Whether you want to get married on a beach (I did, and it was fantastic) on in a church, in front of hundreds, you can save big money and still get her dream wedding with a bit of effort.

So, you’ve finally proposed to your gal.  She’s sporting a fiery, new rock Gibraltar would be proud of.  Now comes the stressful part (okay, maybe not so much for you).  You want to throw the wedding of her dreams, but you’re not Donald Trump’s kid.  What do you do? Heck, even The Donald’s kids probably have limits, so let’s find a way you can have your dream wedding without breaking the bank, no matter how small it might be.

You may be fortunate enough to have “pops” financing the whole shebang, but more couples are delaying their nuptials until their 30′s now, and that may not really be an option any longer. If you can’t enjoy the luxury of a spectacular wedding, all expenses paid, or if you’d like to spare your future father-in-law a call to his broker, you’ll need to get a bit creative. You can still have her dream wedding, but just calling the wedding planner and reading off your list isn’t going to cut it.

Recent statistics say the average wedding costs $20,000. In today’s economy, that’s a pretty big chunk of change.  Most young girls dream of the fairy tale wedding:  long white gown, 8 bridesmaids, a sit-down dinner, the band everyone dances to long into the night, and reception stories the relatives are regaled with for generations. You know, the whole shebang.

Many brides have been dreaming about their wedding day since childhood, and your new fiance is probably no different. Unfortunately, these dreams come with an expensive price tag and the realization of their fairytale day may be a reach, at best. Although weddings are very costly today, her dream day can happen. There are some ways to cut corners and save money without making huge sacrifices.

By taking the time to plan and investigate, you will be amazed at the amount of money that you save. Would you arrive at an interview for your dream job without prior preparation? No, you would not and that is why preparation and research will make your wedding a success without re-mortgaging the house!
It’s only natural to want the Cinderella fantasy wedding, complete with ice sculptures, a heavenly cake, and thousands of guests who’ve flown in from around the world to enjoy the accompanying dinner. It’s only human to cry at the bill that this dream can rack up.

Costs can add up quickly, and they surely will if you’re not exercising the kind of restraint that’s possibly kept you from doing all sorts of other things before the wedding.  Factor in the meal, the liquor, the music, the dress, the flowers, the photographer, the venue, the decorations and the dream wedding can seem way out of your league.  But it doesn’t have to be, if you attack the problem with the skill of a surgeon.

How can the average person have a beautiful wedding with all the bells and whistles on a working person’s salary?  Perhaps the three letters/words that say it best are – DIY (do it yourself!) Thanks to the Internet, research on where and how to get things for less in your area is but a mouse click, and a keyboard stroke away. Creativity is key here.

Spending your life savings on a big wedding day is just plumb crazy. Fortunately,you can have that elegant, beautiful wedding, just like she’s been dreaming of since she was still playing with her Barbie, without breaking the bank. In addition, financial planners say going deep into debt just as you’re starting your family is a recipe for financial disaster. Remember, you’ll have a myriad of other expenses coming along soon enough, especially if you’re planning on a few little ones, and possibly buying a home for all to live in.

Having a cheap wedding doesn’t mean giving up style or sentimentality. It means using your imagination, and enlisting your own hands or the help of friends and family.  Ask anyone you know to help out, and be creative.  Almost everyone will be happy to oblige.  They’ll be part of your special day which makes them special as well! These days, there’s no shame in trying to save money; in fact, it’s looked upon as good, old common sense!

This book will give you the best tips and tricks from the experts to cut costs without cutting class and sophistication.  No one will know that your budget only equals the monthly grocery bill of a family of 4.  It’s a secret you and your gal can just keep under the pillow. They’ll be oblivious as they toast the new couple and enjoy a party to put all other party’s to shame!

We’ll explore ways to save on all aspects of your wedding.  Don’t think you have to give up anything because it can all be covered.  All it takes is the cooperation of your family and friends coupled with a little positive self-talk and perseverance.

I know a gal who’s been married twice (don’t worry, she got it right the second time!)  For both of her weddings, she had amazing ceremonies and receptions for around $2,000.  They were the talk of the town both now and then.  Grab your copy of the book (hey, it’s FREE!), I will tell you what she did to save money and still have an amazing wedding/reception.  Hopefully, you can gain some insight into a dream event for not a lot of money – just like she had!

Don’t worry, I’ll show you how to throw a dream wedding on a shoestring budget! Sign up for the ProposeToYourGirlfriend Newsletter, over in the sidebar on the right, and get the entire book, How to Save Big Money on Your Dream Wedding Without Being Cheap, on how to throw a wedding that will be the envy of all your friends (or at least hers),  for pennies on the dollar.

You’ll not only get the entire book, a $9.95 value in itself, but a few times each month you’ll get all kinds of other ideas on how to make your wedding and honeymoon extra special, without dipping into that stash you’ve got set aside for your annual golf trip.

Vintage engagement rings such as this stunning design are increasing in popularity in 2011.

If you’re going to propose to your girlfriend soon, one of the “must have” items on your list is certainly an engagement ring. As we roll into 2011, it’s time once again to take a look at which diamond engagement ring styles will be popular in the coming year. My post last year on the popular engagement rings for 2010 was one of the most popular ever. Thousands of you checked it out, so I’ve decided to look into what the stylish gal’s fingers will be sporting in ’11.

Traditional Diamond Solitaire Continues Popularity
As usual, the classic diamond solitaire will enjoy continues popularity for 2011. It’;s hard to argue with a classic like this, and many women love the timeless look of a nice diamond on an elegant gold band. There will be a few cuts that will stand out above the rest. The leading diamond cuts sure to be leading the pack for the new year include the princess cut and round cut, with plenty of Oval, Emerald-cut, Marquise-cut, and pear cut diamonds being asked for as well.

Vintage Diamond Rings Will Be Popular for 2011
One trend worth watching for 2011 is the vintage look. It seems that vintage inspired diamond rings are poised to make a run in the new year. What sets apart vintage inspired rings is the overall look of the ring. It’s all about class and hearkening back to a day when life was just a bit simpler. Many of us yearn for such times, and these rings give just a bit of that in our modern lives.

The diamond cut typically used in vintage rings is square Asher cut and Old European round center cut, although others make an appearance as well. There are often tiny, microset diamonds scattered tastefully around the main stone. When it comes to metal, classic gold is often the choice, and it’s hard to go wrong there. Many vintage inspired rings eschew gold and go with white gold or platinum , however. On many occasions the metal will have intricate patterns engraved in it, as was the fashion years ago.

Basically, if it looks like it was made 100 years ago, it passes the vintage test. Many guys have decided to go the whole 9 yards though, and get an actual vintage ring. These are easy to find in most cities. Just go to an old mom and pop jewelery store. They’ll often have some genuine vintage rings you can look at. You’ll know if your gal would dig one of these rings, or if her style is better reflected by something more contemporary.

Popular Colored Diamond Rings in 2011
Speaking of contemporary, you can scarcely get more modern that one of the new, colored diamonds tat are still gaining in popularity. I posted about pink diamonds quite a few months back, but it seems pink diamonds are just the tip of the iceberg. For 2011, the best attired finances and brides will be sporting all manner of color on their fingers, including brown diamonds, popularly called chocolate.

Chocolate diamond engagement rings are all the rage now, experiencing a spike in popularity as almost nothing has

Chocolate diamond engagement rings such as this one are going to be seen on may fiance's fingers in 2011.

ever before. Close on the richness of chocolate diamonds comes another word that reeks of wealth and prosperity, champagne. Yes, you can get a champagne diamond, and thousands of trend setting guys will be doing just that for their gals this year.

As you’d expect, a champagne diamond has a tinge of bronze color, and sparkles with a fire that puts an actual glass of bubbly, even one in a fine Baccarat crystal glass, to shame. Although theses diamonds are typically some variation of bronze color, they can be almost as dark as  a chocolate diamond, and almost as light as a clear stone. The colors of champagne diamonds are denoted with a C scale, ranging from C1 (lightest) to C7 (darkest)

Chocolate and champagne colored diamonds are mined almost exclusively in the Argyle region of Australia. They owe their fine colors not to impurities in the diamonds, but rather to a disruption caused in their crystal structure when they’re formed. That means you can still get a virtually flawless diamond ring for her finger, even if you choose a colored stone.

Note that the diamond must exhibit the sparkle we’ve come to expect from a true diamond, or else it will receive a downgrade. These chocolate and champagne diamonds are not simply poor quality white diamonds. Like traditional white stones, they are actually graded for color and clarity, and can not receive high makes unless they show the same light reflecting fire as white stones do.

What Else Will Be Big in 2011?
What other popular trends are we seeing in engagement rings for 2011?

Multi Stone Rings – Another style that looks to be gaining ground for the new year is multi-stone rings. In particular rings with a center diamond and stones all around it look to be really gaining momentum for ’11. The surrounding stones can be in arranged in a complementary ring around the center stone, or the band can be encrusted with many other stones.

Twisted Band Rings – The twisted band engagement ring, with or without the multi-stone treatment is another style that looks to be on an upward climb, popularity wise. Women are tiring of the same thing when it comes to their engagement rings, and want to find a way to make theirs a bit different than their mother’s or their friend’s designs.

The twisted rings allows ring designers considerable flexibility to pursue this goal. The twist can contain a single band with a twist, or it can be multiple bands twisted together. Either way, the twisted band style seems to be gaining ground on the traditional, single band designs.

Leave it to the royals to set worldwide trends in jewelery. For 2011, you can bet there will be more sapphire engagement rings sold world wide. That's because the (soon to be) Princess Kate received one from Prince William as her engagement ring last month.

World Events Change Wedding Ring Styles for 2011
As you might have guessed, any time a royal gets engages there are stylistic repercussions the world over, and the recent engagement of Prince William to Kate Middleton is surely no different. So, which ring did the prince propose with? He asked Kate to be his bride with the engagement ring from his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.

Although there are certainly diamonds on this ring, the center stone on Diana’s, now Kate’s ring is a very nice, blue sapphire. Jewelers are already reporting tremendous increase in demand for sapphire rings since the announcement.

So, there you have it. The most popular diamond engagement rings for 2011are going to be vintage rings, colored diamond rings

Here are some proposals that were caught on video. Would it be easier to propose to your girlfriend if you could see some other guys do it first? It’s not too often that we’re in a place where we get to see another guy proposing to his gal. It would be nice. You could take notes, figure out what he did right, and what mistakes you might want to avoid in you own proposal. To that end, I’ve put together a little video proposal compilation where you can watch someone go through what you’re going to be doing soon. Maybe you’ll get some ideas for your own proposal. Enjoy!

TV weatherman proposes to his TV anchor girlfriend on live TV

Tim Tebow proposes to his girlfriend while dozens look on and cheer

A guy proposes to his girlfriend on the set of scrubs with some help from a couple of the cast members. She’s on the crew, and they set her up perfectly. A great proposal.

Maybe you want a couple of proposals where neither of the participants are in show business or athletics. Makes sense, since most guys aren’t. Here are a couple more videos, then:

If you’re in the military, you’ve got a damn tough job, but this guy proves some warriors can be sensitive, too!

If you want to propose at Christmas time with the family, you could do what this guy did:

Westminster Cathederal is a great place to propose in London.

Westminster Cathedral, London
There are dozens of romantic places in London, but one of the best is the elaborate Westminster Cathedral. It looks far older than it’s 108 years, having been modeled by architect John Francis Bentley on the ancient cathedrals from a millennium earlier. If your gal loves old romance, she’ll love this place. Bentley died about the time the building was substantially completed, but he never got to see his work 100% finished. It would be too bad to work so hard on something, but never get to seethe finished product, don’t you think? For example, the delicate mosaics that are now so beautiful, were yet to be started upon his death in 1902, and actually took until the mid 1960′s to be fully completed. If you choose this as your proposal spot, you’ll get to see them in all their glory.

Northern California
Matanzas Creek Winery, Sonoma County California – Lavender Garden
Gardens can be the perfect proposal spot, and this garden is head and shoulders above many others. In fact, the whole setting is one of the most beautiful and romantic in the whole state of California. Nestled in the scenic Bennett Valley, the winery was one of the first in the area, producing it’s first vintage in the 1970′s. The lavender gardens is unique, because not only is it beautiful, but Mantanzas actually uses lavender to make all sorts of products for your home, from bath to kitchen. Of course, they’ll be only too happy to sell you some when you visit.

One nice thing is that the Sonoma area and the Bennett valley is not over crowded, as the Napa Valley has become. That lets you get a more romantic feeling of seclusion without having to fight the crowds. You can even get a wine and cheese tasting during your visit, something not to be missed, as the folks at Matanzas really know their food / wine parings. Make sure you plan your proposal when the lavender is in full bloom, typically in late spring and early summer.
If you want to contact the Matanzas Creek Winery, here is their contact info:
Address: 6097 Bennett Valley Road
City, State, Zip: Santa Rosa, California 95404
Phone number: (707) 528-6464

City of Sonoma – Sonoma Overlook Trail
If you’re the kind of couple who really values the outdoors, you might think about popping the question to your sweetie

The spectacular view form the Sonoma Overlook Trail above, appropriately enough, Sonoma California. A great place to pop the question to your gal.

while enjoying the scenic wonders of someplace scenic, an not too many places are more scenic than the vistas that await you on the Sonoma Overlook Trail. Sure, you could really step out and take a trek to Yosemite, or board a plane to the emerald island of Kauai. You’ll have to make no treks to the backcountry, or hop any planes if you’re in the northern California area.

Callaway Gardens, GA – Pine Mountain, GA – 60 minutes southwest of Atlanta
If you’re looking for a romantic getaway in the SE United States, check out Callaway Gardens. Only a bit more than a hour from Atlanta, it’s well worth the drive. Once there you can choose from romantic cottages, villas, or rooms at the Mountain Creek Inn. The cottages are 2-bedroom, so they are more for those who really want extra room. A secluded 1 bedroom villa is probably more up your alley, if you’re aiming for a romantic retreat so you can propose to her. At the time of this writing, a 1 bedroom villa starts at about $200 per night. Some visitors indicate that the Lodge and Spa are much better to stay at then the Inn, which is a bit older and more, uh, rustic. Steer clear of the Inn.

There are two azalea gardens, the Callaway Brothers Azalea Bowl, and the Overlook Garden. If you visit in spring the azaleas will be in full bloom. There is little else that can compare to the sight of all the colors and textures. If she has any romance in her body at all, she’ll love it.

There are 8 different nature trails, each offering a different view of the area’s natural  beauty. Most are pretty easy hikes, and are less than a mile and half, so you won’t be exhausted when it comes time to pull out the ring. There are plenty of places to do that on the trails.

What better place to propose than in front of a statue of Cupid himself?

Queen’s Gardens, Nelson, New Zealand – Cupid’s Fountain
There are so many beautiful and romantic places in this island nation it’s difficult to know just where to start. Here is one, if for the name only (but it is a really beautiful place too). You’ll feel on top of the world, even if you’re on the bottom of it, down in New Zealand, proposing to your girlfriend at none other than Cupid’s Fountain. Cupid is, after all, the Roman god of erotic love and beauty. What better place to propose?
Bonus New Zealand Proposal Spot – You could also head to another great NZ location, the little burg of Akaroa, about 80 clicks from Christchurch on the Banks Peninsula. This is a quaint little town with a very French feel to it, due to the preponderance of French settlers there over 150 years ago. The French influence makes it even more romantic. It is a really small town, with something less than 600 full time residents, although form the number of boats crowding the harbor in the summertime, you’d think it was far more than that. In fact. the place is so popular as a tourist destination in sumer, that the population often swells to 10 times it’s normal size.

You’ll find any number of great proposal spots in Akaroa, weather you stay in one of the bed and breakfasts to be found

Imagine proposing to your girl while gazing out at this view of the Akaroa harbor! It looks like something straight out of a movie. In fact, if you've seen movies such as "Lord of the Rings" you'll know why Hollywood has fallen in love with New Zealand.

there, or at the Akaroa Country Lodge just outside of town. You could propose in your room, over dinner, during a romantic stroll through town, or up in the hills overlooking the town and harbor. The views up there are out of this world beautiful!

360 Restaurant, Toronto, Canada – CN Tower
The 360 has won a gazillion awards, including Where Magazine reader’s poll “most romantic”, best of award excellence from Wine Spectator Magazine, and multiple awards for excellence in dining experience from Distinguished Restaurants of North America. Despite all those upper crust awards you don’t have to spend a fortune to eat there, although it seems it’s fairly easy to do so. The 360 nabbed a  Best Value award in the dinner category in UP! Magazine’s 200 Places to Get the Best Bang for Your Travel Buck. However, many people report spending around $200 for dinner (sans wine) and a couple of drinks, so it’s not like stopping by BK for a Whopper on the way home from work.

If you live nearby, or you’re planning on going to Toronto, that makes it a no-brainer as far as proposal locations go. You can’t beat the view, which is natural, as it sits over 1,100 feet in the air. If your girl is afraid of heights, this may not be the perfect place, but for everyone else, it should be worthy of consideration. The view is beyond reproach. Unless you’re a pilot you don’t see a view like this very often. Like the Space Needle in Seattle, the 360 restaurant slowly rotates, delivering a constantly changing view to everyone in the dining room.

Don’t go on a weekend, though to avoid lines, which can be present even if you’ve made a reservation (kind of like your doctor’s office). I almost didn’t include the CNN 360 on this list, as reports have been surfacing that service quality has been slipping lately. However, there are still plenty of folks that report getting good service, the view is so great and the food is tasty, so it deserves mention here. Make sure you confirm your reservation for a view table a couple of times leading up to your arrival, to ensure you actually get to enjoy the wonderful view. The prix fixe menu (currently either $55 or $68 per person for dinner) is definitely the more value oriented way to order. There are more limited choices, but ordering the same items ala carte will set you back substantially more loot.

Franceschi Park, Santa Barbara, CA
If you want a spectacular and romantic proposal location and are on a tight budget, you can’t ask for more than this. After all the view is superb, and it’s free. It’s 18 acres of great city and Pacific Ocean views, and it is filled with exotic plants; fitting, as it is named after a horticulturist. Santa Barbara is already one of the most beautiful little cities anywhere, and this is a little slice of heaven within it. The park has experienced a dearth of funding recently, so there is no telling how long it will still be a great place to go, but for now, the view is fantastic, and even if the greenery isn’t what it used to be, it still makes the list.

Imagine proposing while kneeling on the viewing platform with the waterfall in the background!

La Paz Waterfall Gardens, Costa Rica
Yes, it is private and yes, it is spendy (especially if you spend the night), but if you plan on going to Costa Rica, or just about anywhere else for that matter, you’ll scarcely be able to do better than proposing to your girlfriend next to one of the most stunning waterfall locations to be found on this planet. It’s a luscious, 70 acre wildlife preserve, replete with monkeys, jaguars, wild turkeys, and some of the most exotic wild birds to be found anywhere.

The park’s Peace Lodge has even been showcased on the Travel Channel as a honeymoon hot spot, but it would more than suffice for a proposal. It’s surely romantic enough.. Some of the suites even have bathrooms with waterfalls in them! Hummingbirds will sit on your finger as you feed them (not in your room, though), and you can take a short hike to the resort’s romantic waterfalls. It’s there that you’ll probably want to propose, although between the rooms, view balconies, and  butterfly garden, you should be able to find the perfect, romantic proposal location if the waterfalls don’t do it for you.

Villa San Michele, Fiesole, Italy
Can it get any more romantic than this? After all, it is a 15th century monastery, with a facade designed by none other than Michelangelo, and located in Florence, Italy. The Villa San Michele just reeks of romance. You’ll be rewarded with a view form the hotel that can’t be beat, and it has one of the most beautiful swimming pools anywhere, positioned to take full advantage of the spectacular view.

If you want to propose in a romantic setting, you know that Italy is definitely that, and this hotel, while very expensive,

If you have the (substantial) coin required, the Villa San Michelle is definitely one of the top places to propose.

will give your girlfriend the romance she’s looking for. Asking her to get married while you gaze longingly into her eyes as the sun starts to sink below the horizon will be the icing on the cake. Proposing during a romantic dinner on the balcony at the Loggia Restaurant (be sure to make reservations for a balcony table) is about as good as it gets. If you do have dinner at the Villa San Michele, you’ll be dining on some of Europe’s best food, especially the pasta, which is almost universally praised. For that extra romantic touch, speak to the staff beforehand to arrange a special desert, just for your sweetie.

Get ready to drop some serious coin if you get a room there, especially if you choose a suite, some of which can be over $2,000 a night. The Super Saver, which includes breakfast, is still a teeth clenching 440 Euros, or over $500US!

There is no shortage of recreational facilities either, for those of you that want to enjoy a little more than romance while you’re there. There are some great golf courses, plenty of good tennis facilities, and the locals rave about the mountain biking. Yes, you can rent bikes there, too. Unlike the hotel, some of the recreational facilities are quite a bargain. You can even get an hour long private tennis lesson from a pro for only $40.

Red Rock Canyon in Nevada is definitely one of the most beautiful places to propose in the entire U.S.

Red Rock National Monument, just outside of Las Vegas Nevada
This is quite simply one of the most breath taking pieces of natural beauty anywhere in the world. The different shades of red in the rocks and the plethora of different spots that would be perfect for an outdoor proposal. One that would be great for  proposing is the relatively easy, 1.2 mile trail to the Calico Tanks. It is a bit of a climb, but if you’re even moderately physically fit, you’ll have no problem, and many people take young children on this hike. I took my 7 year old up there and she had no problems, except maybe wanting to get too far ahead! The trail starts past an old sandstone quarry, then meanders it’s way up through a striking red sandstone canyon. There are even sandstone steps through many of the steeper sections to ensure virtually anyone can enjoy the area’s striking beauty.

The 1.2 mile trail ends at the aforementioned tanks, which is really a sandstone basin filled with rainwater about 50

It's a pretty easy hike and well worth the effort. Even kids can do it.

yards across. If you stop there, though, you’ll be missing the hike’s perfect proposal location, a dramatic sandstone promontory jutting out over the valley floor. Just keep going about 150 yards past the tanks themselves, and you’ll reach the vista you’ve been looking for. Go on the right side of the water and up the hill. There, you can propose with the valley and the city of Las Vegas as a backdrop. It’s an awesome vantage point. Don’t do this hike in the summer though, as it can be dangerously hot here.

These are some great places you can propose to your girlfriend. Remember that no matter where you propose, make sure your proposal is crafted specially for her. She’s got all sorts of things that make her who she is. You know her better than anyone, so use what you know to make that perfect proposal.

You can propose to your girlfriend anywhere you'd like, but make sure it's somewhere that she thinks is special. Remember it is her proposal, not so much yours.

After reading so many proposal stories that get sent in you’d think I would be immune, but it never ceases to amaze me the lengths some guys will go to make sure their proposal is memorable. Here is a great one…..

“We have been very happily married for about 7 years now, but here is how I asked her to be my wife. Jenn and I had been dating for just about 3 years, and I was finally realizing that she was the woman I wanted to marry. We’d met when we were both finishing up our senior year of college, and hit it off instantly. There was definitely a heck of a spark right off the bat, but I wasn’t ready to settle down yet and she wasn’t either. There were too many things in the way that could have derailed our whole relationship.

My senior year I had an advertising internship in New York that took up most of the first semester, so I wasn’t around campus very much. She was finishing up a double major in finance and marketing, so she was pretty busy herself. Despite our busy schedules, we still new there was something special going on. I had my share of girlfriends, both serious and the few-weeks-of-fun variety, and I knew instantly that this would be different. Thankfully, she felt exactly the same way.

We both moved to New York after graduation and settled into a schedule that only a medical intern could love. It was brutal for both of us, and we didn’t see each other nearly as much as we’d have liked, but you know what they say “Absence makes the heart grow fonder. ”Thankfully for us, it was definitely true.

Between going to Yankee games with the guys (in the company seats), entertaining clients 2 or 3 nights a week, working out, and watching the Jets play in the winter, it was a wonder I had any time left for Jenn, but she was working so much then; even more than I was. When I was away from her and having a great time, she was still always on my mind in a big way. No matter how much fun I was having (and I had quite a bit), I always thought the time would have been much better spent if she was there, or I was with her somewhere else.

That was when I knew for sure it was time to ask her to marry me, and and started to think of a way to propose that would really show her how much I loved her and how extra special she was to me. It wasn’t easy. I thought of all the traditional ways to propose, you know, the dinner at a nice restaurant, or walking along the waterfront somewhere scenic. None of those really did it for me though, and more to the point, I didn’t think they would for her, either.

I did everything to get ideas. I read books, talked to married and engaged friends, surfed the web, and generally puled in as much info as possible on the subject. Back then there wasn’t nearly as much help available on the web as there is now. There were some great ideas, but nothing exactly like what I wanted to do.

Finally I hit on something that I was sure she would be excited about. She is a pretty cerebral girl. Actually she is pretty and cerebral. Lucky me. One of the things that she loves more than anything is traveling through New England in the fall, when the leaves are just starting to turn. She also loves history and old things. That’s great for me in 50 years, I guess.

One thing that would be right up her alley is art, artifacts, and where they all collect, museums. There are dozens of great museums scattered throughout New England. We’d visited some of them before, since we travel up there once or twice a year. We would have both liked to make it more than that, but our busy schedules precluded too much time off.
Here is how I proposed to her. I told her that we should take off for a long weekend to get away, unwind a bit, and enjoy the sights of New England in the fall. As I expected, she was delighted with the idea.

We left NYC on Friday morning and headed north. It was beautiful. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. A gentle breeze was blowing, and it was a little chilly in the morning, but soon warmed up into the low 70′s. It made me wish I’d rented a convertible. I kept thinking that things were going almost too smoothly. I had managed to put off a client meeting until Monday, and Jenn was able to get the day off, despite an unusually busy time in her office as well.

First stop was in one of our favorite places, Providence. After stopping up on Federal Hill for lunch, we hit the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art. It is pretty fantastic, especially for such a relatively small town. They even had some jewelry on display, which I was sure to get her opinion on!
After spending a few hours at the museum, it was time to head back to Federal Hill for a nice, romantic dinner. I could have just asked her then and there, but that wasn’t the plan. The asking her would have to wait, but I wanted to put us in a few situations that might make her think it was a possibility first, just so she would be even more surprised when I really did pop the question!

Early Saturday morning we headed for Stockbridge MA, where the Norman Rockwell museum is. He is about as all American as you can get, and we both wanted to see some his painting up close and for real. It was definitely worth the drive. After about 3 hours there, it was back on the road for a beautiful, scenic drive up Rte 7, into the Green Mountain National Forrest in Vermont. What a beautiful, scenic drive. I love driving, so it was great to go through some of the most stellar terrain anywhere in the country. We both enjoyed it, and she thought it was very romantic. The plan was working.

We arrived in Ludlow, VT just in time for dinner. I had reserved a room at a fantastic bed and breakfast there; The Governor’s Inn. It is actually the ex governor of Vermont’s personal residence. If you’re going to be in the neighborhood, I highly recommend it. We had been wanting to stay there for quite a while, after getting positive reports from friends and reading really good reviews. We had a great time, and like I had been told, the Inn, the rooms, and the food were just about perfect. Once again, we had a very romantic evening together.

The nxt morning, it was back on the road. This time toward MA once again, and a museum I had been wanting to see for a while, and I thought she would enjoy, too.; the Worcester Art Museum. Not as big as some of it’s contemporaries in larger cities, this little museum nevertheless ahs a pretty good rep and I had a few friends go there, and say good things about it. The best part though, is what it has inside that’s not a painting or sculpture.

The Wocester Art Museum has this really unbelievable old French Chapel rebuilt right inside of the museum itself. It was actually dissembled in France and rebuilt, brick by brick, in the U.S. Actually, it is a chapter house, which is kind of ironic, because it was built for celibate monks!

I had been carrying the ring with me for the whole weekend, and kept thinking I’d lose the thing (or she’d find it). As we got to the museum I checked once more to be sure it was still in my jacket pocket. Relief! It hadn’t moved, and the time was about upon us now, little did she know. We spent quite a while going through the exhibits.

They had an early photography exhibit by Janos Scholz. I’m talking really early, like more than a decade before the Civil War. It was a great exhibit but I could barely contain myself while we were looking at it. She loves photography, especially the old stuff, and I could barely tear her away from it.
I steered her to the center court to look at the exquisite floor mosiacs, and then to the arch of the old, French chapter house. As we stood in the archway that had been built almost a thousand years ago, I told her that my love for her would last for longer than the stone of this magnificent, old church, and how very much she meant to me. When I started in about how I wanted to make sure we could share our lives together forever, I think she began to suspect when was happening.

Right then, I got down on one knee, pulled the ring from my pocket, took her hand, put the ring on her finger, and asked her to marry me. I had practiced taking the ring out of my pocket, opening the box, and removing the ring about a hundred times. I knew my hands would be sweaty, and didn’t want to fumble the whole thing when the time came to do it for real.

Although we were in a public place, there was hardly anyone around right then, so we had the moment all to ourselves. It was perfect.The irony that I had asked my (now) wife to marry me in a place built for celibate monks didn’t dawn on me until later. Thankfully, celibacy hasn’t been part of our marriage up to this point.”

Many have sent in about their proposals. They are a great place to ideas if you aren’t sure about how you are going to ask your girlfriend to marry you. Here are some of my previous posts that can help you:
Romantic Ways to Propose to a Girl That Really Worked
Best Way to Propose to Your Girlfriend – Number 3
Best Way to Propose to Your Girlfriend – Number 2
Best Way to Propose to Your Girlfriend – Number 1
Great Ways to Propose to Your Girlfriend – From the Woman’s Perspective

I Hope these give you some ideas and inspiration on how to propose to your girlfriend.
Don’t forget to write in if you have a great idea and tell how it worked.

When you're proposing to your girlfriend there are certain protocol to follow, here are 7 you should follow, and a seventh you should consider, if you're fortunate enough to need it.

If you’re both lucky and good, proposing marriage is a once in a lifetime thing. You’ll both carry the memories of it with you forever, so it’s best to follow the proper protocol when proposing. No sense in going out of bounds on this one and causing a commotion or embarrassing yourself for all eternity, even if she does say yes. Remember there are plenty of ways to propose correctly, but you want to avoid any big faux pas just the same.

With that in mind, here are some protocol rules, do’s and dont’s that you’ll want to follow.

Rule Numero Uno – Make it uniquely for her. Your proposal should be designed with her unique qualities and personality in mind. Take into account what makes her really happy, what makes her heart go pitter patter, and brings a huge smile to her face. You know what those things are, so use them to your advantage when planning the perfect proposal.

Proposal Protocol Rule Number Two – Do it in person, or at least be there for her reaction. Do not email her, write her a letter if you’re not going to be there when she opens it, any other such thing. You are the one proposing, and you need to be there to take part in the whole thing.

Proposal Protocol Rule Number Three –  Don’t be too casual. In some rare occasions you may be able to avoid this one. On the vast majority of occasions, even if the proposal is a somewhat light hearted affair the way you actually speak the words, and the way you present yourself during the actual proposal needs to done with a certain amount of formality.

Proposal Protocol Rule Number Four – Tell her parents first. Unless you’re (or more correctly she)  pretty young, you don’t need to actually ask the father’s permission. After all, you are not going to let her parents run your lives, are you? You are both adults, and while it would be very nice to have her parent’s blessings, unless he is a union boss or a mob capo, you’re probably safe.

Proposal Protocol Rule Number Five – This is more for after the actual proposal, but you need to lay the groundwork beforehand. If you bring significant assets into the marriage, get a prenuptial agreement. You  certainly don’t have to present her with the document along with the ring, but you should bring up the concept some time before you propose to test the waters. While marriage is meant to be forever, in this day and age that is sadly not always the case.

You need to be prepared for that very unpleasant eventuality, and let her go with just the Mercedes, the condo, and $10K a month. Better to keep the Porsche, the Yacht, and the house in the Hamptons for yourself. It may sound stupid now, when you’re head over heels in love, but hopefully if you had the insight to amass significant assets, you will also be on top of things enough to protect them in case things go sideways in the future.

Proposal Protocol Rule Number Six – This is sort of an extrapolation of rule number one, but make the environment somewhere she is comfortable. For example, if she is uncomfortable with public displays of affection or people focusing all their attention on her, a Yankee Stadium proposal is the wrong choice for you (unless, of course, it is empty). If she is terrified of high places, don’t drag her up do a scenic overlook or high bridge for your proposal, no matter how spectacular the view. Some women may find that setting incredibly romantic, but your girlfriend will just want to get the heck out of there.

Proposal Protocol Rule Number Seven – Select your her engagement ring yourself. After all, if you have her choose it, you’ve pretty much blown the surprise element of the whole  occasion haven’t you? If you’re a bit sly, you can find out what she likes in a ring without having her there when you buy it. It also loses some of it’s romance factor when she picks out her own ring. Discretely find out the kind of ring she likes, then buy it yourself. For some great strategies you can use to save money on the engagement ring for her dreams, see my previous post on how to find affordable engagement rings.

Following these seven rules can help your proposal and your fond memories of it for years.

Should you propose while enjoying a beautiful sunset? Perhaps, but then again, that may not be the perfect proposal for her.

“How should I propose to my girlfriend?” It is one of the most difficult questions most men will ever face, and with good reason, there is a heck of a lot riding on it. If you’re entertaining the possibility of asking your girl to get married, you’re likely facing a whirlwind of emotion. After all, you usually only get one shot at this, and weather she says yes or no, the answer will change the rest of your life like the answer to few other questions.

There are so many possibilities, and it can be a daunting task to figure out which way is the best. A few guys just know how they’ll propose, but for the rest of us, it likely means more than a few sleepless nights. It sure did for me. It is a rare combination of pure excitement, anxiety, and in some cases, sheer terror that is caused by few other events in your life.

We’ve probably all seen those YouTube videos of the poor bastard on the basketball court proposing during an NBA game and getting ruthlessly shot down. The look on his face as his (probably now ex) girlfriend walks off the court, leaving him to face the 15,000 fans on his own, is something no one wants to experience for themselves.

Hopefully, you’ve gone beyond that, and you’re at least pretty darn sure that she is the one for you, and she feels the same about you. If you are not sure yet, check out my post on how do I know if my girlfriend loves me. That will give you some signs to look for and questions to ask, just in case you have some niggling doubts in the back of your ole’ head.

If you’re beyond all the uncertainty, and just want to know how you should propose, here is what you need to know. The single, most important thing to remember is that women love romance. Sure, not all of them are the most romantic creatures on the planet, but even among those that aren’t, it is a rare woman who doesn’t want her proposal to be a romantically charged affair. Several polls and studies have been conducted on the subject. The most famous is probably one of those conducted by Korbel’s Champagne.

Sadly, many guys think that a romantic proposal just means turning to chapter 6 in the romance cookbook and following the romantic proposal recipe. It would be nice if it was that easy, but it just doesn’t work that way. You can always just pile on the typical accoutrements of romance; the dinner with a view, flowers, and sweet love poetry, followed by a huge diamond, but you actually have to dig deeper if you want it to be an out of the park success.

With romance it is the thought that counts, and you have to put some thought into it. A romantic proposal must be one that is specially for her, and she knows it. That’s where the romance comes in. Every woman is different, just as in some ways they are very much alike. That’s not to say she won’t want the traditional romantic gestures, but you have to not only combine them in such a way as to make them uniquely hers, and add in some elements that she will know are just for her.

You should know your girl better than anyone else, and you should know what really makes her heart sing. Use that knowledge to craft your proposal into one that would be just perfect for her, but not quite right for any other woman. That is the kind of romance that will touch her heart.

One thing that you’ll have to address is the location. Where are you going to ask her? Asking her in a spot that is significant to your relationship can be a great way to bring personalized romance to your proposal. Another great way to pick the perfect spot is to take her to a beautiful place she has always wanted to visit, or a favorite place that she has been to before. One caveat here; you do not want to take her to a place she first visited with an old boyfriend, no matter how much she loves it. That is not the kind of memory or emotion you want cropping up when you’re popping the question. Check my post on the Top 30 Romantic Places to Propose to Your Girlfriend for some inspiration.

One thing you do not want to do is propose in a way that will make her uncomfortable. No public venue proposals, for example. In 95% of cases, proposing at concert or sporting event is the wrong way to go. There are exceptions to this of course, but typically that fills your deep seated fantasy, not hers, and one thing to remember is that it is really her proposal. Do it right and she’ll play it over in her mind for the next 50 years; do it wrong and she will too. It is your choice what’s playing in those memories, so make it special.

Here is a post with some more posts with fantastic Ways to Propose to a Girl, in case you’re stuck for ideas and inspiration. These are stories from and about guys who made it something special for their gals

Valentines Day may be the perfect day for you to propose, but there are things to watch out for.

Valentines Day is one of the most popular days to propose to your girlfriend. That can be both a blessing and a curse. It is very romantic, and women typically love romance, especially where their proposals are concerned.

On the down side, for the reasons mentioned above, it is also kind of cliché to propose on Valentines Day. After all, everybody does it, right?

With that in mind, here are some things to be aware of if a proposal is in your plans this Valentines Day.

It is already February 13th, sorry if these come a bit late to help you.

1) Things are going to be crowded. Make reservations and make them early, if your plans include a restaurant, be aware that this is one of their busiest days of the year.

2) If you are going to propose in a public place that is popular for proposals, such as the aforementioned restaurant, propose early. You don’t want to be upstaged by the 4 other guys that are going to propose th their gals tomorrow night too. Nothing is worse (okay, so that is an overstatement, but barely) than sweating all evening in anticipation, the ring burning a hole in your pocket, only to have Joey at the next table get down on his knee before you have a chance to. She’ll be enchanted, sure, but she should be for your proposal, not his. Plus, it kind of steals your thunder, no matter how finely crafted your proposal speech is.

3) Florists are busy too, so if you are going to get her flowers, you should probably get an early start. It is already too late to get the from most of the Internet florists. You may still be able to get them from someplace like flowersfast.com or USASflorists.com, but time is getting pretty short.

4) Try proposing at home on Valentines Day. You can still get all the romance of proposing on the 14th, without the crowds and competition. Also, home was picked as the number one place to propose on V-day according to a wine industry survey. Just make a nice, romantic dinner with candles (actually set the dinner table, and don’t just put the dinner spread on the coffee table in front of the TV)

Hopefully these tips can help you of you’re thinking of proposing on Valentines Day, one of the most popular days to pop the big question.

You can save a bundle on your wedding plans with a few simple strategies. Check out these ideas for keeping some of your cash, while still giving her the dream wedding she deserves.

If you have started planning your wedding, you have no doubt come to the sickening realization that weddings can get very expensive in a hurry. In fact, the 2002 American Wedding Study pegged the average cost of a wedding in the U.S. at $22,000, and that was 8 years ago! If your girlfriend has her heart set on a lavish affair fit for royalty, you’re pretty darn lucky if her father is footing the entire bill. If you are looking to stretch your wedding dollars, maybe some cheap wedding plans are in order, but only if she doesn’t have to sacrifice her day due to the economy.

Sure, you may have to make some sacrifices, such as forgoing a 5 star hotel on your wedding night, but overall, your ceremony should be all you have hoped for. Here are some great tips that can really help you save money, but still get the wedding you (and mostly she) have been dreaming about. The key is to be cheap without looking cheap.

Start planning early –
It is never too early to start the wedding planning process. If you are going to have a large wedding, there are a tremendous number of details to be worked out, and the sooner you get started, the easier it will be. From a cost standpoint, early planning means that you have more time to get the best deals on everything from the venue, to napkins, to booze. Use the Internet to find and compare prices on everything. Getting an early start will allow you to do this much more effectively.

Get a used gown –
Think about it, you can have her get a spectacular, designer wedding gown for pennies on the dollar. The great thing about wedding gowns is that they are only used once. In some cases, people put them away for relatives or friends to use in the future, but many times very expensive designer gowns are sold for next to nothing. Check Craigslist, eBay, and one of the many used wedding gown referral sites populating the Internet. Often you can get a fantastic deal from an individual on Craigslist or eBay, but you’ll get a better selection and easier shopping at the referral sites.

Wear old shoes (her, not you) –
Yes, I can hear her screaming now, but think about it for a second; if she has a long gown, no one is ever going to see her shoes, and when you’re peeling them off her feet later that night, she isn’t going to care that they are old. There is no sense in spending a few hundred clams on new designer shoes that no one is ever going to see anyway.

Get discount flowers at the local market or online, don’t go to a specialty florist -
Specialty florists are very expensive and do you really care that you’re not going to have bouquets of  Casablanca Lilys, Hydrangeas, or Lily of the Valley? Probably not, and if you’re having a large wedding with a bouquet she is going to throw, and dozens of tables at the reception, you don’t want to be using these kinds of flowers. You could spend thousands on flowers alone.

Have the reception somewhere that doesn’t look cheap, but is. –
Why rent an expensive venue such as a 5 star hotel for your reception, when there are some fantastic places that can be had for far less? For example, try some of the state parks where you can rent space. You’ll be rewarded with spectacular views and spend a fraction of what you’d spend renting the ballroom at a nice hotel or other venue. For example, the Egyptian Ballroom and terrace at the Fox Theater in Atlanta goes for about $7,000 a night, and a ballroom at many 5 star hotels such as the The Grand Ballroom at The Peninsula Chicago, can command that much and more for the privilege of holding your reception there.

Have the reception at some place that looks cheap and is. –
You can rent a lodge or hall from the VFW, ELKS, or any one of a dozen organizations in lieu of shelling out the cash for some expensive digs.

This is one time to call in favors from friends, relatives, and acquaintances.  In our current economic situation, bargains are to be found, if you spend the time to look for them. Check for hotels with meeting facilities in your that have been experiencing a lag in business, then, and this important, negotiate with them for a reduced rate. Remember many hotels have been hit especially hard by reductions in business travel and meetings, so their meeting room and ballroom bookings are way down. Use this to your advantage. It will take some time on the phone, but it will be well worth it.

If you have any friends or relatives with nice homes, or homes with scenic views, now may be the time to see if they’ve ever thought about hosting a wedding or reception. Don’t make them feel bad or hold it against them if they say no, though.

My wedding was on a beach in Hawaii. It was one of the most beautiful settings anywhere, and it was so cheap it was almost free. The weather was perfect, except for the wedding party there was no one around for a mile, and the warm sand felt fantastic between our toes. See, if you aren’t wearing shoes, you’ll definitely save money on them. It took some time to find the perfect beach and set it all up, but the money we saved on the venue paid for our trip to the islands.

Get your cake at Costco or Sam’s Club –
You might also negotiate a favorable rate with a small, local baker if there is one in your neighborhood. That will save you money on the cake vs. one of those larger bakeries or custom cake places.

Look to other sources for the eat and drink. – Another way you’ll save big by not having your reception at a fancy schmancy hotel is on the booze and food. If you have the reception on a beach or in a state park, you’ll be able to bring your own alcohol, and  have the food brought in from a local restaurant or caterer with reasonable catering rates. You can  even cook the food yourselves and have it brought to the reception by a friend. You can get the hors d overs at a warehouse food store or at Costco for a much better deal than you’ll get at a hotel.

Hire a photography or videography student to handle the photo and video duties –
This can save you a substantial amount of money, but be aware that you’re potentially risking family heirlooms here. “What, Grandma and Grandpa don’t have any pictures from their wedding because they cheaped out and there was a problem?” On the other hand, you may get fantastic results and save hundreds.

These are just some of the ways you can save your hard earned dough on your wedding plans. You may have to scale back your (or her) expectations somewhat, but you can still get a tremendous wedding for far less than you’d expect. Remember, it pays to negotiate, and never take the first price they quote you for anything.

Texas Longhorn stadium The very staduim where (now) former Texas Longhorn QB Colt McCoy just proposed to his girlfriend. See, guys really do propose in football stadiums!

Well, if you’ve been wondering if guys really propose on football stadium scoreboards, check out former Texas Longhorn quarterback Colt McCoy’s proposal. He just proposed to fiancée Rachel Glandorf on the 50 yard line at 100,000 seat Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, the very same stadium where he won so many games. In true football stadium proposal fashion, he even put his up on the Jumbotron.

What did he say to propose to her? Well, he actually let the big screen do the talking for him, where a giant “Will You Marry Me?” was posted as a huge surprise for her. Of course, he promptly got down on one knee, so when she turned around from the scoreboard, he was waiting, ring in hand. Obviously, she said “Yes!”

McCoy really went the extra mile for his beloved. He even had her engagement ring custom designed, although it took several visits to different jewelers before he could locate one that would do exactly what he was after.

How does he really feel about her? According to ESPN, McCoy stated that “She’s awesome and if anything, she makes me better than I am. I know she has my full support and she’s a great girl. She’s been a blessing to me and my family. I know we’ll have a great relationship.”

That’s the way you should feel about a gal if you’re going to ask her the most important question of your life. If you don’t, wait until you do, or find another woman.

Before you slip one of these on your girlfriend's finger, you'll have to figure out how to propose to her. If you want to fly in the face of convention and choose a fun way to propose, check these out.

Most experts counsel that you should take your marriage proposal seriously and make it a romantic affair (maybe not the best choice of words for this occasion). When asked, most women replay that they wanted their proposal to be more romantic. What if you have a more light hearted girlfriend, though. She may have her heart set on a something a with bit more levity. I’ve posted some great ways to propose in the past for those of you that want to take a more lighthearted bent on the subject. With that in mind here are some more fun ways to propose marriage you can use to win her hand.

Be aware that any of these could backfire a bit if you are not 100% sure that she doesn’t have that underlying romantic streak that would point to a more romance oriented proposal. If you’re ready, here are some great, fun ways you can propose to your girlfriend. Be aware, some of these are bit over the top, but then again, they may be perfect for your gal.

Video Proposal – You can have a slickly produced, professional video made where you propose to her, or you can do it yourself. If you have it professionally done, it will probably look better, and if the productions staff is good, they can give you some great insight on how to compose it. On the other hand, it will cost more, and if you want to do any of it around the house, it will be more difficult to hide it from her; “Why do you have a film crew here?” She may also appreciate the personal touch if you are artistic enough to make the proposal video yourself.

You can watch it with her, leave it in her  DVD player, if she watches movies frequently, or get a label made for it that looks like some movie she has been wanting to see with her friends and give it to her, suggesting that she invite her friends over to watch it. Be aware that the more complicated you make it, the greater the chance that something goes wrong.

Puzzle Proposal – Several companies will make any picture you send them into a professional jigsaw puzzle. Take a picture of yourself holding a ring and a sign that says “Will you marry me?” Make sure it is in the middle, so if she does the outside of the puzzle first, as most people do, she won’t stumble on to the proposal at the beginning. Obviously she should be the type to love puzzles for this to be a big hit. Alter the picture on the front of the box so that she won’t see what’s up from the get go. Just blur out what you’re holding, or even better, take two identical photos, one with you holding the ring and a sign, and the other with you holding something a bit more innocuous. Have the puzzle company put that one on the front of the box, and actually make the puzzle out of the one of you holding the ring and proposal.

TV Commercial Proposal – If your gal is the type to regularly watch a particular TV program, you can have a commercial made and aired during it. Be advised that if her favorite show is a popular one in prime time, this could be exorbitantly expensive. You might want to shoot for something a bit more off the beaten path, so to speak. The other caveat with this approach is TiVO. If she uses a DVR to skip commercials, she may well go right past yours.

Scavenger Hunt Proposal – You can have a scavenger hunt set up. It is great to do one with a whole group of people, so she won’t suspect a thing. She’ll just think it is a fun group activity. Little does she know….. Give her and all the other participants a letter, outlining the scavenger hunt. Each will detail a different set of clues, with your girlfriend’s ending where you’ve hidden the ring. If you’re worried about leaving her engagement ring somewhere where it can be found by just anyone, use a note that says something mysterious, like “redeem this with (your name here) for something truly magical.” You’d obviously replace the “your name here” with your name.

There are many other fun ways to propose to your girlfriend if she’s not the type that would rather have a romantic proposal. Just make sure, because like a first impression, you only get one chance to propose… For more fun ways to propose, see my earlier posts on fun ways to propose.

If you’re going to get engaged in the coming year, you may well want a peek into what the most popular engagement ring styles will be for 2010. At the risk of sounding clairvoyant, some of them will be popular simply because they are every year, and 2010 will be no different.

Princiess cut diamond solitaire rings, such as this one, will be very popular for 2010

Princess Cut Diamond Solitaire – This ring, with a square shaped diamond is a neo-classic, and perennially among the most popular engagement ring styles. A simple, Tiffany 6-prong setting on a band of either gold or platinum does a great job at showing off the diamond. The upside is that the ring looks great, but the downside is that you need a comparatively larger stone because it is out there all by itself, where everyone can get a great view of it, and nothing else to draw your eyes away.

Round diamond solitaires will also prove to be very popular in 2010, and should also be on your “must see” list.

Princess Cut Diamond Solitaire with Channel Set Sidestones – This is similar to the solitaire ring above, but has an array of stones on the band, flanking the main stone. The smaller stones are in a channel setting, where they are visible only from the top. The advantage is that the channel set diamonds can be relatively small, yet look very impressive. It is an elegant design that is favored by many women.

The channel set sidestones on this ring add to the brilliance

With this style, you can get a very impressive looking ring for a relatively modest cost, an definite advantage in today’s economy. The princess cut was designed specifically to offer maximum reflectivity and brilliance, so that with one in the center, flanked by a row to either side, you’ll definitely have a ring that you can show off.

Three stone rings such as this one, either with side stones or without, should also be hot sellers for the coming year.

Three Stone Engagement Ring – This will be very popular in 2010 with round diamonds, either with 3 equally sized stones or with a larger diamond in the center. You can have this ring either with the three primary stones only, or with channel mounted side stones to add to the elegance.

Remember, you can make a tremendous impact on the cost of your ring by weighing the effects of the particular diamond on the overall cost of the ring. In most cases, the diamond is the singe larges contributor to the overall cost of the ring. Look at my previous post on how to find affordable engagement rings for some powerful strategies on how to get her the ring she deserves at a price you’ll love.

These should prove to be the most popular engagement ring styles for 2010, but that doesn’t mean you have to run with the crowd!

Stuck for something to say when you propose? Maybe a love poem is just the thing to get the creative wheels a turning again...

If you are going to propose to your girlfriend, sometimes you can use a poem. Obviously a love poem will not be right for everybody, but it can add that romantic touch some proposals are lacking. Here is a collection of love poems that you could use for your proposal. They are also a great source of inspiration if you’re having trouble deciding exactly what to say. For more on that, see my previous post on what to say when you propose after you check these poems out.

I Seem to Have Loved You
Rabindranath Tagore

I seem to have loved you in numberless forms, numberless times,
In life after life, in age after age forever.
My spell-bound heart has made and re-made the necklace of songs
That you take as a gift, wear round your neck in your many forms
In life after life, in age after age forever.

Whenever I hear old chronicles of love, its age-old pain,
Its ancient tale of being apart or together,
As I stare on and on into the past, in the end you emerge
Clad in the light of a pole-star piercing the darkness of time:
You become an image of what is remembered forever.

You and I have floated here on the stream that brings from the fount
At the heart of time love of one for another.
We have played alongside millions of lovers, shared in the same
Shy sweetness of meeting, the same distressful tears of farewell-
Old love, but in shapes that renew and renew forever.

Today it is heaped at your feet, it has found its end in you,
The love of all man’s days both past and forever:
Universal joy, universal sorrow, universal life,
The memories of all loves merging with this one love of ours-
And the songs of every poet past and forever.

I Love Thee
Eliza Acton

I LOVE thee, as I love the calm
Of sweet, star-lighted hours!
I love thee, as I love the balm
Of early jes’mine flow’rs.

I love thee, as I love the last
Rich smile of fading day,
Which lingereth, like the look we cast,
On rapture pass’d away.

I love thee as I love the tone
Of some soft-breathing flute
Whose soul is wak’d for me alone,
When all beside is mute.

I love thee as I love the first
Young violet of the spring;
Or the pale lily, April-nurs’d,
To scented blossoming.

I love thee, as I love the full,
Clear gushings of the song,
Which lonely–sad–and beautiful–
At night-fall floats along,

Pour’d by the bul-bul forth to greet
The hours of rest and dew;
When melody and moonlight meet
To blend their charm, and hue.

I love thee, as the glad bird loves
The freedom of its wing,
On which delightedly it moves
In wildest wandering.

I love thee as I love the swell,
And hush, of some low strain,
Which bringeth, by its gentle spell,
The past to life again.

Such is the feeling which from thee
Nought earthly can allure:
‘Tis ever link’d to all I see
Of gifted–high–and pure!

A Better Tomorrow
Yvonne Warren
I never knew there would be a better tomorrow
But you’ve come into my life and taken away all my sorrow

My days of sadness are a thing of the past
Because I have found true love at last

My days of emptiness are gone for good
Because you fill a void in my heart that you should

You’ve opened a window
You’ve shown me the light
And my love for you will continue to burn bright.
A Breathtaking Fantasy
Joyce Hemsley
My dearest, here I am planning
a trip down the lane to the sea,
in August as the sun is shining
and you’re there to comfort me.
A breathtaking fantasy.

Over the fields we will ramble
picking fruit from God’s bramble
soft fruit for jelly & blackberry pie,
oh happy day ~ sing I, sing I,
as my eyes point up to the sky.

We should be well-nourished
with His gift of the purest,
edible berries, and vitamin “C”
giving us strength and vitality,
ever to be in love you see.

My dearest, here I am planning
a breathtaking trip to the sea,
down lover’s lane so beguiling,
berries will grow wild and free.
A breathtaking fantasy.
All I See is You
Kelly Lobdell
I remember us,
the way we used to be,
I’d hold you in my arms,
your smile so sweet to me,

But now when I see you,
you look right through me,
I feel so alone now,
but when I close my eyes…

…All I see is you.

The love we used to share,
gone up in whirl winds,
will I ever love,
or ever live again,

I am tired of crying,
and I am done trying,
To remember all about you,
but when I close my eyes…

…All I see is you.

All the love I am sending,
the memories I won’t sell,
I know there must be an ending,
to the story I will tell,

I dream only of your love,
and happiness in life,
I try not to think of you,
but when I close my eyes…

..All I see is you.
Author: Anonymous
In this world full of hurt and pain,
I need someone who would help me through the rain.
To comfort me when I’m sad,
Doing everything just to make me glad.

In this world I need a Brave Knight,
Who would never give up any fight.
A knight who would dry away my tears,
Telling me to overcome my fears.

A knight who loves me for who I am inside,
With him there’s nothing more I need to hide.
A person who will still be standing strong,
Eventhough everything has gone wrong.

I need someone who is willing to give me more,
Someone I can call my Knight In Shining Armor.
An Angel To Me
Patricia Annette Roden
The moment I opened my heart and let you in
I saw this great love starting to begin.
I opened my eyes to a vision of you
I hope, I pray your feelings are true.
I have loved and I have paid the cost
And I have felt the pain of the love I lost.
But, now, I think I have truly found
An Angel who walks upon the ground.
You go beyond all limits for me
Just to show your love endlessly.
I could search my whole life through
And never find another ‘you’.
You are so special that I wanted you to know
I truly, completely love you so.

Hopefully these have inspired you or at least given you a glimmer of an idea for your own proposal. Have a great weekend…

Are you in a bad relationship. If yours is showing any of these signs, fix it or get out, fast!

You may think you’re in a great relationship, but that little voice in the back of your head may be telling you otherwise. There are signs of a bad relationship you can look for to discover if you are involved in a relationship that you may be better off leaving. If you’re contemplating taking it to the next level, or, at the other extreme, think that you should get out, now is the time to find out for sure.

Some of these signs are game changers. If your relationship exhibits even one of them, pack your bags and head for the door. Why have you waited so long already? Others, though may point to some things you need to work on together before you just hit the road. If you can’t fix them, then ending the relationship is the best solution, but don’t throw out the baby with the bath water just yet.

Here are the signs of a bad relationship that point to an early exit. If yours shows any of these, hit the ground running, and don’t look back. Chances are that it won’t ever get better, and even if there is a small chance that it can, the risks are just too great for you.

Sign 1 – Physical abuse – If you’re being physically abused, you probably use all manner of rationalization to keep yourself in your relationship, or it is the fear factor that holds you back, but it is time to go, and go now. You may think that it is only the woman who gets physically abused, and the media does little to dispel this stereotype. While male on female physical abuse is often the more serious, and difficult to escape from, amazingly enough, it may not be the most prevalent.

Several studies report that there may be as many, or even more male partners experiencing abuse from their female partners as the reverse. A survey of 644 dating high school students by Henton, J., Cate, R., Koval, J., Lloyd, S., & Christopher, S in 1983 found that slightly over 12% of couples indicated physical abuse in their relationships, with even distribution between male and female initiation.

Another study, performed in Seattle in 2007 by Herrenkohl, T. I., Kosterman, R., Mason, W. A., & Hawkins, J. D showed that, of the 644 couples tested, 25% of women and 13% of men reported having perpetrated inter-partner violence. Median age of the participants was 24 years.

In still another study, this one performed by Hendy, H. M., Weiner, K., Bakerofskie, J., Eggen, D., Gustitus, C., & McLeod, K. C. in 2003 demonstrated similar results. In this study, 16% of men and 26% of women reported inflicting violence on their current romantic partner

This pattern does not seem to be restricted to the United States either. A 1999 study entitled “Domestic violence in Australia: Are women and men equally violent?” found that of the over 1,600 respondents in the study, 5.7% of men and 3.7% of women reported being victims of domestic assaults. While the Aussies seem to perpetrate domestic violence at a far lower rate than their American counterparts, the proportion of women to men victims remains relatively consistent. Shockingly, the Australian study reveals that more men than women needed medical treatment for their domestic injuries.

Any domestic violence situation is extremely serious, from a safety, family, and law enforcement perspective. If you are on the receiving end of an abusive relationship, even if you are the presumably stronger male member of the partnership, run, don’t walk away as fast as possible. While it’s possible things may change for the better, it’s just not worth the risk.

If you are on the giving end, get help now, you sick bastard, before it gets even worse.

Sign 2 – Emotional Abuse – See above….Just because you are not being physically harmed, you may be targeted emotionally by your partner. The threat of physical harm may even be used as part of this abuse, although the violence may, in fact, never materialize. Emotional abuse may take many forms, and may be consistent or intermittent with the partner promising to change their ways, and even doing so for a time. Some emotional abuse tactics include extreme jealousy, verbal abuse, threats, lies, broken promises, physical violence, emotional withholding, lack of intimacy, raging, sexual coercion, infidelity, power plays and control games.

Counseling and therapy may solve some of these issues, but in most cases the abuse is part of a pattern perpetrated by both parties. That is why so many people seem to move from one bad or abusive relationship to another. Counseling or some other form of intervention by a qualified professional is essential to keep this behavior from repeating itself. In many cases the root cause of this is prior emotional abuse suffered by the perpetrator, either in childhood, or in an earlier romantic relationship.

Sign 3 – Radically changing your appearance in an attempt to re-attract your partner. If you find yourself hitting the gym in attempt to look ripped, buying new wardrobes, or changing your hairstyle in order to keep her interested, you’re probably barking up the wrong tree. She should be attracted to you as a person, not your hairstyle, tattoos, or muscles. If you are severely overweight, losing weigh is probably a great idea just on health grounds, and it probably wouldn’t hurt your relationship either, but if you’re trying to look like a decathelete in the hopes she’ll love you again, it’s not a good idea. That is a sign of a good relationship gone bad, or a relationship that was bad from the beginning.

Sign 4 – You find yourself alienating your family and friends to try and please your girlfriend. Well, there’s always the possibility that your family and friends are thieving meth heads, and in that case alienating them would be a great idea. On the other hand, if she’s just driving a wedge between you and them as a manipulation tactic, wake up and smell the coffee!

Sign 5 – Your partner seems like she is unappreciative of anything you do. You clean the kitchen and she just yawns? Well, maybe it’s the only time you’ve ever done it! Honestly though, if that’s a pattern, not just an isolated incident it could spell trouble in your relationship. In many cases, you’ll try even harder to please her, the more she dismisses your efforts until she’s doing nothing more than taking advantage of you. If this sounds familiar, you need to examine what’s really going on, and whether staying in the relationship is the healthiest thing to do.

Sign 6- She seems like she is undermining you every chance she gets. If she seems like killing your dreams (under the guise of “bringing you back to earth” of course) is her favorite pastime, it is not going to get any better once you are married. You have to do an honest evaluation though. There is definitely nothing wrong with dreaming big; if you fail to dream big, you’ll never achieve greatness. However, if your dreaming gets in the way of you  actually achieving anything, especially day to day activities like work and school, that is not a positive trait, and she may have a valid point.

If your relationship shows any these signs, you need to seriously evaluate it ASAP. Proposing to your girlfriend if you are in one of these bad relationships will not make things any better. Many people get married every year even though they are not in good relationships, somehow thinking getting married will fix their problems, or that they can not get a more suitable partner. Don’t make that mistake. If you’re in a bad relationship, take steps to fix it at once, or get out now.

Know these when you propose to help prevent disaster.

This is proposal season and there are so many different ways to propose to a girl, you might appreciate a little guidance if you’re planning on popping the question. There are some important things to remember before you propose that I’ll look at, and there are some classic, and not so classic ways to propose that you can draw from for your own proposal.

Here are some important points to remember when proposing and planning your proposal:

Be sincere – Sincerity is of the utmost importance when you are are asking the woman you love to marry you. Leave the funny stuff at home; now’s probably not the time for it.

Be In Command of the Situation – Women love confidence, and although there’s a good chance you’ll be shaking like a leaf as you propose, do your best not to show it. In fact, you should do your best to portray nothing but supreme confidence, not only when you deliver the proposal, but throughout the entire sequence of events leading up to that moment.

Make the Situation Romantic – Women love romance. As it is with confidence, this is a generalization, but it is far more often true than not. Yes, it’s been said before, but even if your girlfriend isn’t overly romantic, she will want romance in her proposal.

Make it Just For Her – A proposal is a very personal thing. You should use every bit of knowledge at your disposal to make sure your proposal is laser targeted. You want it to be specially for her, and you’ll need to take into account her personality, what she likes, what makes her feel special and comfortable, and what she holds near and dear to her heart. Music, food, locations, settings, season of the year, weather, literature, poetry, hobbies, family, and just about anything else you can think of is all fair game.

Don’t Do Anything as Part of the Proposal that Will Make Her Feel Uncomfortable. – Sure, you may think it’s really great to propose in front of her family. After all, what could prove your love for her more than that? Unfortunately, that may make her feel like running from the room. Eve if she doesn’t feel completely uncomfortable, you’re trying to make everything perfect. Making her feel uncomfortable in any way whatsoever doesn’t fulfill that goal. The same goes with proposing in a place that she may not be comfortable in, such as in a balloon if she’s uncomfortable in small aircraft or high places, or at a sports stadium, if she’d rather not share this intimate moment with 75,000 of her closest friends (possibly more if the event is televised).

Practice makes perfect – You think that practice is a good idea for anything important? You’re right, and nothing in your life will be more important than this. Run through it a few times, including the proposal speech (What you say to her, not the assembled throng) and everything leading up to it. Make sure that everything goes as smoothly as possible, because even with practice, there will probably be a few hiccups.

Plan everything – Spontaneity is fantastic, but you don’t want to leave anything to chance. Make sure you have plans and backups in place in case there is any problem. It is best to make a plan that has a minimum of opportunities for problems so you’ll not have to go scrambling around for your backup plan.

Leave as Little to Chance as Possible – Want to propose outside? Great, there is certainly nothing wrong with that, just make sure you check the weather forecast if you have anything planned that is weather dependent. If part of your day includes a restaurant, double check your reservations, and make sure you check the day before you’ll be going there.

Don’t Forget the Engagement Ring – Do you need a ring to propose? Maybe technically not, but the vast majority of women polled indicated that neglecting to have a ring at your proposal is the most serious proposal related mistake a man can make. You don’t have to give her the Hope Diamond, but at least put a ring on her finger. Another ring related mistake is to spend too much for your ring. Sure, you want something nice, and something that she deserves, but you don’t want to start out your life’s journey together with a boat load of debt. Better to start off on solid financial footing and a little smaller ring.

These tips can help you propose to your girl the way that she deserves. For more ideas, see some of my previous posts. You’ll find romantic ways to propose, the best from stories that were sent in by readers, and some great proposals from the girl’s point of view. There are nuggets in there that you should mine to find out how to propose to your girlfriend.