Engagement Art

My fiance and I had been together nearly 2 years when we got engaged.

I'm not a big fan of the engagement ring - I don't like the symbolism, I don't like the look of 'em - I'm not a fan. 

Mike had a hard time with this concept at first. I think men are taught that the engagement ring is a big deal. It's a symbol of love and definitely a symbol of money. He got it though when I told him that I would not wear any engagement ring he bought me, I'd probably just find it offensive. 

Anyway, our engagement was AWESOME! Here we are at Bodega Bay, just after Mike proposed (yeah we had conversations about proposals too...)

We took the money Mike might have used to buy me a ring and bought these instead: 

The artist is Suzanne Edminster, an amazing California artist. We love her, wanted to support her, and fill our home with her art. 

If you're not a traditionalist, what would you do with the engagement ring money instead?