A Puzzle of an Engagement Proposal
Does your boyfriend or girlfriend have a favorite hobby that he/she likes and you want to create a unique way to propose? This idea works great for those that can’t muster up enough courage to “pop the question,” but are still looking for a unique way to propose. Sports, animals, titles of books, and other hobbies make excellent resources for this idea, and for our example we will use animals. First, find pictures of different animals with your proposal question. “M-A-R-R-Y M-E” is a good choice, so try to locate the following animals (just for this example, remember to use their favorite interest). For the example, I have chosen the following: M – monkey A – aardvark R – rabbit R – rat Y – yak M – monitor E – eel Now, arrange all of this pictures sequentially so the puzzle can be easily guessed, but don’t write out the “marry me”, as that is how the puzzle is solved. A good way would to have all of the pictures arranged in a left-hand column and have some room to the right of the column for your boyfriend/girlfriend to write what the picture is. At the bottom of the display, put a “?” to let them know it is a question. Also, you will want to explain that this is a puzzle, and the answer is derived from taking a letter from each of the words to make a statement. Also, if you want to be more specific, you could say the first word has 5 letters (and would be the first five animals) and the second word has two letters (and would be the last two animals). If after some time, he/she still needs additional help, you can always mention to try the first letters from each word. This unique idea is very inexpensive, and if shipped to a long-distance girlfriend/boyfriend can be delivered electronically via a PowerPoint presentation.
Date Night with a Memorable Proposal: Going to the Movies
Ok, so most people who are dating often times go to the movies at least once in their relationship. If this is where you went for your fist date, this idea works even better, if not, it still will be special. First, call ahead to see if you can place an advertisement during the waiting time when all of the on-screen commercials play before the movie starts. If so, place a “(Name) will you marry me? Love (your name)”. Also, when you go to order the popcorn, place the boxed ring in a plastic Ziploc-style bag and place it at the bottom of the container before the popcorn gets filled. You fiancée will be so excited. Grant it it’s no Cracker Jacks, but the prize at the end of the popcorn is the best! Finally, talk to the theater manager to see if he/she has any other recommendations or can allow you a reserved space, as your fiancée will no doubt be overjoyed and may not be the quietest moviegoer.
Proposal Idea: Cook a meal together…. but will he/she pick up on the clues?
If you have wanted to impress your boyfriend/girlfriend with your cooking skills, or attempt at cooking, no doubt you two have previously had dinner night together. What about a proposal idea that revolves around cooking a meal together? For your first course/appetizer, why not serve some soup with alphabets in it? Buy a bag of alphabet pasta and spell out the words “Will you marry me?” in pasta letters making sure to bag them in an plastic bag labeled “pasta” so you are not questioned as to why you are only using certain letters. Ask that special person to cook the pasta while you make the base of the soup. Next, for your main course, you may want to have a copy of Lady and the Tramp and prepare spaghetti and meatballs for your special someone. You can enjoy the movie while you eat your meal. At the end of the movie, you can mention how you Lady and Tramp lived happily ever after and tell you special someone you wish to do the same. Pull out the ring! Afterwards, serve a dessert and some champagne with a label on it that features both of your names and the proposal’s date. Labels can either be made on your computer or some specialty spirit producers can custom-make one for you.
Gift Basket or Gift Bag Proposal Idea
So you may have a special lady who you’ve decided needs proposing. Unfortunately, you just don’t know where to begin. How about creating a gift basket/ gift bag engagement proposal? Now, this idea requires a lot of planning, but she will be so surprised. First, try to order things that would be interesting. Does she like chocolate? If so, consider ordering some personalized M&M’s with either “Will you marry me?” or each of your names on them (ex. Henry & Matilda). They can be ordered online and personalized with your message. Next, does she like candles? Yankee Candle allows personalized message candles to be ordered which you can have the same or similar messages. If you are really confident, you may even want to think about a “She said yes!” message on your candle. Finally, make sure you have the ring, but don’t include it in the package. Get a separate small gift bag and put it in there. make sure you hold on to it and keep it out of sight.
After you have all of these items, wrap them individually. Place each in a small box or wrap them in tissue paper. If you can’t wrap, you can even place them in small gift bags. You will need to write “Open first, second, third” on each individual tissue paper/bag/box. You may want to start off small, with the M&M’s for opening first, then progress to the candle for second, and leave an empty box/bag marked “Open third/last”. Inside, you can either put nothing in there and then ask her to marry you, or if you will be nervous, you can put a pre-made recording of you (either audio or video) with a note that says “Play me” on it. This way, you can ask her to marry you. Finally, when she says yes, pull out the “bonus gift” of the ring.
Family Proposals: Getting the children involved with the proposal
For relationships where either parent has prior children, or those born during the relationship, getting the children to accept the “new parent” is important. One of the ways to help make kids feel involved is to have them involved with the proposal. For younger children, a t-shirt with the “Will you marry my mommy or daddy?” will most likely work, but what about pre-school and higher aged children? A great idea is to take a family portrait with the parent and children and present it to the future fiancée. To dress it up, you can frame it and have a plaque engraved with the “Will you marry us?” on it and the date of the proposal. Also, you can have each child read a “I want you as my mom/dad because….” at a family proposal if the children are accepting of the future spouse.
Look for more interactive family proposal ideas in future postings.
Proposals with pets? Sounds strange, but there’s a reason for it
Does the special guy or girl in your life have a pet, or do you have one that is an important member of your family? Would you like to involve the pet in your proposal? Well, here is how you do it: First, look for a fanciful pet costume; you know either a tux or dress, depending on the pet’s gender. Now, write something to down on a piece of paper that can be folded like a scroll. Something like, “Will you be my forever mommy (or daddy)? Marry my daddy (or mommy).”
Now, roll it up and tuck it inside of the costume or collar. Your special guy or girl won’t understand why it is dressed up, perhaps allowing you enough distraction time to compose yourself or prepare to set-up your proposal. Your future fiancée will either come running or else be so excited with emotion he/she won’t know what to do.
Remember, in all relationships pets and especially children are package deals, so be sure that all members of your new family are accepted by their new “parents”. Involving all members of the family in the proposal is a great idea and provides a greater sense of family. Look for tips on how to involve children in proposals during my next posting.
Creative Ways to Have a Long-Distance Proposal (Part One)
Ok, so I have been thinking about some really creative ways to propose to your girlfriend/boyfriend while you are separated by distance. The first idea that comes into my mind is to order a really sparkly faux ring from one of the shopping channels and have it shipped to him/her. On the message card, have something like “this will have to do until I can give you the real one in person, will you marry me?”
Another idea is to give him/her an Ipod or MP3 player pre-loaded with his/her favorite songs. Make a .wav recording of your proposal and “sneak” it in there along with the songs. When your special person listens to it, they will be unexpectedly surprised. Of course, you can always design a custom cover to drop “hints” about one of the “surprise songs” inside.
Last for today, what about an Edible Arrangement? Order one shaped in a bouquet and have it shipped to your love one. On the card, you can write how that person will be needed another one made out of different kinds of flowers in the near future if he/she will do the honor of becoming your husband/wife. If you wish to do this for a man, instead of ordering bouquets, order an edible boutonniere.
Look for more creative long-distance proposal ideas soon.
Long Distance Proposals… Are they as successful as in-person ones?
If you are in the military, work on different Coasts, go to school in different countries or for any other reason you are geographically separated from your future fiancée and are ready to propose, you may be a little hesitant to ask him/her to marry you do to the fear of rejection. You may feel that it is necessary to look into his/her eyes, hold his/her hand, or execute your orchestrated production that you have been planning to do for months, but in reality, sometimes that can’t happen.
If you truly want to ask that special person to marry you, go for it! Chances are you are going to get a yes with about the same probability over the telephone as if you are sitting on the couch in the same room. If he/she really wants you, it is the offer that counts, not how it is done! Trust me, my husband is in the military and getting married was suggested over an email (by me, of course) while he was out to sea. Four years later, we are still going strong. However, if you are looking for some creative ways to ask that other person to marry you and you can’t be there, be sure to check out tomorrow’s posting for some creative ideas on long-distance proposals.
How to Choose the Perfect Moment to Deliver your Engagement Proposal
All of the writing, memorizing, and planning have come to this special moment, but when is the right time to pop the question? Chances are that you may be so nervous that you fear forgetting your vows is a realistic concern, however, you can be creative and help both you and your possible fiancée through this nerve-wracking time.
On the special day (or night), consider making a “cheat sheet”. Assemble pictures of both of you into a special book and document “The Story of Us”, as a way to celebrate your relationship. On the last page, you can either have calligraphies, computer printouts, or hand-written paragraphs of your proposal speech. Ask him/her to follow along silently. Before you start speaking look at the first line to refresh your memory and calm your nerves. Tell yourself that it is just like telling a story; the story of your life. Also, in the book you may want to leave a space right underneath of the proposal with a line like, “He/She said yes!” for a picture of the moment you two officially become engaged.
A scrapbook from any craft store will work fine, and will be a great memory in addition to your wedding album, which hopefully will be in your near future.
How to Rehearse Your Proposal or Wedding Vow: Memorization Techniques
After you’ve written and edited, now comes the part where you decide to practice. First, you need to become comfortable speaking your lines. To do this go into a room like your bathroom that has a large mirror and read your speech line by line, slowly. This will help your mind associate any thoughts or feelings you have with each line. After this is done, start with each paragraph. Try reading it once while looking into the mirror to work on eye-contact. Next, repeat the paragraph you just read and try not to look at the paper.
Once you have memorized one paragraph, repeat the process while building upon what you have already learned. When repeating paragraph 2, 3, 4, or more back, make sure you start with the previous paragraphs you have already learned to help your memory adjust to the flow of words. Continue with this process until you are able to deliver your proposal or vow comfortably; making direct eye-contact with the mirror, and making sure your words are not rushed.
