Choosing the perfect engagement ring is one of the most important decisions a couple will make in their new lives together, but there are several ways to go about it. Either you can keep the proposal a secret and hope you find the perfect ring, or you can enlist the help of your bride-to-be and allow her to choose.
In the case of my sister and her boyfriend, it was a little bit of both.
About a month prior to the actual proposal, they visited a jewelry store in the local mall. This was not unusual, as my sister often looked at engagement rings to get an idea of what she would like if and when she was ever proposed to. She immediately spotted a gorgeous bridal set made from platinum with several round diamonds surrounding the engagement ring (almost like a partial eternity band.) The wedding ring was a simple platinum band. The total carat weight amounted to 1 and 1/2 carats, so as you can imagine it was not a cheap ring by any means.
Little did she know that her boyfriend was paying very close attention to her jewelry preferences, and filed the information away for later use. He was actually very smart, as a matter of fact.
For anyone who is planning to propose but would like to keep it a secret, pay attention to her likes and dislikes when it comes to jewelry. While you may not be able to follow her into a jewelry store and know the exact ring your bride-to-be covets, you can get a clue of her stylistic preferences from the type of jewelry she already wears. Anyway, about a month later, the ring my sister had longed for ended up on her finger. Not only did her boyfriend pay attention to her subtle clues, he remembered them and went back to the jewelry store to purchase the perfect engagement ring. How sweet is that?
Needless to say, my sister was floored and readily accepted the gorgeous ring. Even though she had picked out that exact design one month prior, the proposal was still kept a complete secret and she had no idea he had actually bought the ring.
In the next few posts, I hope to have pictures of the engagement ring/bridal set, as well as the complete list of specs so other couples can compare a real-life engagement ring with their ideas.
Hopefully, this post has taught you that you can get input from your bride-to-be about her idea of the perfect engagement ring without letting her know you’re planning to pop the question!

