May I enquire..

Never got engaged, couldn't afford an engagement ring as well as a wedding ring, times were hard in the olden day! Finally got the ring after we'd been married many years.

I think the consensus is that we were a modest generation with no expectation of fuss and expense and happy with our lot.

I was 17. He did ask my Dad first though. Eloped the following year as they thought it would nt last & we wanted to be together but 50+ years later we're still going strong....

No dress and no photos ( I should think it was rare then for most people.)
Mr Lemongrove proposed as we were sitting in his car, somewhere in Wakefield ( not the most romantic spot.)
He did buy me a beautiful engagement ring later though, which I still wear a lot.

No engagement, but a few years after we were married my MIL gave my husband a signet ring that had been her father’s. As my husband doesn’t wear rings we had it made into a beautiful diamond ring for me, which everyone assumes was an engagement ring. My wedding ring was donated by my stepfather who was the manager of a jewellers at the time. The only other ring I wear is a ‘half eternity’ ring bought by my husband, with my daughters when they were small, for £79 from Argos - they were so excited.

on our way to photograph a wedding December 1974 we stopped to look in the jewellers window and OH decided we'd just buy a ring while we had time...lolHe was 19 ,I was 20 and we got married 7 months later .So I suppose I was wearing work clothes ,a suit probably my Donegal tweed on which was a firm favourite it had a lovely flared skirt,and a green tie neck blouse ...I only think that because I had about 5 green tie neck blouses to go with that suit

I'm loving this thread, ann, thank you!

Lovely, ann.

My engagement ring cost £90 (or so DH told me!!) and was second hand, but not old. There was no purchase tax on it because it was preowned. It is a cluster of diamonds in a flower shape and about 20 years later I lost one of the smaller stones which cost over £100 to replace.

I also lost my ring but the H still in my keeping 59 years on.
A few years ago I had some "spare money* and I bought myself a lovely solitare Diamond ring.
I hardly ever wear it, it just doesn't replace the original although it cost much more more.

Congratulations to all who can remember - some lovely posts. I vaguely remember a friend inviting a few of us to celebrate it but what I wore I have no idea. I lost my ring but have managed not to lose the husband!

No outfit, no ring, no photo, no engagement. Just got married when I became pregnant but we've been together for 42 years and have been very happy. I hope Eugenie enjoys her Jimmy Choos though.

Probably "Chelsea girl" for my engagement dress but no photographer.

No engagement, no photographs, no dress...just got married without the fuss ...”each to our own”.

I met my future hubby in March 1962, got engaged in April 1962.....we just bought the ring and he put it on my finger on the top deck of the bus on the way home, got married in September 1962....that was 55 years ago and still going strong!

No engagement dress ,probably jeans and shirt, inexpensive little ring no longer wearable but treasured.

We didn't have a party but, somehow, managed to acquire 12 cut glass sherry glasses (2 different designs) and some cutlery! I was in the local paper and also in the paper where we used to live. I think my mum wanted to let everyone know I wasn't on the shelf!

No engagement dress for me either!! My DH was in the Navy at this point in our lives and was on leave for my 20th birthday. DH asked my much loved stepfather, who answered in the affirmative, quite enthusiastically!!! ? We bought a ring and walked to the local pub with some friends to celebrate. My parents had a family lunch on the Sunday, and we all had champagne, but no dress!!! We married a year later and are still together 54 years later!!

Right with you, maryhoffman! We had my grandma's engagement ring and vaguely mentioned it to people. Married (cheaply) 6 months later and are still happy together....

What engagement photos? What outfit?

The Littlewoods Catalogue designed my engagement dress and Aunt Betty did take a somewhat shaken polaroid photo during our party which has long since faded ?

Engagement outfit? We were never engaged. We lived together and decided to get married in three weeks time. Didn’t have any wedding photos either but I do still have the cotton frock I wore and the same husband 50 years later

No idea. DH was poorly but we went ahead with the official thing with his family around because we had put a notice in the paper so felt we should.

daughters

We met through a magazine ad. Engaged 8 months later but no ring as I specifically didn't want one. I never wear jewellery bar 1 stud in each ear. No wedding ring either nor do I wear a watch or brooch.
We had a party, to which I wore a plain midnight- blue silk sleeveless dress with a boat-shaped neckline and full skirt with many 'petticoats'. It was advertised in either Woman or Woman's Own.
He bought me diamond stud earrings instead of a ring and pearl earrings to wear on our wedding day, both sets of stones plainly set in 18ct gold. Nothing ostentatious. My three daughter's have worn the dress and looked remarkably trendy in it...without all the underskirts.

Gabriella, the dress was over £1000 so a goodly sum!