Valentine's Day is upon us, folks. Second to Christmas, it's the day that garners the MOST wedding proposals. So, as the token guy on an all-female team, I think it's my turn to shed some advice.
Guys, let's face it. We need help sometimes when it comes to the romantic gestures. After reading way too many horrible proposal stories and facepalming so hard I might have a bruise on my forehead, I realized that there are a lot of common themes to them. So I have put together a list of the top avoidable problems with a proposal.
Photo credit: How He Asked
Proposal Pitfall #1 - Asking Empty Handed
There are many reasons you might not want to buy the engagement ring before you propose or maybe you have spoke about it already and she doesn't want a ring. Regardless of the reason for it, the most common complaint I found with proposals was not having something to symbolize the commitment. So please have something special to propose with - even if it's a ring from a store with a great return policy.
Proposal Pitfall #2 - Hiding the Ring in Food/Drink
Now that you found the perfect ring you think it's going to be cute to surprise her and hide it in a cupcake or in her champagne? Wrong. Best case scenario is she hurts her teeth biting it and worst case is at the hospital with an x-ray picture of the ring instead. Keep the ring away from food.
Proposal Pitfall #3 - Plain and Impersonal
Don't just drop to one knee and pop the question. Use your brain for a second. You know your beau best. Tailor your proposal to what you both like and enjoy and you can't go wrong. Pick a place that is special or surprising. Say something from the heart, but practice it a bit first. Don't wing it. The most important part about this is the time and effort involved.
Photo credit: How He Asked
Proposal Pitfall #4 - Pissing Her Off With Secrecy
I don't know if I can help you avoid this one. If you are doing everything else right, she's going to know something fishy is going on and will start asking nosy questions. (And goodness, do they ask questions!) Be prepared to be in the doghouse at least once during the process but make her happy every chance you get and it will just be a part of the proposal story you laugh at while telling friends.
Proposal Pitfall #5 - Pining for Perfection
Things don't always work out how you want them to. What's important is to not get stressed over it. Try not to panic if one thing goes wrong. You're telling the love of your life that you want to spend the rest of your lives together. She will love all the effort you put in and laugh reassuringly at anything that goes wrong (even if it does come with some playful eye-rolling). As long as she says yes when you pop the question (and remember to ask!), everything else doesn't really matter.
So there you have it. Tips from someone that planned and executed it with reasonable success! (Going on 5 years happily married here!)
Happy Planning, bros!
Mike
PS - For more tips on how to design your PERFECT proposal, visit our Pinterest board here!