My partner-to-be agreed to do without an engagement ring, mainly for pragmatic financial reasons: we considered what better things we could do with the money.

My partner-to-be agreed to do without an engagement ring, mainly for pragmatic financial reasons: we considered what better things we could do with the money. It's fascinating to hear how people react to that over the years, mainly along the lines of "I wish I'd been that brave". So there's definitely a social pressure to conform.