Weddings make my boyfriend and I argue. How can I prevent this?

Every time a friend gets engaged or a wedding invitation comes in the mail, it reminds me that it still hasn’t happened for me. It especially gets me down when the couple has been together for a shorter time than my partner and I.

**Can skip to the TLDR here if you want**

We’ve been together for three years and have lived together for two and are very happy. I’m 28, he’s 36, and was previously married to a woman who cheated and abandoned.

He was divorced when I met him and is now in the process of having the marriage annulled in the Catholic church. The process will take a few more months ‘til he’s free and clear.

More than a year ago, we started talking about the prospect of tying the knot but I’m still waiting—sometimes more patiently than others.

We’ve picked a ring style and he’s taken me to try similar rings on but says that the diamond must be “flawless” (not super important to me) and he needs to save up X amount of money to afford it. I’ve suggested covering half but he won’t hear it. I think that’s silly. It’s 2017 and women earn money and don’t need to be “bought” with a rock.

We agree that we don’t want a wedding and will likely do City Hall, so to him, the ring is very important in terms of something he can provide me (IMO in the service of his masculinity).

**TLDR**
The problem is, it’s getting harder for me to wait. I don’t want to be impatient, and I don’t want to be immature and manipulative by issuing any kind of ultimatum. I just want to be his wife.

How can I survive weddings without getting into another tearful argument with the man I love? I try not to bring it up, but it’s so hard to hide my true feelings from the person I spend most of my time with.