Should I pop the question/ring purchase

[kleaners]

My girlfriend and I have been dating for three years now. We've talked about marriage and I told her I wouldn't think of proposing until she's done with school. Between work and her studies, planning a wedding is not something she needs right now. My plan was to propose in May following her graduation ceremony, but now I'm having second thoughts. Her sister just got engaged to her man, who is being deployed in a few weeks. He'll be gone for a year. My question is, would it still be appropriate to propose within a half year of her sister?

My second question is ring shopping. My original idea was to ask her sister to help me pick out a ring, possibly by taking my girlfriend to look at rings together. But now the sister has one. My girlfriend told me what she's looking in a ring, can I use that to work with the jeweler to pick something on my own, or take out the element of surprise and go ring shopping with my girlfriend? I want to keep the proposal a surprise, but that's hard if she's already shopped for a ring. Any thoughts?

[Lord Darkshire]

She wants you to surprise her and is confindent enough in you to pick out the ring. Propose to her when YOU feel it's right....this has nothing to do with her sister, get it?

[kleaners]

Thanks for the reply. I'm not so sure how comfortable she'd be with me picking out a ring on my own. A year or two ago I know she told me she liked this, this and this in a ring (if I can find the information I saved). I'm wondering if I took that info to a jeweler, whether that would be good.

[HeartIsAching]

My girlfriend and I have been dating for three years now. We've talked about marriage and I told her I wouldn't think of proposing until she's done with school. Between work and her studies, planning a wedding is not something she needs right now. My plan was to propose in May following her graduation ceremony, but now I'm having second thoughts. Her sister just got engaged to her man, who is being deployed in a few weeks. He'll be gone for a year. My question is, would it still be appropriate to propose within a half year of her sister?

My second question is ring shopping. My original idea was to ask her sister to help me pick out a ring, possibly by taking my girlfriend to look at rings together. But now the sister has one. My girlfriend told me what she's looking in a ring, can I use that to work with the jeweler to pick something on my own, or take out the element of surprise and go ring shopping with my girlfriend? I want to keep the proposal a surprise, but that's hard if she's already shopped for a ring. Any thoughts?

I agree with LD about the sister - it's nothing to do with her. Just do it when you want to.

About the ring - ask her. I did it with my ex... sitting and watching television with her, an advertisement for a jeweler's came on, and I casually asked "Do you really think a guy should spend 3 months salary on a ring and guess whether or not she'll like it, or should you shop for one together?" We had a little conversation about it, she thought it was idle chit-chat, and I proposed a few weeks later - she was totally surprised.

[kleaners]

I could casually have a conversation about ring purchase - especially since her sister's fiance bought the ring with the held of her grandmother.

[kleaners]

I now know I can ask her best friend and her recently engaged sister for assistance on picking out a ring.

[wisdomeze]

HaHaHa! she definitely wants to see a surprise package from you. So you know what that means.