Men are constantly bombarded with pressure to make their marraige proposal a huge, impressive splurge - and if they succumb to that pressure they foolishly ruin their own happiness.

Think about it. This is not just a neighbor or an aquaintance, this is a marraige. If his proposal is supposed to be the decisive factor that convinces her to marry him, he has already set himself up for failure long before she ever saw the ring. He's even set up to fail if she says yes!

Men, if you are not already certain she will say yes if you propose with a fucking used Ring Pop in the back alley behind a dive bar - don't bother proposing. The ring and proposal should be an expression of the bond you both have already built, not a lure to convince her she can get the bond she wants after marrying you.

It's not wise to be cheap on these things either fellas, but it is far FAR more foolish to overdo it. You do not want a woman who is persuaded to make life transforming contracts with shiny trinkets or flashed cash, because she will still be the same easily persuaded woman after she is married to you.

You should have already convinced her you are a worthy man to be a husband using the totality of your relationship to her and with how you live your life, not the ring. The price of the ring will never make up for being a man whose word is worthless, who does not prioritize his partner, and who does not seek a better life for himself and those he cares about.

It does not matter how spectacular your proposal is if you failed to earn her admiration, or if you failed to pick a quality woman. While it is important to put time and creative thought into your proposal (it is THE expression of your desire to commit to her after all and you should want to use that to convey as much of the full depth of your thoughts and feelings about her as you can), it is much more important to have built a bond as hard as a daimond than to buy daimonds.

And it is much more important to pick a woman who would rather spend thousands on her honeymoon than on jewelry, because that is a woman whose happiness with you is attainable. Why bother with anyone else?