An Indecent Proposal

Im not normally one to witter on about love and marriage and all that jazz, but I recently saw someone propose and then stumbled across my mums old engagement ring (pictured) so it's on my mind.

I've had the discussion before, I know everyone is different, but I quite like the idea of the proposal in public, i've seen two happen at comedy shows and it seems really quite charming to me; although frankly I wouldn't give a damn if someone tried to propose to me. My dad proposed to my mum with a cheap silver ring on a whim. (That's the one next to the engagement ring in the picture, a representation of the original).

Similarly, rings. Some people say it should be a month and a half's salary, others don't care, what style? How do you work out your girlfriends ring size? Do you just ask and then take her to pick a ring she likes? (For future reference, I'll have my mum's thanks, if you really want to you can pay someone to repair the missing stone). Although really, it's all arbitrary. If you love someone, a piece of metal is neither here nor there, it's just a symbolic token.

There seems to be pressure nowadays to outdo the next door neighbours, be more flashy, more romantic, more everything, but it can be romantic in different ways. You could fly someone out to the tropics and do it on a beach with candles all around, or you could just turn around at breakfast one morning and go "I really bloody like you, what say we get a ring and stay together until we die or become irretrievably estranged?"

Some people say that a public proposal puts too much pressure on you, but surely if the other party has decided to propose you're probably in love enough you'd say yes whatever?

This has been a ramble about proposals, I am still wearing my mums engagement ring, which spookily enough only fits my ring fingers, won't go past the knuckle on the others.

Weird eh?