In 2017.

Since then, the interest in and demand for engagement rings, partner rings, and wedding rings for same-sex couples has increased accordingly.

In Austria, same-sex couples have been able to enter a registered partnership since 1 January 2010. However, it was only on 1 January 2019 that gay marriage in Austria became legal.

Love is genderless, that's for sure!

Unlike heterosexual relationships - for which the engagement etiquette is quite strict - the LGBTQ+ community can find its own way of proposing and expressing its marriage vows.

• For the engagement:

There can be no exchange of rings whatsoever. Instead, the pair could exchange another type of jewelry. Watches, for example, are becoming increasingly popular to convey the commitment to get married - and to want to spend forever with the other person!

In lesbian partnerships, it is not uncommon for at least one woman - if not both - to wish for a classic diamond engagement ring.

In a same-sex marriage between men, typical-looking engagement rings are quite uncommon. If any ring is exchanged on proposal day, plain gold bands or Eternity rings are a common choice for both partners.

• For the marriage:

As for heterosexual couples, wedding rings are usually exchanged by couples on the wedding day.

In a same-sex marriage between men, if both parties already exchanged a plain gold band or an eternity ring when getting engaged, it is not unusual to re-exchange the same ring on the wedding day. Otherwise, further rings can be given, and stacked on top of the engagement ones.