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The marriage proposal : your girlfriend dreams about it, every time you go away on vacation together you’re expected to return engaged, even her parents may have dropped a hint or two about “making things official.”
 Most men think the only step before proposing is to find a ring. With the sensational proposal videos on youtube and the barrage of high-profile engagements, no longer will a girl be happy telling her friends the story of how you proposed over dinner at your favorite restaurant. The bar for popping the question has undoubtedly been raised, studies show that 1 in 4 women weren’t happy with their proposal. Here’s your cheat sheet on how to knock her stilettos off. Hint: it’s NOT all about the ring.
Dollars and cents come first. As with any major life event, your first step is to determine a budget. Figure out what you’re willing and able to spend on the ring and on the actual proposal. Keep in mind that you can always upgrade the ring, but you’ll never be able to re-propose to her. Few questions in life are as important as “Will you marry me?” so be prepared to have a realistic budget, even if it means saving up for a few months.
The Ring. According to a recent survey, 40% of women say they went ring shopping with their future husband. For the lovebirds that prefer not to pre-shop, I recommend preserving the surprise by proposing with a placeholder ring. It can be a toy ring, a ring lollipop or a hilariously large costume jewelry ring, but the key is to have some kind of ring when you propose. After you’ve popped the question, you can enjoy picking out her dream ring together. It takes the pressure off of you for such an important (and expensive) purchase and allows her to select the ring she’s always dreamed about.
Get Creative. Here’s the most important part. Now that you’ve got your budget set and have picked a ring (placeholder or real), it’s time to put your creativity to work. Think about the who, what, where, when and how of popping the question - start by making a list of things that she loves. What country has she always dreamed of visiting? Where is she the happiest? What are her favorite movies, food, music, TV shows, etc.? Does she crave cupcakes or is she an adrenaline junkie? Would she rather go camping or on a shopping spree? Once you have this list, use it to inspire elements of your proposal and remember that this should be HER dream proposal, not yours. It doesn’t have to be elaborate, but it needs to be personal. If you’re stuck and can’t think of a creative idea, call in reinforcements in the form of a proposal planner http://www.brillianteventplanning.com/nyc-proposal.html (not your drinking buddies).
A Need-to-Know Basis. People are inherently loose-lipped, especially when it comes to exciting news like proposals. Do your nerves a favor and limit the number of people who know your plan to a bare minimum. While your work friends may be good at doling out advice on career moves, they aren’t an expert at proposals. If you need an accomplice to help execute your plan, pick one friend who understands the importance of absolute secrecy and who will have little to no contact with your girlfriend before your propose.
Follow the Boy Scout Motto. Be prepared. Take a critical look at your proposal plan and consider all of the possible obstacles to executing it successfully. In other words, think catastrophically and be a worry wart. Weather and traffic are the biggest potential trouble-makers, but an uninformed limo driver can also ruin your plan. Make sure that you think through all of the elements of your engagement from the set-up to the actual proposal and to what happens afterwards.
Tradition Decisions. Some traditions should never be skipped. When it comes to getting engaged, you must get down on one knee. It’s not an optional element of the proposal, it’s a requirement. There are some old-school traditions that are becoming less and less popular in the proposal world. The major one is asking her parents for permission. You know your girl and her family best, so decide this with her wishes in mind.
Document it. For a moment as important as your marriage proposal, especially one that you’ll want to share with your friends and family, make sure you document it. Whether that means hiring a photographer and videographer to capture it paparazzi-style, asking a friend to secretly film with your flipcam or just having a journal on hand to jot down your thoughts immediately after she says yes, you’ll be so glad you did. The engagement happens quickly and you’ll be so nervous that you won’t remember what you said, how she reacted, or whether you even actually asked her to marry you.
Everyone says that the wedding is the day for the bride to shine. Now, the marriage proposal is the man’s chance to show off his creativity and thoughtfulness to make the moment truly memorable –a story to tell your future grandkids.
 Sarah Pease, The Proposal Planner™, is recognized as the foremost expert on marriage proposals and is the pioneer of Marriage Proposal Planning. Based in New York City, Sarah and her team at Brilliant Event Planning http://www.brillianteventplanning.com/ has designed and produced dream engagements for countless lucky couples from across the world and is the go-to source for all things regarding "Will You Marry Me?"
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