The reason your favorite person is called a “significant other” is because he or she is the one you’d want to spend the rest of your life with. You’ve met thousands of interesting people, dated hundreds, and perhaps even cohabited with a few, but you’ve finally found the one. When the time comes to ask for her hand in marriage, a lot of imagination is needed to make the proposal as significant as she is—and, of course, as memorable. Proposing, by the way, is no longer just the monopoly of men. Women have equal rights and can propose if they wish.
Let’s see… there must be a handful of marriage proposal services that offer package deals, including poems, gifts, and dramatic effects. You know, like the blimp that flies across the sky with the words “Will you marry me?” written on it. Or the lady who almost swallowed her engagement ring because her beau had the imaginative idea of hiding it in her baguette, amidst the ham, lettuce, and tomato.
The world will always welcome lovers, as time goes by—that’s the Herman Hupfeld tune that singers like Rod Stewart and others before him have sung.
Unless you’ve always been tongue-tied or embarrassed about your communication skills, it’s fine to go for those packaged deals—they’re fun and undeniably entertaining. Your significant other will be impressed by the amount of trouble (and money) you spent getting her to say yes.
But there’s nothing quite like a proposal that comes straight from the heart. Say it like you mean it, as they say. We’ve heard amusing anecdotes about how some guys proposed to their girls—delightful little stories we never get tired of hearing.
Some men will go to great lengths to try their hand at poetry and will do anything to imitate Shakespeare’s talent. However, there are ladies who aren’t particularly fond of rhymes and verses, so keep that in mind if you’re considering going the poetry route.
We also heard of one gentleman who took his significant other to his mountain chalet after an afternoon of skiing, lit up the fireplace, and then, as his lady love rubbed her hands over the fire, he suddenly knelt before her, joined his hands as if in prayer, and begged her to marry him. Her knee-jerk reaction was one of fear, as she thought he was having a heart attack after a strenuous afternoon on the slopes. She burst out laughing, and needless to say, he didn’t find that amusing at all. In fact, she giggled all night. Personally, we’d feel very uncomfortable if someone knelt before us, no matter what the reason.
The Proposal That Feels Right
Of course, you can do what 75% of the male population does when they feel it’s time to propose to their lady love. Book a quiet and romantic dinner table at a reputable restaurant, request candles, a couple of musicians, and the house’s finest champagne. When you pop the bottle, you pop the question.
We repeat: make it come straight from the heart. And here’s another piece of advice: if possible, make proposing to your significant other a very private affair, just between the two of you. We’ve heard of some men inviting the whole clan over for dinner, and in the middle of the meal, they stand up and announce their engagement—much to her surprise. No clues, no warning signs. Don’t get the whole world involved unless you’re 100% sure she’ll say yes. There’s always the chance she might say no.
The Joy of Creativity
We understand your desire for a unique proposal that goes off without a hitch. One article on the web mentioned a survey where 85% of women said they were disappointed with how they were proposed to, and of that percentage, 81% would never tell their fiancé about their disappointment—especially if it’s obvious that he had gone to a lot of trouble.
It’s wonderful when men make a special effort to propose to their lady love. By “special,” we don’t necessarily mean fancy arrangements like a carriage ride, a private plane, or a stretch limo—some women, believe it or not, don’t really care for those things. But let’s not take it to the other extreme either. For example, one man, who had been living with his girlfriend for about eight years, woke up one morning, turned to his girl, and said nonchalantly, “Maybe we should get married.” Just like that. No breakfast in bed, nothing. He didn’t even bother changing from his tacky pajamas into something more presentable. Don’t make your proposal sound like a casual trip to the hardware store. “Think we should get some paint today?”
Michael Webb, a best-selling romance author, wrote an e-book with tips for proposing to your significant other. He says it’s not necessary to spend too much money to make your proposal a hit with your fiancée. Webb’s book was even featured on The Oprah Show.
Oh, and before we forget: diamonds are not necessarily a girl’s best friend. From the stories we’ve read online about how women were proposed to, quite a few said they actually disliked diamonds. So if your woman isn’t one to go gaga over a diamond, you might want to consider a suitable alternative.
Speaking of diamonds and marriage proposals, you do know that Elizabeth Taylor—two-time Academy Award winner—was married eight times. That means she received and accepted eight different proposals, but we don’t know how many she received and rejected. We searched far and wide to find how these proposals were worded, but it seems they’re a well-kept secret. Only Ms. Taylor will ever know which one was the best in terms of the proposal itself. Our guess? Richard Burton. He certainly knew how to win her heart. Taylor’s passion for jewelry was legendary. She owned some of the world’s most famous pieces, but two diamonds in particular caught the world’s attention: the 33.9 Krupp diamond and the 69.42 Taylor-Burton diamond—both of which were gifts from Burton.
