This brilliant guest article is from our friends at Durham Rose

Ahhh, the Valentine’s Day proposal. It has romance written all over it. The problem is that it’s so flipping romantic that it can easily turn into a corn-fest. It’s hard to make the occasion yours. It’s even harder to avoid repeating cliché after cliché, until this magical and pivotal occasion becomes a pastiche of itself. So, what do you do? Sink those feet into an ice bucket and hold your horses for a less romantic day? No! Of course not! You just need to take a few precautions to get things right.

Header image credit – Emily Black Photography

Choosing an engagement ring is a massive deal – it has to be perfect, and whether your guy chooses the ring or you head to the shops together after he’s popped the question, it’s a biggie! In contrast, shopping for your wedding rings (often simpler designs than your engagement ring) is a quieter affair for you both. While the engagement ring can be taken as an independent piece of jewellery, most of us want a wedding ring which goes with our engagement ring AND matches the one on our partner’s finger. That’s why so many people are now deciding to design their own.

A guest article by Durham Rose // Header image by Katrina Matthews Photography (wedding from our archives)

An engagement ring means so much. It doesn’t just say ‘I love you, I want to be with you,’ it’s also a declaration of knowledge: ‘I know you.’ Because an engagement ring should be worn forever, it needs to reflect the wearer’s personality. It needs to be something that they would choose themselves, given the chance. And yet it should also hold something of the giver. Finding all of that ‘off the peg’ is a big ask, which is why so many people – including Prince Harry – are now deciding to design their own bespoke engagement ring.

Did your other half propose at Christmas? I imagine a few of you are smiling! It’s the busiest time of the year for engagements, and I suspect at least one of my friends will have a ring on her finger come Boxing Day! I’m really excited for her – I hope it happens, I really do!!! There are guys out there right now hunting for the perfect engagement ring… and that’s why I thought it would be the perfect time to share the wonderfully inspiring story of Durham Rose.