Do you think an engagement ring is necessary?

My boyfriend is planning to propose within the next year (we've agreed it should be a surprise!) so we've been looking at rings recently. We do definitely both want to buy one, but as students, we're both pretty skint, and we're desperately saving towards our wedding, so I won't be having a massive expensive ring. Honestly, my taste in jewellery is pretty simple anyway, so I don't want anything too big or flashy. We're thinking a coloured stone, since we both prefer the idea of something brightly coloured, but it may be something like aquamarine, or blue topaz, rather than the more expensive emerald or sapphire.

hi laydee, My engagement ring never leaves my finger. I have it on 24/7. I absolutely adore it and it reminds me of that wonderful day i could call my boyfriend, my fiancé...For me the ring doesn't necessarily be expensive. As you mentioned money is such an issue these days. I'd rather have a simple and cheap ring than having no ring at all!

While most women would like a ring as a symbol of committment, sometimes it's not possible. I've been engaged three times: the first time, I received a diamond ring (even though I was only 18 and he 19), but no marriage; the second time was a ring provided by me--$20 Avon special--that resulted in marriage and a daughter; and number three is a silver ring with 3 skulls. I'd LOVE a traditional symbol of engagement but I doubt I'll ever see one from this guy. Women just want a SYMBOL of committment, and that's what a diamond ring really is.

Yes,if you consider marriage as sacred and a proclamation of the fact that you belong to your spouse and vice versa,then a ring is necessary.The rings you wear indicate whose authority and influence you accept in your life.i believe they are more than symbolic things and that they have some actual effect on how your life's priorities

Some occasion are important in our life. Like engagement any other items which are concerned with engagement is important. Engagement ring is momental of engagement ceromoney.

I agree it would be lovely to receive an engagement and the all so romantic proposal to go with it, however the modern role for couples seems to be that they have a discussion over getting married, reaching a mutual agreement and the next step is to anounce this an facebook, ring or not. Many couples these days carry out long engagements. In these cases I beleive a ring is more likely as a sign of comittment while wedding plans may be held off due to the amount of cost and organistation needing to be invoived. It is also important of course that such significant rings are to the wearers taste and it also helps if the correct size is found beforehand, to avoid complicated or expensive size ajustments at a later stage. Due this this, it may be important for couples to do this shopping trip together and in some cases it may be necessary to share the cost of the items. A special ring does provide an important symbol of love in its long standing traditional sense, and it is certainly an expectation for a binding marriage ceremony. It can provide a lot of value to a persons sense of self worth in being bound to another. Perhaps we should'nt place so much emphasis on this and appreciate the person we choose to spend our lives with for who they are rather that what they provide in a materiialistic sense. Perhaps in years to come an alternative symbol of marrigage binding may be used but it seems that such traditions are long lasting and there is currently on sign that this is likely to dramatically change.

Hi laydee, there wasn't any engagement ceremony held before my marriage. My husband and I agree to have our wedding ceremony straight away and the engagement was skipped. Therefore we didn't have any engagement ring of course. My husband purchased me a wedding ring only. To me there isn't any thing can symbolize authentic love only to feel it from our daily living Happy posting

I do have an engagement ring and I love it, but I don't think that it is necessary. My husband decided to give me one, which is fine and I wouldn't change that, but it is not necessary. It is not something that everyone needs or wants.

I don't consider that engagement ring is necessary. The important thing about relationship is love. But we can't avoid that our love will always required it for us...I don't know if there is a girl out there that never ask anything to show our ardent love...

No i don't think its necessary

Hi laydee, it's a nice question... i know some people who inlove they want to give an engagement ring to their special someone it's so nice and very sweet but for me engagement ring is not necessary to show your love bcos the real love it comes from our heart although we can't see but we can feel and to prove we need trust to each other... why i say so bcos one of my friends her bf gave her an agagement ring and her bf said the ring is the symbol of their love and he love her forever but after a couple of months he left my friend and he married other woman.

I feel that the engagement ring is necessary so that it remains as a beautiful memory. No matter what it signify, it became a tradition for the people around the world. I feel it signifies for strong committment between the couple for love and care each other.

Engagement ring is still necessary love, depend on us too how to appreciate it. In my culture, people will know soon that the girl is already married if there's a ring around her finger. I believe that each woman will love her ring as symbol of love

tradition is the main reason..... and the worst is.... you can have that ring for the wedding but thru debt???

I personally do not feel it absolutely necessary. I do not want to offend any religious or social customs, but a ring just for an engagement does not seem to be too necessary. Some might call it a symbol of love or might feel stronger mentally, whatever the situation may be, practically it has no value. If it is a marriage where partners promise each other for sharing the rest of their lives together, you can think of something that signifies or symbolizes that promise, yes in that case you might think of a ring, or a necklace. But just for getting engaged, I think it is more of a show off than a necessity.

Hi there, yes. engagement ring is necessary for any woman out there. i would like to get one too. hopefully, my partner would propose one of these days. hahaha. it doesn't matter what the engagement ring is made of (diamond or white gold). anything will do as long as it comes from the heart. you know, engagement ring is a proof that your're willing to take your relationship into the next level, for instance, marriage. and yes it is a symbol of love... :)

An engagement ring is merely a symbol. it is not what makes the commitment to another true or strong. it is just a way of showing it off. It shouldn't be necessary but it is a grand gesture to wear proudly.

Just my thought these past few days. My girlfriend wanted a mock ring as a symbol of our relationship so I bought her a gumball ring you can find in arcade places in malls. It's pretty cheap. Although I wish you can give the same as an engagement ring.

Many people in different countries are focusing on the engagement rings, and this maybe because of the media affect. But As I see it, isn't important that much baceuse it can't affect my life to be positive or negative, what affect is choosing the right men.

I have never believed in engagement rings. To me they've just been a material possession and marriage and commitment are so much more than that. You should never need a ring to show your desire to move forward in life with another person. With that said, before my husband asked me to marry him I told him flat out that I would never want an engagement ring. He agreed for the same reasons. To us it just felt too expected from other people and it made us uncomfortable. We like the idea of wedding rings (matching) as more of a symbol to bind us together, but giving someone a ring before marriage just seemed silly. I didn't feel that I'd wear it long enough, especially since we decided to get married within that year. So no, I do not think it is necessary. I just think it's a material possession that has come to be expected way too much.