Planning an Engagement to Remember

When planning an engagement to remember, keep these seven steps in mind:

1. Know your bride-to-be. What does she love most? Would she pick room service at a 5 star resort, or camping in Yellowstone? Does she love pets, or hate cat hair with a passion? Does her Christmas list consist of mostly practical gifts or jewelry? The key is to figure out what she would find romantic: not what society deems romantic. How do you do this?
2. Listen for hints. If you've been to other weddings with her or even watched a movie that had a wedding in it, think about what she's mentioned liking or disliking. If she thinks flowers are a waste of money, showing up with dozens of roses is not going to impress her. If she stops to smell every rose you pass, flowers can probably safely remain on the list.
3. Plan ahead. If you've already got the ring, great. If not, choose a ring that is similar in at least one aspect to the jewelry she already wears: either silver or gold. Unless you already know exactly what she would like, consider getting it from a jeweler with a generous exchange policy. That way you can go in together later and pick out exactly what she'd like best, while still having an engagement ring to use for the proposal itself.
4. Choose your location carefully. Would she prefer a public proposal in front of friends & family (or even a restaurant full of strangers), or would a romantic evening with just the two of you be more her style? Also consider a location that holds special meaning; whether it's the place you went on your first date or someplace she's always dreamed of going.
5. Don't tease. Dropping all sorts of hints that you're going to propose, up to and including going out for a special night, but then not following through is not the stuff happy memories are made of. Sure, you may want her to be surprised, but it's not worth disappointing her first.

6. Get creative. The ring could be tied on a Christmas tree like an ornament, wrapped inside a giant box, or at the end of a scavenger hunt that leads to you holding it. It could be pulled from a pocket in an impeccably wrapped box during the middle of a gondola ride. (Yes, there are gondolas in the valley.) It could be placed in the middle of a pillow surrounded by rose petals, or slipped onto her finger during a moonlit proposal. There are as many ways to present the ring as there are proposals.

7. Tell her how you really feel. Think about why you want to marry her, and sum it up in a sentence or two that ends with those magic words: Will you marry me?

© 2004-2008 Jacqueline L. Beck. All rights reserved.