a lovely experience as the jewellers treated us to champagne and we celebrated afterwards with a meal at one of our favourite restaurants.
The proposal ring now sits on Kirsty’s right hand, with the engagement ring proudly on display on her ring finger.
I’d absolutely recommend proposal rings to anyone thinking about popping the question.
Flicking through yesterday’s newspaper, I noticed Poundland have sold 20,000 of their £1 rings in the run up to Valentine’s Day, for people planning to do a similar thing. I think this is a great idea!
What a great explanation! This perspective is unique to many, as we usually only hear the other side of the story! We hope this inspires anyone considering proposing to their other half!
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