Marriage is all about the love, affection, and trust two people share. Still, there a lot of people who see this union through a prism of money. They believe that a relationship should be based on gifts and material things.
It is not unusual to come across situations in which many women are shamed because of how small or inexpensive their wedding ring is. The sad reality is that this so-called ring-shaming grew into a trend and now everyone believes they are entitled to comment on other people’s wedding band.
These rings may cost thousands of dollars, but not every woman dreams of getting such expensive piece of jewelry.
One woman named Ariel Desiree McRae shared how she and her boyfriend Quinn went to a jewelry store to find the perfect ring. Although she had one pear-shaped ring in mind, she didn’t mind her and Quinn getting a simple but very attractive set of matching rings created out of sterling silver and cubic zirconia. She was aware he only had $130 to spend, and she was perfectly fine with it.
However, one person who though the ring was cheap and unattractive was the woman behind the counter at the jewelry store. Believe it or not, she dared to call Ariel’s ring “pathetic.”
Ariel was shocked and offended, but she didn’t want to get into an argument with the saleswoman. Instead, she went home and took to Facebook to share the story. In a matter of days, Ariel’s response attracted a huge number of comments and her story was eventually picked up by media outlets and shared even further. This way, Ariel believed she got her revenge. This is what she wrote.
“My husband doesn’t have a lot, neither of us do. We scrape and scrape to pay bills and put food in our bellies, but after almost two years of dating we decided that we couldn’t wait anymore, so we didn’t.
“I wasn’t even thinking about rings, I just wanted to marry my best friend, but he wouldn’t have it. He scraped up just enough money to buy me two matching rings from Pandora. Sterling silver and CZ to be exact. That’s what sits on my ring finger, and I am so in love with them.
“While we were purchasing my rings however, another lady that was working there came over to help the lady selling them to us. She said, ‘Y’all can you believe that some men get these as engagement rings? How pathetic.’
“When she said that I watched my now husband’s face fall. He already felt bad because he couldn’t afford the pear-shaped set that so obviously had my heart and covered my Pinterest page. He already felt like a failure, asking me again and again, ‘Are you sure you’ll be happy with these? Are you sure this is okay?’
“He was so upset at the idea of not making me happy enough and of me not wanting to marry him because my rings didn’t cost enough money or weren’t flashy enough.”
“Old Ariel would have ripped that woman a new one. Mature Ariel said, ‘It isn’t the ring that matters, it is the love that goes into buying one that is.’ We bought the rings and left.
“Y’all, I would have gotten married to this man if it had been a 25-cent gum-ball machine ring. When did our nation fall so far to think the only way a man can truly love a woman is if he buys her $3,000 jewelry and make a public decree of his affection with said flashy ring?
“Sure they are nice, sure the sentiment is wonderful, and I’m not trying to cut down any of your experiences, but when did it come to all that? Why do material possessions equate love??
“My husband was so afraid of me not wanting him because he couldn’t afford a piece of jewelry. He was afraid that the love I have for him would pale because he couldn’t afford the wedding set I wanted. The world has made it this way and it is so sad.
“Here I am though, court-house married, $130 ring set, the love of my life by my side and happier than I could ever imagine.
“Update: This post keeps growing (much to my surprise), and I’ve been asked a thousand times how we met. So here is the short version!
“My husband and I met online at the age of 20, talked on the phone (and I mean actually talked not text) for [more than] 6 hours a day for two days. He then drove an hour out of his way to take me on a date. I wore a tacky Christmas sweater (if you think I am lying, ask him).
“We ate wings, had a burping contest, and drove around listening to music and singing. I fell in love with him on the first date. If he had asked me to marry him the first time we met, I probably would have said yes.
“To be honest, we had wanted to elope three months into dating, but decided to take some extra time to get established beforehand. Ultimately we couldn’t wait any longer.. so we eloped. I’ve never been this happy in my life and I couldn’t imagine spending it with anyone else ever.”
Ariel handled her insult with grace and dignity!
For Ariel, it was never about the size of the ring. She is happy she has found someone who loves her unconditionally and is there for her through thick and thin. Not every marriage is about the rock on the top of the finger.
For more on the story check out the video below.