My Boyfriend Hasn’t Proposed But I’m Already Trying On Engagement Rings

I used to be a realist whose feet were planted firmly on the ground. Then I met my current partner and my desire to live in the present went flying out the window. He’s not my fiance yet, but all we can talk about is our future as a married couple and I’ve started trying on engagement rings because of it.

  1. If I know he’s “The One,” what’s the problem? There are women out there who fall head over heels for the first guy they meet and who naively think they’ve found Prince Charming only to get their hearts broken later. I’ve been there, done that, but I know this one’s the real deal. What we have is so genuine that there’s no doubt in my mind that we’ll go all the way. I’m not rushing a wedding, but there’s nothing wrong with window shopping for a ring.
  2. I had absolutely no idea what I wanted before now. Every other woman I know seems to know the exact diamond, clarity, cut and setting they want. It’s as if there’s a wedding gene everyone else was born with that I seem to be missing. Starting to look at rings showed me that I have so much to learn before I can make any decisions. Who knew there are, like, ten shapes you can cut the damn thing into?!
  3. Trying stuff on makes it seem real. I get a happy flutter in my stomach every time I go to a new store and try on a new ring. Whether he’s with me that day or not, putting something on my hand that will one day be forever tied to him feels amazing. I waited so long to find my other half, and nothing solidifies the “finally” feeling more than putting a rock on my finger… even if I then have to take it right off to put it back in the case.
  4. He can properly budget from now until the proposal. Some women might have rich boyfriends who can get them whatever they want, but my guy isn’t rolling in money. Knowing what I want one day in a ring is essential so that he can save properly. I don’t have expensive taste and would never want him spending more than he can afford, but if I hadn’t started shopping so early, he would lose out on all this extra time to prepare.
  5. I don’t want to pick the actual ring. I’m not one of those girls who wants to choose the actual ring because there’s then no element of surprise on the big day. I want to show him exactly what kind of style I’m looking for and then let him pick something he thinks I’ll love. I trust that he’ll listen to what I want and then I can be extra excited because I don’t know exactly what’s coming.
  6. I’ll still be shocked where/when it happens. Just because I want to get engaged and have started trying on rings doesn’t mean I have ANY clue how he’ll pop the question. And that’s just how I want it! I’m usually pretty oblivious in general, so I’m sure he’ll blow me away with a big surprise and it’ll be perfect. I don’t see any reason why testing out rings will make the actual event any less special.
  7. If I hadn’t shopped around, I might have hated what he picked. There’s nothing more terrifying than the idea of seeing the love of my life down on one knee with a ring I think is fugly. I know he’ll have spent a lot of money on it, but I’m the one who will have to wear it for the rest of my life, so if I don’t like it, that’s a problem. Not to mention it would upset me that he clearly didn’t know me well enough to pick something else. Choosing the style myself eliminates those problems altogether.
  8. I’m not impatient, I’m just excited. There’s a big difference between getting ahead of myself and looking forward to the future. I have friends who have jumped the gun and it’s caused problems in their relationships, but my ring shopping is totally innocent. I’ve waited my entire life to find the person I want to marry, so I’m allowed to be pumped about it.
  9. Neither of us is in any rush to get married. We’re too young and too broke to be planning a wedding, let alone living together and starting a family. Trying on engagement rings doesn’t mean we’re taking that giant leap just yet, it just means we’re excited for our lives together. Besides, trying on sparkly pieces of jewelry is a ton of fun!
  10. Whenever it happens, it’ll be the best day of my life. It may be months if not years before any of these rings take up permanent residency on my finger, but at the end of the day, I know when it happens, it’ll be worth the wait. In the meantime, I’ll keep loving my guy, enjoying our life together and daydreaming about our future. And whatever happens, I won’t stop trying on gorgeous rocks.
We only have one chance to live this life and I'm making the most of it. I'll make plenty of mistakes along the way but each one will send me further down the right path.
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