Romantic Proposals

Photo by ahylton. Photo source:sxc.hu

Proposing  to your better half might be just one of those things that you want to do perfectly, it marks a big step in your relationship your are shifting gears from dating to engaged! You want your proposal to lead to only one answer that is " Yes" not " No" or " Maybe". So you have to ensure that all is set right so that your partner will definitely say "YES YES YES!!!"

Fact! Most women dream about two major days namely their wedding day and the day that they got engaged. Your engagement story is one that will be retold over and over again so make sure that it is worth telling and most importantly that the proposal is one  that your partner can identify with.

Statistics show that 80% of women were disappointed by their proposal and would have wished if their better half had put abit more effort and creativity into it. The most replayed proposal is the dinner proposal where the guy hides the engagement ring in the girl's dessert and drops down on one knee.     A lot of  women, I included, think that this has been overdone.

So what steps should you take to ensure that your proposal is right!!! Well read on and find out!

Before you drop down on one knee:

Well, before you pop the question there are a few things that ought to be done to ensure everything is picture perfect and to avoid any embarrassments.

No1. Are you ready yet? This may seem like an obvious question but one of the chief reason why a lot of men are turned down when proposing is that their girlfriends are not yet ready. Before you propose you have to ensure that both of you are compatible and that your partner thinks of you as a potential partner. You could throw in a few leading questions on a couple of dates, e.g. " What do you think about us?" and once all the answers are in your favor you can start planning the proposal.

No 2. Ask for her hand: Nothing is as romantic and as proper as you asking for your girlfriends hand in marriage from her parents. It is proper etiquette to inform both sets of parents of your intention to propose. This also avoids any future conflict with your in-laws remember when you marry your partner you marry their family, so it always safe to get it right from the start.

No 3. Plan the proposal: You want to make the proposal an unforgettable experience not one that she will always cringe at the mere mention of. Do your research on the internet, talk to friends who have been there, get a few alibi's to help you orchestrate the entire plan. You needn't spend an arm and a leg on planning a proposal all you have to do is spend time putting pen to paper and plotting how you will execute it.

No 4: Be prepared: Ensure that both you and your partner can handle the responsibilities of starting a new life together.

After doing all of the above your are now ready to shop for an engagement ring!

 An engagement proposal should be:

Creative:  Incorporate elements only unique to your partner in your proposal. If she loves watching movies, create a video of your memories and have it play on the big screen with your proposal playing at the end. If she enjoys parties plan a surprise engagement party for her. Find a way of ensuring what she loves is part of the proposal. Make sure that it is unique, personal and most importantly if you can original! A proposal should be a surprise so you can have a few alibi's assist you in coming up with the plan. It should be emotional  and should make your partner feel special!

Proposal ideas to think about:

Here are a few proposal ideas you could think about when planning your proposal.

The beach proposal: Plan to have a beach breakfast/ lunch/ dinner at a secluded beachfront spot down at the coast. You can hire waiters to set for you a romantic table for two. Line the pathway to your table setup with shells and roses. Leave her a note in her hotel room to follow the trail of roses, wait for her to come to you with flowers on in one hand and a ring behind the other.

The limousine proposal:You could think of hiring a limousine for an evening , and setting up a romantic ambience at the back of the limousine. You can light scented candles pour some petals on the floor rug, have some nice soothing mellow tunes playing in the background and have some chocolates & champagne on ice ( or a non-alcoholic cocktail). Pick her up for a date in the limousine and at the end of the ride, you can play a home-made video of all your relationship memories, you can slide in the proposal at the end. You can then head on to a restaurant for dinner to celebrate your engagement.

The movie proposal: Arrange with one of the local cinemas to have your home-made proposal clip aired. To create a home-made proposal clip you could use software like google picassa or windows movie maker. Make a movie out of her baby pictures, your baby pictures, relationship pictures and any other interesting pictures. Have quotes or lines from  love letters that you have written to each other , you can use a song she loves, or a song that is special to both of you as the theme song for your movie. Then after your movie is ready ask her out for a movie date, have the clip run just before the movie starts or in between the movie when she would least expect it!

The love fest: On proposal day spoil your girlfriend from morning with all her favorites, take her to her favorite breakfast spot, present her with her favorites hamper one that has