Proposal Ideas and Advice

Be Creative

You only plan to propose once, so make it memorable. Plan early and think creatively. Pick a location that holds a special place in your relationship. Be detail-oriented from the lighting to the mood. Remember that the first thing everyone will ask is "How did he propose?". Give her a moment to share for a lifetime. If you're stumped for ideas, check out some of these marriage proposal ideas to get the creative juices flowing.

Surprise

If she's like most women, she wants a surprise proposal! Even if she helped pick out the ring or knows that you've been planning to propose, you can still surprise her. Be creative and plan the proposal when she least expects it.

Enlist Help

If needed, get a close friend or family member to help you with the preparations. It makes the planning easier, especially if you're planning a more extravagant proposal. If nothing else, they're available for moral support. Be careful who you choose though. Pick those that you trust and make sure they keep it a secret.

Proposal Ideas

• Put the ring around a ribbon of a new puppy.
• Hire a magician to entertain just the two of you. Have the magician make the box with the diamond ring mysteriously appear as the surprise ending of the last trick.
• At a sporting event (if you both like sports), arrange to have your message displayed on the scoreboard after halftime..."Ashley...Will you marry me?" Have the ring ready.
• Take her for a surprise picnic. At a romantic picnic spot, spell out "Marry Me" with stones, or flowers. Put the diamond on her hand when she says yes.
• Rent a limousine for the evening and be inside when they pick her up at home or work. Take her to an elegant restaurant for a romantic candlelight dinner for two, then present her the diamond on the way home in the limo.
• Wrap it in a large box and give it to her on Christmas. She won't be expecting it since a ring would normally be in a small sized box. You can fill the box with other romantic trinkets to throw her off more. Or even with tissue and she'll have to search throw the box to find the ring.
• Wrap it in box after box, ending with a big box with a big bow. If you've seen the movie 'Serendipity', you'll know what we mean.
• Make her a candle lit dinner. Fill it with aphrodisiac foods, wine, and end it with a decadent dessert and your romantic proposal.
• Make her breakfast in bed and place the ring on the tray.
• While she's out one night, turn off all the lights in the entire house. Light a candlelit path (possibly include some rose petals) leading to you on one knee with the ring in hand.
• Get a heart shaped Post-it sticky notepad and write one reason why you love your sweetie on each sheet. Create a trail of these notes leading her somewhere special. Have the last note on a closed door with the following written on it: Write on the last note "For all these reasons and more, I want to spend the rest of my life with you." As she opens the door, be waiting on one knee with the ring in hand and ask "Will you marry me?"
• Ask her while making love. There's nothing more intimate.
• Take her back to where you had your first date, your first kiss, or the spot where you first met each other. You can "re-create" that romantic moment, but include your marriage proposal at the end.
• Take her on a romantic weekend getaway. When you check-in to the room have it all decorated and in rose petals have the words "Will You Marry Me?" spelled out across the bed.
• Give her little clues leading up to the big moment. You could give each clue some meaning, such as stages throughout your relationship, or you could make it like a treasure hunt, where she goes from place to place and you propose at the end.
• Have a jigsaw puzzle created and let her piece your proposal together. You can print your proposal message, such as "Will You Marry Me, "her-name'?' on a custom-made, heart-shaped puzzle. Not only will the puzzle serve as your marriage proposal, but she'll have a souvenir of this special moment as well.
• Have customized fortune cookies made with “Will You Marry Me?” messages in them.
• After an intimate, romantic dinner, take her out for a romantic horse drawn carriage ride around the city. While cuddling close together under the stars, ask her to do you the honor of becoming your wife.
• Surprise her by picking her up at the office for a romantic picnic lunch. Bring along a bottle of wine, a ring, and a few romantic words.
• Give her a beautiful sterling silver heart charm for her necklace with your proposal engraved on it. Or put the ring on a necklace with the charm (engraved with your message and your engagement date).
• Christmas is a perfect time to propose. Hang the ring box like an ornament on the tree. When the last present has been opened, say, "wait, there's still one more present." Ask your intended to find it, or simply retrieve it and propose.
• Gift him/her a small book in which "Will you marry me" is written in different languages. The English version can be at the end of the book. Another idea is to eliminate the page in which the English version is written. When they ask you what it means, propose!

An Idea

The General Jackson is a great place to ask for her to spend your life together. On the star lit decks.