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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

Boyfriend felt pressured by ring shopping discussion

259 replies

Autumntimes · 18/01/2025 19:47

Both in our early to mid 30s so I thought a year and a half is plenty of time to be engaged for our age. We are also living together now. We have discussed marriage and kids and I mentioned that I would not like to be together for more than 2 years and still don’t have a solution plan if we would get married. He seemed to be ok with the timeline but he never actively brought up the timeline convo again. I recently started to look at rings and I never try one on before. My friend who just got married recently has been encouraging me to at least start looking and it would take time to find something I like anyways so I should start looking for fun. I expressed to my bf that we should maybe go ring shopping together. He seemed ok to it at first. Today he finally mentioned that I am pressuring him and that I had been talking about it too much. Maybe I had been but I was just excited for the future and the fact that a few of my friends just got married recently made me feel the highs of being engaged. I freaked out and asked what he meant and he said he didn’t mean it in a negative way.
Now my head is all over the place. We had been talking about marriage for a while and he even wrote down the different shapes and cuts of rings that I came across on the Internet. I thought we were on the right direction. I had told him that I just wanted to do ring shopping for fun and did not expect this reaction.
Now I don’t want to even think about marrying him anymore. The relationship has been very good otherwise and he has genuinely been a good partner to me and his family is amazing to me.
Am I being dramatic? I feel dramatic because as the words came out of his mouth, my tears just wouldn’t stop dropping I had to take a cold shower to calm myself down. I can’t quite fantom whether it was the shame of me even asking to go for ring shopping or the fact that someone who I thought loved me would even feel pressured by ring shopping talk.

OP posts:
Machachacha · 18/01/2025 20:43

You have moved in very quickly OP.
Do not make the mistake of buying a house and having children with a man who wants his children to have his name but has no interest in marrying you.

Infact lots of women don't move in together before getting engaged and being on the same page, then organising a house and wedding.

There are too many sad tales of women who made little of themselves having multiple children, reducing their hours, fxxking up their careers ....all for men who never married them.....and them living with the sadness and disappointment.

I have a couple of confident nieces that made it crystal clear what they wanted.
They knew their self worth and knew they wouldn't dream of having a family without marriage.

Know your worth.
Perhaps moving in together quickly was a mistake.

SilverBowl · 18/01/2025 20:43

Don't have a child with this man until you are clear on your shared goals.

Have a serious conversation about what you would both realistically like your lives to be like by the time you are say, 40.

From what he says, and actually whether he engages at all, you'll have all the answers that you need.

LadyGaGasPokerFace · 18/01/2025 20:43

I was with my dh for a year when he proposed. Then married the year after, I was early 30’s, so not too early when you’re in your 30’s, you know what you want at that age.
This sounds like he doesn’t want to get married. Best to know now, then you can make a decision if you want to stay or not. Lay off the pressure, if he wanted to ask you, he would.

harriethoyle · 18/01/2025 20:48

I’ve never heard of anyone ring shopping BEFORE a proposal or agreement to get married… neither of which you have 😬

NotARealWookiie · 18/01/2025 20:49

Well. You are pressuring him. On many levels, fair enough, tell him what you want and at your age don’t waste time if he doesn’t want the same.

On other levels, is he traditional and wants to pick the ring and propose? In which case you pushing it is ruining it for him.

Ive never heard of ring shopping before the proposal though, my husband just bought a ring, planned a proposal and proposed. Maybe that’s what your partner wants to do.

Delphiniumandlupins · 18/01/2025 20:50

Have you been talking about marriage in the sense that you would like to get married and have a family some day or has the discussion been that you expect to marry each other? Ring-shopping with someone months/years before you are engaged seems a bit premature. It sounds like your bf is not ready for this yet.

coldcallerbaiter · 18/01/2025 20:50

I do not think 18 months is too soon if you are living together.

She is in her 30s not her 20s.

BarbaraHoward · 18/01/2025 20:51

Either you go shopping together after you've gotten engaged.

Or the person who's doing the proposing shops alone so they have the ring for the proposal.

If you're ring shopping together, or indeed planning a wedding, then you're already engaged to be married.

You've jumped the gun and put pressure on him. A year and a half isn't that long at all at 30.

By all means have the conversation about marriage and babies, but stop getting side tracked by the ring, wedding, excitement stuff. These are big decisions.

Edizzler25 · 18/01/2025 20:52

Honestly im not surprised he’s running for the hills here. Sounds like you need to chill out.

even if you were on the same page why is the ring such a huge deal? It’s just a piece of metal ffs

Honestandkind · 18/01/2025 20:53

He seemed ok to it at first. Today he finally mentioned that I am pressuring him and that I had been talking about it too much.

Actually I do this behavior too. I'm initially okay with things while I process my emotions, which take time to understand. Some people are slow to understand their feelings. I don't think this means he doesn't want to marry you - rather it's got to be his own volition or he'll push back

biscuitsandbooks · 18/01/2025 20:53

It all seems very intense and weird, I have to say.

InWalksBarberalla · 18/01/2025 20:54

The timeline seems a but strange. Need 18 months to decide if you want to marry someone and spend you lives together and raise children with but need 6 -12 months to choose a blooming ring.

TCCOS · 18/01/2025 20:54

Autumntimes · 18/01/2025 20:06

Why do I need to wait for his proposal before I look for rings? I’m talking about engagement ring here. A lot of people I know do ring shopping together months and even a year ahead of the proposal

I’ve literally never heard of anyone going ring shopping before the proposal. I’m not surprised he’s freaked out, to be honest.

Russiandollsaresofullofthemselves · 18/01/2025 20:55

it doesn’t even sound like he had proposed so why would you ring shop together. You sound really pushy. Surely most men ring shop alone and propose with the ring they picked.

Tahlbias · 18/01/2025 20:56

Shouldn't being proposed to, be a surprise?

Sassybooklover · 18/01/2025 20:58

Isn't it usual to wait until you've had a proposal before looking at rings?! I don't know of any couple who goes out to look at rings for 'fun', without having a proposal in hand. I agree with your boyfriend, you are trying to pressurise him into proposing. In my opinion a man will propose if he genuinely loves his girlfriend and he WANTS to marry her. You are trying to push him along, to fit the timeline you have in your head. He may not necessarily feel he wants to become engaged after 18 months, he may want to wait longer. You need to back-off, give him some breathing space - stop constantly talking about weddings, marriage, engagements and rings. Once the dust has settled, speak to him about what HE WANTS, and tell him he needs to be honest with you. All I see is a man who's just gone along with what his girlfriend wants, possibly because he feels if he doesn't, he'll lose her.

Nsky62 · 18/01/2025 20:58

Tcsha · 18/01/2025 20:16

Everyone I know, including me, went ring shopping together. It’s something you’ll wear for the rest of your life, why wouldn’t you want to choose it together, same with wedding rings. It’s usually from joint money anyway. I’ve never heard of people shopping for an engagement ring without agreeing to get married, that’s bonkers!!

Exactly, tho I felt pressured to have what he wanted, if again I’d buy eBay or Etsy vintage and resize

Sparchy · 18/01/2025 21:00

Why do I need to wait for his proposal before I look for rings?

unless you’re psychic how would you know he was going to propose? And if he said he was going to propose then it’s hollow as he already proposed by telling you

Nonaynevernomore · 18/01/2025 21:01

PullTheBricksDown · 18/01/2025 19:58

But why is it 'his' decision?

Because she’s made hers already!

Completelyjo · 18/01/2025 21:01

Tahlbias · 18/01/2025 20:56

Shouldn't being proposed to, be a surprise?

Why should the proposal of a legal, supposed life long agreement, be taking one party by surprise?

Onelifeonly · 18/01/2025 21:02

Well I'm old, so what do I know.....but to me, choosing a ring means you have jointly made a decision to marry (get engaged). The proposal, or joint decision, should come first. Why would you choose a ring when no decision has been made? I don't believe in pre-planned 'proposals' either - that's a modern invention, probably due to a need to broadcast on social media. And 18 months is not that long....

AllProperTeaIsTheft · 18/01/2025 21:02

You're behaving weirdly. I'm not surprised he's backing off! A proposal isn't a proposal if you've just unilaterally decided you want him to marry you. You have a plan which he's simply not on board with. You've convinced yourself that he is. Going and looking for rings in advance like this is odd. And 18 months is really not very long!

VickyEadieofThigh · 18/01/2025 21:04

Tahlbias · 18/01/2025 20:56

Shouldn't being proposed to, be a surprise?

OR two people living together who've discussed marriage just agree together to get married. All this 'proposal/who buys the ring and when' stuff just seems to occupy so much space in some women's heads.

fruitcakemakesmesick · 18/01/2025 21:05

Yes I think you're being quite ridiculous. The dramatic cold shower and tears dripping down. It's been 18 months.

TheFlyingHorse · 18/01/2025 21:05

Surely this issue here is whether the two of you want to get married? If you do, organise a wedding and stop worrying about a specific engagement process.

I've been married almost 25 years and don't have an engagement ring. We just had a conversation about marriage and then planned the wedding.

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