by Taylor Rios

Created on: December 01, 2009

Yes, you can be engaged without the ring.

There are many reasons why someone would not have an engagement ring. Perhaps the bride-to-be works in construction, manufacturing, or some other job where a ring would get damaged easily. Maybe she did have a ring but the stone became dislodged or some other damage occurred. It could be that he did give her a ring, but it was the wrong size. If a woman is pregnant during an engagement, then their fingers are probably too swollen to wear a ring. Some are highly sensitive or allergic to metals, which could make finding the perfect engagement ring very difficult. There are women out there who simply don't need a ring to say with confidence that they are engaged. Some couples like to shop for rings together. Wouldn't it be awful if he paid all that money for a ring she didn't like? The bride-to-be could be one of those women who always loses jewelry, therefore, getting her a ring would almost guarantee money down the drain. Or the couple might not be able to afford both an engagement and wedding ring. Our wedding budget was $200, which means that when my husband went ring shopping, he nearly made us homeless!

When my husband and I decided to get married, he bought me two engagement rings in 5 months. The stone in the first ring became dislodged when my hand got caught in a machine at work. We could have gotten the stone replaced, but he insisted I needed a big rock even though I kept telling him I didn't need a ring. I told him if he was going to purchase another ring then it needed to be plain and simple. I have a healthy self-image so I don't need to attract attention to myself. So he purchased another ring, but he couldn't remember my ring size so it's rather loose and tends to slip off, so instead of risking losing it, I keep it in my jewelry box. We've been married one year and we still haven't gotten it resized. It seems that every time we are near a jewelry store and have the time to stop in and get it resized, I remember it's still sitting in my jewelry box at home. When people look at my hands they see a wedding ring but no engagement ring. Does that mean that our marriage isn't valid? Does that mean he doesn't love me? No, it simply means that jewelry isn't that important to me.

My mother told me before her and and my father married, she had to sell her engagement ring so her and my father could get their car fixed. They were far from home and had no money. A few weeks later, they went to get it back from

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