Crowdfunding for an Engagement Ring?
Crowdfunding. Everyone seems to be doing it nowadays. As crowdfunding has become more and more normal over the past few years we've seen some pretty crazy campaigns.
One of which was Kurt Braunohler's Cloud Project. Kurt started a campaign "so that I can hire a man in a plane to write stupid things with clouds in the sky." This campaign was fully funded. The skywriting was done over Los Angeles. His most notable messages were: "Clouds 4 EVA, God’s Fartin’, and How do I land?"
Another bizarre campaign was for a, get this, watermelon holder. Yes, folks, a $25,000 Kickstarter campaign was started so that you would "never drop your watermelon again! Watermelon Straps help you carry and handle your watermelon with ease!" At the conclusion of the campaign period, it only received $332 from 14 backers.
Adding to this list, on March 28th, 2017 William Oliver of Atlanta started a GoFundMe to raise $15,000 for an engagement ring. And no, this was not a joke.
Here is how it all started.
“In 2017 I have started to realize that teamwork makes our dreams work. After my 30th Birthday, I've received a lot of excitement about it being time to marry her! I couldn't agree more,” Oliver wrote on the campaign page. “She had a really innovative way to show her appreciation by purchasing 30 gifts for my 30th birthday. So I need a more innovative way to show my appreciation while incorporating friends and family.”
But it doesn't stop there. Oliver then went on to suggest that this is a perfect opportunity to “let everybody who loves us show us.” *Cue the eye rolls*
Including friends and family into a proposal is always a great idea. But perhaps someone should let William know that asking friends and family to shell out cash, is, how can we put it lightly, in poor taste.
As of April 13th, 2017, just 16 days after the GoFundMe was started, donations are no longer being accepted. The campaign ended raising $609. We can only assume that Oliver settled for a much cheaper ring. After all, it's not the price of the ring that counts. It's two people starting their life together.
Oliver and his now fiance are engaged and planning their wedding.
When it's time to buy an engagement ring, don't crowdfund, just save money by shopping at Luxe Wholesale Diamonds!
We wish them all the best!