weddings 101

As you watch the one you love get down on one knee and slowly pull out a small jewelry box, are you surprised when you see the ring? Or is it one that chose yourself?

When it comes to such an important piece of jewelry, some women prefer to choose their own ring, rather than leaving it to chance and letting their fiance choose. But what about the old superstition that picking your own ring is bad luck? You don’t want to jinx your relationship before you’re even engaged!

I’m one of those girls who has been dreaming of her wedding for as long as I can remember. I may not be engaged yet, but I know exactly what I want for my big day, from the color scheme down to the rock on my finger, which will hopefully be a white gold, halo cut, double band dazzler from the Vera Wang Love Collection.

To get the best idea of what kind of ring I want, I visit jewelry stores every once in a while and browse the selection. Yes, I shamelessly window shop for my future engagement ring!

While looking around at Peoples’ Jewellers in Oakville Place mall in Ontario, Grace, a sales representative, let me in on who really picks the ring.

“Some girls are just plain picky, so it’s best that they choose the ring or at least help give a good idea of what it is she will like.”

“The best way to shop for a ring is to first come in with your fiancé, point out what you like and dislike, but then let him make the final decision without you there.”

This seems to be a good compromise: the woman gets to try on some styles and tell her fiance which sparklers she likes best, but the guy ultimately gets to make the decision, which is important to some men. “I think we should know our fiancées well enough to have an idea of what kind of ring they would like,” said Nuno Rodrigues, 23, while shopping for an engagement ring for his girlfriend.

Natalie Lavoy-Furtado is a freelance journalist. She loves everything about the wedding industry, and loves to write about wedding trends, home decor and relationships on her blog.