A question to all the females out there....

[Cdaniels1987]

Ok so some of you may be aware from my previous posts a few months back I am planning on taking my gf to disney for her bday in July and proposing to her, but I have just hit a bit of a dilemma, now she has no idea that I am taking her away for her bday let alone proposing to her, but I have just been hit with a unexpected high bill to pay for our house, all I have booked so far is the eurostar and train tickets to London, now I can still afford the hotel in London, hotel in Disney, park tickets, spending money and ring however my budget for the ring has dramatically dropped, I know what ring I want to get her but I cant afford it as well as Disney, all the Disney costs including spending money is still going to cost me about £1400 (£500 hotel, £300 park tickets, £100 hotel in london and £600 spending money) easily which would mean I have to drop my budget to a ring from £1000 to about £500. Now I do have 1 other option I could scrap Disney all together and take her away on a beach holiday which I have found some really good deals to the Canery Islands for about £450 for both of us and then would only need about £400 spending money which totals £850 which then means I can put my budget back upto £1000 for the ring.

My question is basically as a women, would you prefer to goto Disney and maybe not have the most amazing ring and be proposed to in Disney or have a nice beach holiday and an amazing ring, I know its a silly question to ask on the Disney boards but in all honesty what would you prefer? I know its a difficult question to answer because everyone is different but I am just trying to get an idea.

Many Thanks!

 

[princessmummy]

Lucky girl is what I say!

I depends on your DGF's disneyitis I expect! If she a bit but not totally into Disney then maybe the beach.... But if she's a commited Disney oholic then its gotta be the mouse every time!

Re the ring:
My engagemnt ring was a suprise antique one and does not have a single stone but lots of tiny ones all round it.... it was the romance of the gesture rather than the ring itself that mattered!!! I have always totally loved it. I'm not really a bling kinda girl tho!

Don't forget you live close to The Birmingham Jewellry quarter! You can get an AMAZING custom designed ring for £500 there ( I have one- my eternity ring!. Oh those where the days.... a £500 ring LOL)

That way you could have something unique, beautiful, made to your exact spec, and still go to Disney..........

 

[mum2threemonsters]

I say look at ebay, when I was getting divorced I sold my engagement ring bought for £1100 for £200... So this time round when I got engaged I told my partner he had to buy off ebay and I wanted a second hand one.

It had already been cleaned but otherwise the jewellers do it for about a £5 with polish and Iv got a 1/3 carat white gold diamond solitaire ring for about £190. The same ring in store was £900...

You can also go and buy a nice jewellry box to put the ring in.

beach holidays roll into one memory really however Disneyland is an expperience you can share together, have fun and never forget and this is coming from me thats never been to Disney!

 

[Cariadbach]

Half the excitement of the proposal is the build up,and Disney is the perfect place I think!
My ring cost £350 4years ago and is one diamond with diamond set shoulders,so you can easily find a gorgeous ring on your budget,at the end of the day its a token of love,not the deciding factor over whether she'll say yes or not, and as long as you took the trouble to choose it yourself then I'm sure you gf will love it
Aww,wish my husband had been that romantic!!

 

[grafxgirl]

I guess that depends on how much she likes Disney and how much she likes the bling.

I have been married for 11 years. I have a very nice ring, and don't even wear it except for dressing up to go out somewhere. Other than that it sits in the jewelry box. I teach preschool so it can get really dirty with the paint and glue. I don't wear it around the house because of all the cleaning I do. For the most part I find it gets in the way. I would take the Disney trip over the ring, but I love Disney.

 

[Carrie_Cat]

beach holidays roll into one memory really however Disneyland is an expperience you can share together, have fun and never forget and this is coming from me thats never been to Disney!

I got engaged on a Thai beach and it has not rolled into one memory yet

Only been 11 years though so you never know

I'm a secluded beach person rather than a packed theme park person

To the OP - Only you know what your GF likes/would like and if you think it's DLP rather than the beach go for it.

You can buy a "cheaper" ring now and buy another bigger/dearer one later on like an eternity ring if it bothers you but I think that she will be bowled away by your romantic gesture and suprise planning

Good luck and happiness whereever you decide

 

[**Clare**]

For what it's worth, I'd chose Disney over the bling!

Good luck with your decision !

 

[kizzabel]

I would maybe propose with a pretty but empty box... The premise being you shop for the ring together. Thats if you think its something she would like.
Or you could get a cheap 'for now' ring if you think she would rather that.
If shes a big disney fan go for DLP. Theres countless other routes you can take as regards the ring. Dont get stressed because it will all pan out right no matter what way you go.
I like the whole idea of getting a custom made ring or an antique. If you are looking for a cheaper but still quality option ive bought some rings from gems tv. The rings cost around £40 but were valued at €200 - 300. The stones are great quality but sometimes are better reset.
Best of luck

 

[Donald Ducks wife]

i would love to be proposed too in the castle in disney, would be so romantic! Ring wise, when i was engaged years ago ( never got married, as he was a total douch bag) but my ring was only £40 in warren james, and it was a lovely ring ( before i chucked it out the window after we broke up haha) but money was tihght back then, and i thought he had spent loads on it, but he fessed up saying it was only £40. But they have some stunning really expensive looking looks for just couple of hundred. Have a look if you have one of there stores near you.
If she really loves you, she wont care the price of the ring!

 

[Cdaniels1987]

Thank you for all the advice, I guess I just want it to be perfect, its the girl I love and I only plan on doing it once which is why i'd love to get her the perfect ring and make the whole setting perfect, I might try looking at a custom made ring actually see whats on offer, she is a disney nut and shes also a big romantic at heart.

hmmm I got some thinking to do over the next few weeks, but once again thank you for the advice and anymore advice other people wish to share then go for it, its all appreciated

 

[I_Heart_MK]

I was proposed to by my df at dlrp on my birthday last year, so thought I'd chip in with my 2 cents worth

Our trip wasn't a surprise, we planned it together, but the proposal most definately was!!! Can I ask which hotel you are staying at? You may be able to save some money on the trip by staying off-site (I've heard great things about Dream Castle), or one of the lower priced on site hotels (for our engagement trip we were staying at Santa Fe, and for us it couldn't have been more special if we'd been in the Castle Club at DLH!).

For me, I definately preferred the proposal being at DLRP (I have no idea how much the ring cost ). We are both massive Disney fans and DLRP was already a special place for us that we'd visited many times. So I would say it depends on your lady - I would've said yes to a gum ball machine ring, the place and surpise of it was so romantic

Best of luck, and I'm sure whatever you decide will be perfect

Can't wait to hear what you decide to do!

Christine xxx

 

[mummybear]

If you're first thoughts were that your GF would like a Disney holiday and that it would be the best place to propose, then I would stick to that plan.

Everyones opinions will be different regarding the ring. When I got engaged 18yrs ago, my BF (now husband) paid £100 for my ring. He had saved up for this (teenage lad on a training scheme) and it meant the world to me. Over these years the ring has needed to be re-shaped, the claws replaced and more recently the whole ring had a new layer of gold on it to make it thicker. I could have had a new "Expensive" ring many a time, but I didn't want one, I wanted this ring with all the memories, including the perfect proposal.

As others have said, only you know if your GF would prefer the Disney or Beach holiday.

Good luck with your decision and keep us updated

 

[DLPdaft]

If she's a complete Disney-aholic, then I'd go for the Disney location and the 2nd choice ring. If she's not completely Disney barmy, I'd go for the beach holiday and your original choice of ring .

 

[Isila]

well you should know your girl. When my husband to be wanted to propose, he didn't get me an expansive ring. For he know I don't like those. I like simple rings and silver is a must and gold is just no no no so maybe you should think about it.

As for me, who cares about the ring - give me DLP

 

[Mrs Stonfiesta]

if your gf loves disney then there is no better place to propose - so i would go for the disney proposal with the ring to follow - buy a cheap plastic one or a disney one while there and then buy the real one when you get back and have a bit more cash - i know i wanted to pick my ring. My oh proposed to me in disneyland paris in 2005 and we have some amazing memories there and i cant tell you how it feels to then take your baby back to that spot under the castle and whisper in her ear that thats where your family started ! magical
But if gf isnt disney obsessed then a beach with the perfect ring sounds lovely as well - i would have a think about what you think she would prefer.

 

[Mouseketeer1974]

Just an idea but, my husband bought me a gorgeous ring in Cinderella's castle a couple of years ago.
it's a silver band inset with Swarovski crystals in the shape of Mickey's head.
it wasn't that expensive but is lovely.

 

[aj2703]

I'd go for the cheaper ring. I mean she may say no.. .

 

[MichelinMan]

Speaking as somebody who has had constant grief over only getting a cheap ring for the wife years ago, I would say go for the more expensive ring!

 

[Disney-fan]

I think you've had some fantastic advice

I'd just like to add that I have a gorgeous ring (which was expensive), but a less than fantastic proposal venue as my (now) DH proposed in his living room!! However, I will remember it forever as one of the most romantic days of my life

BUT I thought for your purposes I'd tell you about my mum and dad - he was a low-paid nurse when he proposed to my mum (c1974!!) and so bought what I guess would have been a fairly cheap ring BUT it was expensive for him at the time... as time went on and he earned more money he bought her another ring which was expensive, I think for their 20th Wedding Anniversary.. so now she wears that as her engagement ring.

You're planning on being together forever, yes the ring is v important but it's a symbol of where you are NOW. She'll always have it and it will mean a great deal to her but, as time goes on, you may be in a position to "trade up" the ring for something bigger/more expensive... or you both might decide to spend that money on a longer trip to DLP

So, in short, I don't think either of them - the amount you spend on the ring, or where you propose - is ultimately that important!!!! The important thing is that you love her and she loves you

Please let us know how you get on!!!!!!!

 

[torres_fan]

Just a slightly different look at things. Can you do both? What I mean is you booking disney is this the cheapest you have got it for? Are you staying on site? Not sure how long you are going for but if its only a few days £600 is a lot of spending money.

Even if you cant save £500 to take your budget back up to the £1000 you wanted it to be you may be able to save a few hundred pounds to maybe take your ring budget up to £700/800.

She is a disney-aholic by the sounds of it so I think it would be really special going to disney so definatly think you should stick to that, especially as you have already got eurostar tickets.

Let us know what you decide and how it goes