Getting Married?

Michael and I have been talking for a long time now about getting married. When to do it? How to do it? Who to invite? How much to spend? And so on and so on. At some point I seem to have decided that though I am willing to drool over dresses online, look for ceremony locations in two different states and the Caribbean, compile (both in my head and on paper) countless permutations of guest lists and budgets, I refuse to do anything concrete (like go try on the saliva covered gowns) until after we are officially engaged. What does officially mean? For me that means he has asked me. Not in an email or sitting on the couch or in the parking lot of the Nike Factory Outlet Store "Wanna get married?", but in a thoughtful, premeditated kind of way. With flowers or candles or chocolate. Preferably with a ring of some kind in hand.
Which leads us to our current issue, the ring. We both have some opinions about it. I want white gold (he agrees with that), I want something antique or vintage (he would prefer modern, but thinks the ones I like are pretty), we both want it to be cheap inexpensive. We have better things to save our money for (like a house). One of our options has been to get a cubic zirconia now and get a diamond to replace it later. We have been emailing back and forth about what we want to do about it.
Mike: So I'm thinking... Would it be better to get a 1/2 carrot CZ instead of 1 carrot, so that it would be easier to replace it with a real one in the future??? Also, would a 1 carrot look more fake than a 1/2 carrot? and, if the prongs are set for a 1 carrot, can you put in a .9 carrot or something?? they are usually WAY cheaper than the 1 even unit cuts..... I need to take a class or something, I'm so confused!
Me: (thinking: isn't it cute how he spells it like a vegetable) saying something useless . . .
Mike: you aren't much help =(
Me: Sorry! I don't know . . . followed by some suggestions
Mike: I don't like either of those =)
Me: Okay, let's give up on the ring thing. It's too much work and I don't enjoy it at all (and I don't think you do either!) =)
Mike: NO, I'm going to find a PERFECT one! I just need to figure out what PERFECT is!! And I want to be able to replace it later, and 1/2 carrot would be MUCH more likely to be replaced =)
Me: BABY!! It doesn't have to be perfect! (though it is very cute that you want it to be!)
Mike: How about I find something other than CZ?? Maybe a really nice sapphire? or Ruby?
Me: I would rather a sapphire, or we could resize the ring you got me for Christmas and just use that?
Mike: eh, that one isn't all that nice though, its more of a casual ring than an engagement ring. I will find one!!!
Sigh sometimes we even almost make me sick.