Tuesday

My engagement ring sagas


Want to know a fun fact? I've had five engagement rings. Yep, five. All by the time I was 21 too! That's more than my mum, and she's been engaged three times!
Now, before you start thinking I'm like that girl on the current cycle of ANTM who was married and divorced by 18 and never.shuts.up.about.it, all of the engagement rings came from Rich. And he's not just proposing to me over and over again, forgetting that he's already done it (although his memory is so bad that I wouldn't put it past him!). I've just had a lot of bad luck with engagement rings!

Ring number 1


I chose this ring within six weeks of meeting Rich. Our relationship moved very fast- Within the first two months, he'd basically proposed and I'd moved in with him (and his mum!). We decided to wait until we'd been together a year before we officially became engaged, and he proposed for real on our one-year anniversary.

It was a nightmare from start to finish. He told me he'd have proposed before we went to see Oliver! in the West End. When I woke up that morning, he hadn't done it so it was pretty obvious it was going to be that day. Even though I knew he was going to propose at some point, I wanted the exact details to be a secret. Then, whilst waiting for the train to London, he realised he'd left the tickets at home. He had to go back home to get them, so it was a lot later than we intended when we got to London.

Finally we arrived and went to Camden Nando's for dinner. It was closed for refurbishment, so we went to the hotel restaurant instead. Then we discovered that we had no money left. The faffing about trying to find somewhere to eat meant we were late to the theatre and sat down just as the curtain lifted so I was flustered throughout the whole show. Plus, I'd only just started wearing contacts and they were really uncomfortable the whole evening.

Rich tried to get down on one knee right there in the theatre during the interval but I was having none of it! I didn't want everybody looking at me! After the show, we went for a walk along the Thames. My feet were hurting from my shoes, the whole day had gone wrong in every possible way and Rich hadn't found a time to propose. I was so tired and emotional that I burst out crying! He cuddled me, pulled out the ring and proposed to me without any of the getting-down-on-one-knee-saying-the-full-name thing. 

In a way it was nice. There was a busker further down embankment playing an acoustic guitar as she sang, we were right next to the London Eye all lit up in the night and it was fairly quiet as it was late. Everything turned out ok in the end.

Then we got back to the hotel and put the TV on. Lying on the bed, I rolled over to hug Rich and felt a little pop. I looked down and the ring had broken. The pearl had fallen right out of the setting. I cried for hours. 

Ring number 2
Rich tried to get a replacement but Ernest Jones said it would take a few months. In the meantime, he went to Argos for a temporary replacement and bought the only ring that was available for my tiny, size H finger. It was hideous. A massive fake rock thing. He says it was a joke but I'm not so sure...

Ring number 3


After laughing in his face about the Argos ring (which I still hope was a joke), we went on a venture to find a new temporary replacement. We visited Beaverbrooks in Reading and I still remember that the lady who helped us was called Sylvia! I was still so upset about my engagement ring breaking but she was so nice and helpful. I settled on this white gold cubic zirconia which I still love!

Ring number 4
By my 21st birthday, we had given up on the Ernest Jones ring. They were horrible with their customer service and we decided to look in the local antique jewellers instead. I chose the ring I wanted and Rich went back to buy it before my birthday. Unfortunately, it had sold out but he bought a different one instead. It was a gorgeous Victorian ring but it was just too chunky for my tiny finger so it had to go back.

Ring number 5

I went back to the shop with Rich to exchange it for one that was more suited to me. Guess what? The one I wanted was still there. Being Rich, he'd completely overlooked it when he went to buy it! Finally, I had the perfect engagement ring and it's been stuck on my finger for the past 4 years.

It's a gold Edwardian ring with two teeny-tiny diamonds flanking a sapphire. It's nothing big and flashy but it's perfect for me. Very small and in proportion with my hands. It wasn't expensive either, so don't come and mug me! Rich was a little worried about not spending a huge amount on it but I didn't want any other ring. It's beautiful to me and I have never regretted it.

All the fuss was worth it in the end. Of course, it's nice to have a pretty ring but let's not forget the best part of all this- I get to marry this macho hunk of a man!
Lucky me, right?  

34 comments :

  1. I love your engagement ring, it reminds me of the kind i want, i used to have something much like it before and always thought it'd make a perfect engagement ring someday...then it was stolen...

    Anyway what a saga indeed! Thanks for sharing :)

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    1. Oh no! I can't believe it was stolen. That's awful!

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  2. Oh, your final (hopefully final!) ring is beautiful - very whimsical!

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  3. Oh bless him and his Argos ring! Congrats to the both of you xxx

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  4. It's a shame about the pearl ring but your current one is my favourite- I can't believe the there is an adult with smaller fingers than my sister- she was originally an I but after 6 months decided it felt too big and had it sized half a size down. I really want to hold your little hand :)

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    1. Haha I don't think I've ever met someone with smaller fingers. The kids in my last class used to love trying on my ring because it was too small for them to fit it on! They were 8!

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  5. What a cute little story! Your first ring was gorgeous but I have to say the last one is ever so perfect! I'd love mine to be a cute little vintage number like yours :)

    Elle x
    http://ellelouisee.blogspot.co.uk

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  6. Ring number five is gorgeous - so unusual. I do love ring number one, but I'm totally biased as it's very similar to my engagement ring - the jewellers told me to watch out for the pearl popping out but we've got a guarantee on it :)

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  7. Finally the story has a happy ending. Sometimes a little adventure isn't that bad as it seems for the first look :)

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  8. I love these stories Becky, so sweet. Rich is a lovely guy :) and I happen to adore that Lucky No. 5. When in doubt, go vintage! x

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  9. I guess the most important thing about this whole post is NANDO'S WAS CLOSED!? I don't know how you managed to continue with your day when the nando's was closed! Rich should have just given up there and then and done it another day!

    I can't believe you had 5 engagement rings! I can't imagine you being able to find 5 rings that fit your cute little hands!
    xx

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  10. This has totally made me laugh! Its really sweet that you got a replacement each time and that way each ring had its own little story. Very sweet!

    Love Madison
    :)

    http://vague-to-vogue.blogspot.co.uk/

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  11. Aww such a cute post :) antique rings are definitely the best. Yours is lovely!!

    Meimei xx
    www.meimeisays.com

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  12. The first one is very pretty! It must have been very painful when it got broken. But there's one big plus - now you have this story to tell :)

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    1. It was but I much prefer the one I ended up with!

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  13. Hahaha Becky I love your style of writing you always make me chuckle! The engagement ring you ended up with is absolutely gorgeous, it's so much more important to have a ring that means something to you and is special and exactly what you wanted, rather than spending thousands just to have 'the biggest diamond' :)

    Hannah x
    hannahhepton.com

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    1. I absolutely agree- I don't care about the diamonds!

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  14. I have had a similar run of bad luck with rings so you have my sympathies and the final one is a beaut, best of luck to the both of you xx

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  15. Aww I love this post so much, makes me so happy! The timings of things and the inconveniences that happen in my life are ridiculous but its always nice to get what you originally wanted or better! xx

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  16. How sad! I would die if my ring broke the day I got engaged. I'm always so paranoid that my sapphire will fall out!

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