First things first...

The ring.

Fellas: please, do not skimp on the ring. If you don't have enough money to buy the one you feel she is worthy of or the one she has her heart set on, don't buy one at all. Wait until you can afford it.

Ladies: do not settle for something you're not happy with on the promise "we'll get you a new one in a few years". It's not going to happen. You'll have the wedding to pay for, then the honeymoon, then real life starts with hundreds of dollars in monthly bills, then kids come, then their college education comes... needless to say you're not getting a new ring.

What will one day be my Birks ring...

Remember, this is something you'll be wearing every single day for the rest of your life. It's not a wedding dress that you wear once and never see again... it's every. single. day. You deserve butterflies in your tummy every time you look down at it.

Speaking of engagement rings... I was working on a marketing report today on Tiffany & Co. and their competitors. Wow, there's some expensive jewelry out there. Did you know that Wal-Mart has the highest dollar amount in jewelry sales in the US annually? A total of 3 billion dollars was spent in Wal-Mart store across the United States in 2008.That's compared to the 1.6 billion dollars that was spent at Tiffany & Co.

Also, did you know that De Beers came up with the idea that "a diamond is forever" in the 40s when sales were stagnant from the depression as a ploy to get people to purchase them? They also came out with the marketing scheme that claimed a man must spend a minimum 3 months salary on an engagement ring.

De Beers is famous for their clever ads...

...and the spoofs of them.

Good luck, boys.