8 1/2 months pregnant + first West Coast dr appt = as good of a reason as any to break out the fringe booties.

{ Follow along on Instagram @ramshackleglam }

I wasn't sure about bringing these boots with me out here; I figured it'd be a zillion degrees and I'd spend 99.9% of my time in my favorite sandals (these in black, which if you do not own yet, you should probably go do that; nearly every single one of my friends owns a pair at this point and I swear: everyone who has them rhapsodizes about them).

My engagement ring, from a pawn shop off of the Vegas strip, might be my favorite possession in the world. I think it's beautiful, of course, but it's less about what it looks like than the story it tells about who Kendrick and I were and what we were doing at the exact moment that we discovered each other. We bought that particular ring because it was what we could afford at the time…but if I had it to do all over again? I'd probably get something almost exactly the same.

Which is all to say that solitaires are pretty, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with choosing something a little different for your ring, whether it's because "something different" is more in line with your budget than a huge rock…or because it's more in line with what you want. When it comes to a symbol of your partnership, there are no rules.

Some of my favorite unique engagement ring finds (all under $1k), above.