Photo courtesy of Erica Ferrone Photography
A new study by home insurance firm LV reveals almost two-thirds of grooms are paying less than a month's salary for their fiancée's engagement ring. In the past, they traditionally saved up to three month's salary towards this purchase. Most of the women surveyed said they expected their husband-to-be to spend a minimum of one month's salary on their sparkler, so there's some discrepancy here.
In today's tough economic climate, it's not all too surprising that "extras" like diamonds are one of the first things couples need to cut back on in order to stay within budget for their wedding. Myself included—Jason and I made the decision to get engaged while he was still in physical therapy school rather than waiting until he graduated, even if that meant I wasn't getting what he jokingly refers to as "physical therapy wife's jewelry." After dating for five years, we felt that it was important for us to make this lifelong commitment to each other, even if our wedding would be later rather than sooner. P.S. I still got a gorgeous ring—I smile every time I look at my cushion-cut solitaire because I know all of the work and thought that he put into it, which no price tag can replace. In the end, isn't that what truly counts?
I'd be lying though if I said I didn't think that society puts an enormous amount of pressure on brides (and their grooms) when it comes to the size of their engagement ring. I can only speak from personal experience, of course, but I think everyone's heard their share of snippy comments, like "I wouldn't accept anything less than 2.5 carats...good for you for being less picky." I've also seen brides themselves try to one-up one another, whether by posting close-up pics of their rock on Facebook from every angle (seriously, I kid you not...our Web Editor showed me someone who devoted an entire ALBUM to theirs), or boast about how many sidestones they have versus a friend (who really cares?). It's sad how such a beautiful symbol of commitment can often turn into something trivial like a bragging contest.
Tell us: Do you agree or disagree with the women in the study that a man should spend at least one month's salary on a ring? How did you cut back on your engagement ring (e.g. picked a color gemstone instead of a diamond, used a simple setting) in order to stay within budget?
—Stefania Sainato
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