Before marriage, there usually comes an engagement, and those who decide to take their relationship to the next level through this process first have to get the ring. 

There’s always some guessing involved, as proposing to someone is most often paired with the element of surprise, even if your other half already knows this moment is coming soon. But as one Redditor recently found out, picking the ring out together doesn’t guarantee that you can’t mess something up. When he showed his girlfriend a picture of the ring she previously liked, she wasn’t as sure of it as before, not knowing that he had already bought it for her. Scroll down to read the full story!

More info: Reddit 

When we’re really nervous before very significant moments in our lives, even the tiniest hiccups can seem like the grandest mess-ups

Image credits: t-indy

A man decided to propose to his long-time girlfriend and got her a custom-made ring, very similar to the one she loved at a store

Image credits: Liza Summer (not the actual photo)

When he showed her the ring’s picture, pretending that he found it online, the woman wasn’t as excited about it as before

Image credits: t-indy

The man felt as if he messed up and wasn’t sure if he should try to sell the ring or propose with it anyway

The OP and his girlfriend have been together for a fairly long time. They reached the point where they talked about how they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together and have since been shopping for the ring together.

A few days ago, the couple was texting each other, and the man decided to send his girlfriend a picture of an engagement ring, pretending it was from a website. She had a few issues with it when she saw it, even though she previously loved an almost identical ring they saw together in a store.

The catch was that the ring in the picture was the one that the OP had already gotten her, having it custom-made with no possibility of return. This left the guy gutted, and, at the time of the story, he was considering whether he should sell it and get a new one or propose with the one he got anyway.

The commenters’ response was overwhelmingly supportive. They all jointly cheered on the poster, telling him that he was overthinking it and that his girlfriend would love the ring anyway.

Hyped up by all the good words, the OP answered, saying that he decided to take the advice and pop the question on the coming Saturday, promising to add an update afterward.

Image credits: Jackie Tsang (not the actual photo)

The wholesomeness of the OP’s story really got us invested. Looking for additional details to satisfy our curiosity, Bored Panda reached out to t-indy, who was glad to help, expressing his shock at the fact that so many people took an interest in his story.

Since most people buy an engagement ring in absolute secrecy from their other half, the poster’s approach of shopping for it with his girlfriend seemed a little unconventional and, thus, interesting. Being as curious as we are, we asked him how they came to this idea.

“She and I have lived together for quite a little while now and honestly had talked about eventually wanting to get married and not even having a ceremony or doing paperwork because it’s really just a piece of paper when it’s the commitment to each other that is what matters most,” answered the OP, adding that his girlfriend is a Taylor Swift fan and, referencing one of her songs, has told him multiple times she would marry him with paper rings. 

“But I wanted to get her something slightly more substantial than that, so over time, we started talking about different things, mostly not so traditional [options], like having her birthstone for the center stone,” continued the man, explaining how one weekend they just decided to go to a couple of jewelry stores to see how the rings they checked out online looked in person.

Image credits: Marko Klaric (not the actual photo)

The OP said that when it came to proposing to this girl, his mind was made up, and even though he was married before, he had never been more sure of anything in his life than this. “There’s zero doubt in my mind that she’s the person I want to spend every day of the rest of my life with. I had doubts with my previous marriage, but not for a second here.”

When the moment finally comes, the man plans to have his kids and the rest of the family present, who are all on board with the idea. However, first comes the proposal, and the poster has a wonderfully wholesome plan for it, too.

“She really loves my dog, probably as much [but] maybe a little more than me. I plan on making up a little sign and hiding it in my pocket with the ring while we go on a hike in one of our favorite spots and hang the sign around the dog’s neck that says, “Will you marry us?” and have the dog run up to her when she’s not looking,” shared the OP.

In the end, this seems like a very beautiful story with a mild case of overthinking. But at such a significant moment in one’s life, most would likely agree that some nervousness is absolutely expected. 

While probably nothing in life is ever truly 100%, if we had to guess, the OP’s chances of success are as close as they can get. But since the said moment is still ahead of us, let’s just wish him the best of luck and hope that everything turns out better than he could ever imagine.

What did you think about this story? Do you prefer traditional or more unconventional proposals and weddings? Let us know in the comments below!

The commenters cheered on the poster, saying that he was overthinking, and they managed to convince him that he should pop the question with the ring that he had

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