Engagement Ring ?'s

[UK2K]

That's...just insane. Makes me grateful that my girl has already said "The idea of spending $10,000 on a wedding makes me want to throw up."

http://www.xogroupinc.com/press-rele...f-wedding.aspx

Top 2013 Wedding Statistics

Average Wedding Cost: $29,858 (excludes honeymoon)
Most Expensive Place to Get Married: Manhattan, $86,916 average spend
Least Expensive Place to Get Married: Idaho, $16,159 average spend
Average Spent on a Wedding Dress: $1,281
Average Marrying Age: Bride, 29; Groom, 31
Average Number of Guests: 138
Average Number of Bridesmaids: 4 to 5
Average Number of Groomsmen: 4 to 5
Most Popular Month to Get Engaged: December (16%)
Average Length of Engagement: 14 months
Most Popular Month to Get Married: June and September (15% each)
Popular Wedding Colors: Blue (35%), Purple (26%), Pink (25%), Metallics (25%)
Percentage of Destination Weddings: 24%

Apparently 30 grand on a wedding is normal these days.

Yes, I had to Google what a 'destination wedding' was. For those who don't know:

A destination wedding is defined as marrying just 100 or more miles from where the bride currently lives.

I don't know why thats important, but I learned something new today.

[DeuceWallaces]

I don't think mean cost is very representative. Mode would probably be better.

30K is ludicrous for a middle class wedding. Several of my friends are married and they were nowhere near that expensive.

[Levity]

my best friend is getting married on the 1st of next month. he let his fiance pick out her ring before he proposed. 10+ G's...... and then had to spend another 600 to get the band changed when she wanted white gold, or something like that

their wedding is crazy expensive too. easily 80K+. Hell, its costing me 300 a night just to stay at the hotel/resort (fri - mon morning) Those best man duties, doe.

[Jailblazers7]

I don't think mean cost is very representative. Mode would probably be better.

30K is ludicrous for a middle class wedding. Several of my friends are married and they were nowhere near that expensive.

Yeah, mean has got be be insanely skewed by rich people buying obnoxious shit.

[Clifton]

Go to second-hand shops and find events where many antique dealers come to one place to sell their stuff.

I got mine for $1200, 1K and tested pretty high on the purity scale. Valued at something like $5400 when I took it to a jeweler to get it insured. Had to get it sized and polished, but a heck of a lot better than draining my whole savings account or taking 5 years to pay it off...

[UK2K]

Yeah, mean has got be be insanely skewed by rich people buying obnoxious shit.

The average wedding cost in the United States is $26,444. Couples typically spend between $19,833 and $33,055 but, most couples spend less than $10,000. This does not include cost for a honeymoon.

For my zip code:

Average Wedding Cost by Number of Guests

Number of guests less than 50 $7,639 - $12,731
Number of guests between 50 and 100 $11,631 - $19,386
Number of guests between 100 and 200 $18,575 - $30,959
Number of guests between 200 and 300 $23,957 - $39,929
Number of guests more than 300 $46,352 - $77,253

[Clifton]

No need to spend $20k+ on a wedding.

My wedding was really expensive and lavish, but that's only because my wife's parents wanted it to be so, and they paid for everything. I would have preferred something low-key. Growing our own flowers, getting a friend to bake the cake, etc. 100 guests or so.

An expensive wedding that's paid for by the bride and groom themselves makes no sense whatsoever. That just results in people putting off their weddings for years and years. Get it done IMO. 6-12 months after engagement.

[Pushxx]

Friend...your future wife isn't gonna leave you because you only spent 1 month's salary on a ring. Dollars matter and marriage is a horrible idea to begin with.

Since you eventually have no choice, at least don't [COLOR="Black"]fu[/COLOR]ck with your financial future when you can help it.

Good luck and think with your head not your heart. And for all that's good in life, sign a prenup.

[CavaliersFTW]

How much you need to spend depends entirely on who you're about to spend it on.

Some women are really picky about it. Some aren't.

[chazzy]

Go to a wholesale diamond dealer. Don't get screwed over at Zales or Kays etc.. they mark up like crazy

[lil jahlil]

Now heading into my third year of dating the same girl. I have been, more or less, anti-marriage since as long as I can remember. Not that I don't believe in it, I just didn't want to get married until well into my 20's.

Well, here we are, soon to be 27. Its about that time, I am thinking proposal within the next year and a half or so.

So a few questions, because I literally know nothing about this whole process.

~ How do you ask the parents? Or did you? Take them to dinner or something? Or casually over breakfast?

~ How much should I spend on a ring? I heard three months salary, but theres no way in hell thats right (or I am just that cheap). Maybe it was two months? Even then.... Um... yeah so anyone have a good idea?

~ How do you pay for it? While I don't want to just withdraw $6000 in cash and walk into a jewelry store (because I hate seeing money go OUT of my bank account, especially that amount), at the same time, I don't want to finance it because, well, I don't like owing other people money.

~ Do you go to a big box store? Or a local dealer? Or do I find a diamond from one of her mother's rings and use that one. She's rich, she has plenty, she wont mind. And I could pass it off as 'its sentimental', right? Right? Who's with me?

Any other pre-marriage/engagement/whatever advice is welcome as well. As I mentioned, I know nothing about weddings and all that. Never really thought much about it.

Is she racist too? Just trying to gauge the fit.

[UK2K]

Go to a wholesale diamond dealer. Don't get screwed over at Zales or Kays etc.. they mark up like crazy

But they say they have the lowest prices?

[UK2K]

Is she racist too? Just trying to gauge the fit.

Yep, super racist. She only likes my white half.

[Jameerthefear]

>getting married in 2015
>spending thousands of dollars on at most a 2-3 day event
>spending more on a rock with a band

geez... might as well just call it 'getting cucked'

[KNOW1EDGE]

>getting married in 2015
>spending thousands of dollars on at most a 2-3 day event
>spending more on a rock with a band

geez... might as well just call it 'getting cucked'

You are such a fuhckboi