Beth + Steve. Officially.

Q: Why are you both wearing engagement rings? Isn't that against tradition?

A: The sealing of an engagement by exchange of jewelry is done differently in different places. In many countries, it is customary for the couple to exchange simple, matching bands. We find the elegance of this simple gesture much more moving than the "classic" American tradition of a diamond that strains the man's budget and which the woman only passively accepts. (Not that there's anything wrong with a man giving his girlfriend fancy jewelry, if she's the type who is interested in that sort of thing. But for us it didn't really seem to fit, and doing it the "normal" way would have seemed forced and impersonal to us.)