Tis The Season

Yes it is the Holiday Season with bells jingling and lights twinkling but it is also the highest engagement season of the year next to Valentines Day. Romance is truly in the air.
I have had some fabulous engagement stories this year - From Paris and the Eiffel Tower to Disney World and Cinderella's castle (complete with the glass slipper) to strolling a hiking path in Vermont. One proposal was done with the help of their 4 legged friends - each pooch wearing a t shirt spelling out "Will you marry me?" The ways of asking have been amazing and diverse.
Isnt that fabulous -

I love hearing the stories - and whether you can wisk off to the Eiffel Tower - or be in your cozy pajamas with hot cocoa it is one of the most memorable chapters of your marriage. It is the very first step to commiting to being a couple for life and usually making that statement to the world.

A few thoughts - Do not use it as the Christmas gift or the birthday gift - It should be an event all of its own. Remember in choosing your rings, you are planning on wearing them for life ( mine has been on for 34 years ). It is okay to splurge a little. You will have it for the rest of your life - it can even be passed down as an heirloom.

So how did the engagement ring tradition start? It is said that in 1477 when Maximillian the 1st- Holy Roman Empire- proposed to Mary of Burgandy, he gave her a diamond ring. Romans thought that the fourth finger was said to be the "vein of love." They got this from the ancient Egyptian physicians who believed that vein from your ring finger was connected directly to your heart. In Western culture, diamond rings didn't become popular until the 1930's.

But what about the proposal? Well, bending down on one knee dates back to knighthood and chivalry when it was customary for a knight to dip his knee in a show of servitude to his mistress and his master. The knight would kneel before a tournament and wait for "his" lady to toss him her ribbon or colors, as an indication of her favor. Early proposals were more formal - dowries, arranged marriages, etc, but as society evolved so did the proposal. Although we aren't sure how men proposed way back when - before Facebook and Google- we can clearly see now that it has become the ultimate competition for the most extravagant proposal.

And remember, where ever the place of the proposal and whatever the type of ring, if you are going to be doing the proposing, make sure you get down on one knee to show your surrender to your loved one!