Dear Carolyn: My fiancé and I have been together several years and are getting married next year. Marriage is not something he cares about, but he knows it’s important to me and is happy to get married. At his request, there was no proposal, and the wedding will be tiny and simple. This is all legitimately fine with me; however, I did decide I wanted an engagement ring. I know it’s easy to bash them for being a symbol of materialism and misogynistic traditions, but I’ve always loved jewelry, and having a physical symbol of my relationship is very meaningful.
