Choosing the Perfect Engagement Ring
The perfect engagement ring is almost as important as the proposal itself. It says to your girlfriend (and hopefully future fiancé) that you know her and her tastes well. It takes lots of planning and shopping around to find that special ring and to pull off the perfect proposal. Finding that ring isn't always easy, but a few helpful ideas to get you started are to ask her friends, collect clues, or you can ask her outright.
Her Best Friend Knows Everything
A woman's friends know everything about her. Her style, her taste, and her preferences are all things you can find out from asking the friends. They'll be able to give you instructions on finding the perfect ring, or maybe they'll even know of a ring she's had her eye on. Swear them to secrecy beforehand, though, because you don't want them to ruin the surprise. Take them shopping with you if you're still unsure. They should be able to help you find a variety of rings that you can then make the final decision on. Her friends will like you because they feel included, and your future wife will love you for finding a beautiful ring.
Time to Play Sherlock Holmes
Depending upon the woman, it may be possible for you to fish for clues as to her taste in jewelry. Asking general questions such as "oh, that's pretty- do you like that?" might help weed out her preferences. You might even try something like "oh wow, that's a huge ring! I can't decide, though, if I like it or if it's too gaudy. What do you think?" Another option is to take her shopping and buy her a regular ring in order to figure out her ring size. You may want to do this long before you propose as not to give away the surprise. Beware! It is very important to propose with a ring that fits because NO woman wants to give back her engagement ring once you've proposed; not even to get it sized. Another trick to finding out her ring size is to discretely take a ring she already owns and if it doesn't have the size printed inside the band, take it to a jewelry store and get it sized.
The Couple Who Shops Together Stays Together
If nothing else works for you and you just want to make absolutely certain you get her the right ring, you can always take her to the jewelry store with you. Proposals don't have to be kept a secret and if you do still want it to be a surprise, propose without a ring and then take her to the jewelry store. She'll be sure to love either of those plans because she'll know you put thought into the fact that you wanted to get her the perfect ring. She will appreciate you not wanting to get her something she wouldn't like.
Whatever method you choose, your proposal is sure to be magical with the right ring. Ask her friends, collect ideas from her, or just ring shop with her. Any of these ideas will work in getting the perfect ring for your perfect woman and she will appreciate the effort you put into making the rest of her life a well decorated one.
