Propose To My Girlfriend

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.

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! To look at more popular styles, and see how low prices can get on high quality engagement rings, look on line ant one of the most respected on-line jewelers , Superjeweler.com. You will save huge amounts of money over shopping at the mall jewelers. To discover how much they can save you on her ring – click here now

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.

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.

Good luck if you plan on proposing to your girlfriend during this Thanksgiving!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Proposing can be your key to life of happiness; if you do it correctly

How should I propose to my girlfriend? It is the question of the day, and one you likely want an answer to. What are the most important things to keep in mind when you’re proposing? Is what you say the key to the whole puzzle? How about the setting? Is that important?

I’ll cover all the answers to those questions and more shortly. If you don’t find the answers in this post, there is plenty more to look at in the archives, so take the time to look around some, you’ll probably find the answers you are looking for.

There are some things to keep in mind when you are deciding how to propose. One thing is that most guys don’t necessarily do it wrong, but they don’t do it nearly as well as they could, or should. No pressure, but think about this; your proposal will be one of the seminal moments in your girlfriend’s life. She will carry those memories with her until the day she dies, hopefully far in the future. Don’t you want the proposal that starts your life together to be perfect for her?

Of course you do, and that is the key. It has to be uniquely for her. The proposal you give has to be tailored for the person she is, and presumably you know who she is more than anyone else. You know her likes and dislikes, her wants, and her hopes and dreams. Use all that knowledge when you’re planning your proposal.

Add in another ingredient that too many guys go a little light on, romance. Women polled in a recent marriage proposal poll conducted by Korbel Champagne found that nearly three fourths were not satisfied with their proposal. I pull that stat out quite a bit, and this definitely isn’t the first time that I’ve mentioned it, but I do it to prove a point.

Far too many guys don’t give enough thought to how they should propose to their girlfriends. Let’s qualify that a bit. Many actually give it entirely too much thought, but it’s the paralyzed, deer in the headlights kind of thought. You know; “What am I going to do?” Then, all to often they end up doing what too many guys do, and give her the old standby nice restaurant proposal.

There is nothing inherently wrong with proposing at a nice restaurant, but in many cases it isn’t the perfect proposal for her and you could do better. One way to do better is to make the proposal an entire romantic experience. Treat the proposal experience like a fine piece of literature, with a beginning, a body, and a conclusion, with the conclusion being you actually down on your knee asking her to marry you and slipping the ring on her finger. Only then will you have made the kind of proposal that the love of your life truly deserves.

So, how then can you go about creating the kind of proposal that she’ll grow teary eyed about when telling the story to your grandchildren?

Use your knowledge about her to create the perfect proposal just for her. What is near and dear to her heart? What does she find romantic?

Be aware of – Something to think about before you go further. If you think an outdoor proposal would be perfect for her, you may very well be right, but remember to check the seasonal weather where you are going to pop the question. You’ll then want to check the actual forecast within a few days of the actual date you planned on proposing. Many a guy has had his carefully laid plans derailed because inclement weather threw a monkey wrench in the works. Sure, you can still propose in a situation like that, but it won’t be the special proposal you’d planned out.

Remember that you’re striving for a whole experience with a beginning, middle, and conclusion. Like any other intricate task, break up your plans into manageable pieces. Do you want the experience to include travel? If so, where to? Planning that portion of her proposal is one piece. You can start by looking for a city or location you think would be the perfect spot, and then looking for a place to propose in that city. Alternatively, you can just look for the perfect spot to propose, and then make your travel plans to the city where it happens to be.
See my post on the Top 30 Romantic Places to Propose Marriage for some inspiration.

Maybe traveling isn’t what you have in mind, and you want to propose closer to home. There are some great reasons to propose close to home, including budget and time constraints, or being able to propose at a romantically significant location. Planning your proposal around something significant to your relationship, such as the location of your first date can be a great idea. That has serious romantic connotations.

Something else to be aware of – Remember that planning your proposal for certain days can give you plenty of competition with other proposers. Valentines Day is the most common of these competitive days. It’s not uncommon for there to be three or four proposals at a popular romantic restaurant on any given Valentines Day. If you want to propose on Valentine’s Day, think twice about doing it at a popular, romantic restaurant, or other popular romantic location in your city. You don’t want to be about to drop to your knee and give your proposal speech, only to have some guy two tables over beat you to the punch.

When you are designing your proposal, remember that it is all about her. Some women will want something simple, others will really appreciate something more extravagant. What ever you choose, sincerity is of paramount importance. You need to communicate to her that she is special, that she is the only one for you, and why she is the only one for you.

The ring, always remember the ring. One of the most serious mistakes a man can make is proposing without the ring, so don’t make it. If the economy has rendered you a bit short of funds, you may have to get a smaller ring that you would like, but for goodness sake don’t propose without one. You can usually by rings on credit or using your credit cards, but don’t go too deep in the hole for her ring. You do not want to start off your life together deep in debt. See some of my previous posts for powerful strategies to get affordable engagement rings.

Making your proposal romantic and about her doesn’t means just taking every item from the romance menu and serving it up as a proposal. Let’s see, I’ll have the flowers, serve her a nice dinner, a nice box of candy, and then get down on one knee. Anyone could do that! Remember that it has to be especially for her, and take elements from her likes and personality that she’ll really appreciate; only then is it the perfect proposal.

Here is another important tip to remember when planning how to propose; don’t do anything that would make her uncomfortable. Now, that may seem self evident, but guys often forget this vital bit of information. If she is uncomfortable in front of crowds, don’t gather her family together to propose in front of. That means you should think carefully before proposing to her at a music or sporting venue, or in front of her family.

Actually, while a few women would really appreciate a proposal in front of their entire family, most would not. Even a woman who is very close to her family would probably rather the proposal be an intimate gathering with just the two of you. It is up to you to determine if your girlfriend is one of those women who would think that a group proposal is the perfect one for her.

Another hot tip; remember the music! Music is one of the most powerful emotional triggers in the human experience. If you have a special song, as many couples do, can play it (or arrange to have it played) as you propose to her. If not, play her favorite music that fits the occasion. If you’ll be proposing somewhere you think that isn’t possible, at least try to find a way to make it happen. It is another way to personalize the proposal for her and make sure she has the right memories of it.

What to say? That is possibly the most difficult part of the whole enchilada when you are trying to figure out how to propose. Many guys get a bit tongue tied even at the best of times, and you can multiply that about a hundred-fold when they are trying to ask their girlfriend to marry them.

There are countless ways to propose to her, but you need to include some important elements when deciding what to say to her. Make sure you tell her why she is the only woman for you, that you will always be there for her, no matter what (you don’t have to use those exact words)and then ask her if she will marry you.

In the vast majority of cases, don’t try to be funny or flip when you propose. Unless your relationship is based upon humor, this is better treated as a serious occasion.

There is no one right way to speak the actual proposal, but for more ideas on exactly what to say when you’re down on one knee, check out my posts on what to say to propose to my girlfriend.

Here is something that will make the whole thing run much more smoothly; practice! That’s right, to the extent that you can run through the entire proposal as many times as possible, until you can get it perfect every time, even under stress.

Remember, your (her) proposal is going to be in her memories for the rest of her days. It’s up to you whether those memories are all they can be. Sure, she may say yes either way, but wouldn’t you rather your proposal story be a family legend than forgotten for eternity? Only you can make sure she is really, truly happy with her proposal.

There are so many different ways to propose, and the best on for your girlfriend is out there somewhere. Michael Webb, featured on many TV shows, and probably best known for being a frequent, featured guest on Oprah for his relationship expertise, (he has even been called Oprah’s “romance expert”) has just revealed the 101 best proposal ideas.

How can he possibly say that? Easy, he had 7,329 great proposal stories to pick from. He sifted through them all, and after careful consideration came up with the 101 best ones. You know that some of them will really help you discover exactly what to do for your proposal.

Click here right now to check out Michael’s 101 best proposal stories.

Going to the beach can be the foundation for a great, romantic proposal. Check this one out!

Here is the third in the series of romantic ways to propose to your girlfriend. This post is the continuation of 2 weeks ago, where I shared the first two of the three best stories I’ve received recently on romantic proposals.

“Here is how I proposed to my girlfriend. Her name is Tiffany, and she is now my wife. Here is what I did to ask her to marry me. She was still away at college finishing up her senior year, and I was working in DC at the time. It was really tough being separated from her, even by only a few hours, but we did the best we could. She came to see me when ever her schedule allowed and I did likewise. It was difficult for me to leave, with a new job and all, because I was trying to get noticed. She was pre-med, which is pretty time consuming, so her schedule was packed also.

I knew I wanted to do something that would really convey to her how much I loved her, but we didn’t have the time or money to go away on a long vacation or anything. I talked to a few of my friends to see what they did and get some ideas, but most had just asked their girlfriends at nice restaurants.

One of them asked his girlfriend to get married when they were up skiing. That was more along the lines of what I was thinking, but we don’t ski, it’s too expensive, and I didn’t think a learn-to-ski trip would be a great place to propose. I talked to my parents, and my dad had asked my mom after a Rolling Stones concert. While I love the Stones, that wasn’t really what I was looking for either.

I was about pulling my hair out, when suddenly I had a brainstorm. This is how I decided to propose. Tiffany is crazy about the ocean, and it’s not too far away. We could sneak in a trip on a weekend without busting the bank. I found a little bed and breakfast across the street from the ocean in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware called the Light House Inn. From my place in Maryland it’s only about a 2 ½ hour drive.

I told her that I wanted to take her away for the weekend to let her relax before finals started. She had no idea I planned to propose, and that’s just the way I wanted it. We left after I got off work on Friday evening. I had worked for a week putting my plan into action, and was more tired than usual, but I played it off as being really tired after a long week at work. I told her how much I was looking forward to a weekend away for some relaxation.

The room wasn’t booked on Thursday, so I rented it and they had let me come over and prepare it for the next day, when we would be arriving. Let me tell you that working to get the room prepared, in addition to 5 hours of driving was no mean feat when you have to work the next day.

I wanted to lay the ground work for a very romantic weekend. I put vases of roses throughout the room; about 15 in all.. By the time we arrived the next day, the room was filled with the smell of roses. Next, I hid some candles in the bathroom, so I could give her a candlelight bath on Saturday night. I brought up the ingredients for her favorite dinner, so they could prepare it for us Saturday night. She loves romantic poetry, so I brought up some of nicely framed copies of her favorite poems and put them around the room. I scouted out all the nice spots around town for lunches and strolls on the beach, too. All in all it was a busy few hours, but for something as important as proposing to her I wanted it to be really special.

I picked her up after school on Friday and we got on the road. I was pretty excited, and my heart was pounding with anticipation, like I’d had a few too many Red Bulls. I must have fingered the ring box in my pocket about 500 times, just to be sure I hadn’t lost it. I’m kind of a chicken in situations like this, and even though I’ve always been really comfortable with Tiff, and we can discuss anything, the thought of proposing was making me more than a little nervous.

We got there a little after 6 and went to dinner at a place called the Eden Cafe. Cafe is kind of misnomer, because it was a pretty nice restaurant. Not uppity DC nice, but more relaxed nice, and the food was awesome. She’s not a foo foo food kind of girl, so I wanted something nice, without being too over the top. We had a romantic dinner and a bottle of good wine. It’s cool because the booths are all enclosed in curtains, which added to the romance.

After dinner, we went for a walk at the beach to watch the sunset. We talked for a long time, taking in the salt air, and watching the sun sink below the horizon. It’s not like California, where it sinks into the water, but it is beautiful just the same. It was very romantic, and I almost asked her then and there, but I decided to stick with my plan, and build up the romance factor even more.

We went back to the room, and she was really surprised by the vases full of roses everywhere. She started reading the poetry and realized that they were all her favorites, and that really shocked her. She accused me of being a hopeless romantic, something that I cheerfully plead guilty to. It was going just perfect so far, and that made me kind of nervous.

The next morning we took a relaxing shower and went downstairs for breakfast. The breakfast was delicious, and just what we needed to get ready for a day down by the beach. It was forecast to be a really nice day, and it seemed like the meteorologists justified all the money their parents paid for college, because it was the perfect day, about 80 degrees and sunny, with a gentle breeze off the ocean. We just had a great day at the beach, which was one of her absolute favorite things to do. We even ate a picnic lunch at the beach.

A while before the sun started to go down, we packed up and went back to the B&B. I had more planned to help get her relaxed. One of the great things about the Lighthouse is that it includes a massage, which seemed like the perfect way to increase the relaxation factor. Boy, did it ever! We were about as loose as you can be when we washed up and went downstairs for dinner.

The dinner was superb, and she was amazed that they had her favorite food as the dinner that night, which of course they didn’t, but she didn’t know that I had arranged the whole thing in advance. They suggested a spectacular bottle of wine to go with it. I’m not a big wine drinker, but this stuff was incredible! It was something white, but I don’t remember exactly what. Anyway, it was a really romantic dinner. After dinner, we went for a leisurely stroll around town. We stopped for a beer in one of the pubs downtown. Before the Saturday night crowd started to flood the place, we headed back to the room. Now I was starting to get really nervous, because the time was approaching fast. I was so excited to ask her, but plenty nervous just the same.

When we got back to the room, I went in a got the bath ready. I put out the candles, and spread rose petals all around the tub. I had the nice towels and thick bathrobes folded and arranged just perfectly. I heated some massage oil over a small candle. She got in the bath and I gave her a hot oil massage. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely give a decent massage.

I had the ring box hidden under a towel. Her eyes were closed as she was enjoying the massage. I pulled out the ring, and started to tell her all the reasons why I loved her so completely. When I started to explain why I wanted to make sure she was with me for the rest of my life, she began to suspect what I was getting at. I was already down on one knee, because she was in the tub, and I was next to it giving her a massage. I pulled out the ring, took her hand, and slipped it over her finger. I don’t know if you’re really supposed to slide it over her finger, or let her do that after she says yes. I was pretty confident she would say yes, but still, it might have been a bit presumptuous of me. Thankfully, when I asked “Tiffany, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”, she jumped out of the tub, threw her arms around me, and screamed, “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

I don’t know what the other guests thought was going on, but I was pretty darn excited that she agreed to marry me that night, I’ll tell you what.”

Jason R.
Washington DC

What I like about Jason’s proposal is the extra mile he went through setting the whole thing up, and putting in elements he knew she’d really appreciate. He did it all on a small to medium sized budget, and you could do pretty close to the same thing for even less if you wanted to. Waiting until the second night to ask her was perfect because if she suspected anything, her suspicions were probably gone by the time he actually asked her. An all around, great proposal!

Click to see the 2nd in the series of Best Romantic Proposals now.