Engagement – Proposal Ideas

Ready to pop the question? In a recent poll, 85% of women stated they were disappointed in the way they were proposed to. Keep in mind as you plan your approach; this will be one of the most significant moments in both your lives, so make it a day she will remember and treasure. 

Be Romantic.  Be Creative. Plan ahead. Unique… Be Original… Personalize.  Here are some great proposal ideas. Best of luck to you and yours from Shaadi Guru

 

1. Take her to the place where you first met her
2. Have a banner hanging over the garage with Will You Marry Me and be waiting in the garage with the ring.
3. During a romantic movie(where the actor asks the actress to marry him) you pop the question the same time
4. At someone’s wedding.  Whisper on her ears, ask her to marry you
5. Make a video; talk about the day you met her and how your life change.
6. Cook and set an elaborate candlelight table.  Quiet romantic dinner for two at home. Serve her a glass of champagne with the diamond ring in the bottom or ribboned to the stem.
7. Invite her for some games at home. Use Scrabble letters and spell out “Will you marry me?” Have the diamond close by.
8. Bring home an enthusiastic new pet with a ribbon for a collar. Have the ring in the bow for her to find as she cheerfully greets the new pet.
9. Radio dedication –  If you know she listens to the radio at a certain time everyday, making a dedication will work charms with her. Except that this one will have the disc jockey asking your girlfriend to marry you. A good follow-up is to call her while the question is being asked.
10. Create a personal Web page with her name and your proposal with a picture of the diamond in its velvet presentation box, and send her the Web address. Or sit down together to surf for good vacation sites, and visit a site or two before you type in the site address.
11. You’ve got love mail.  The Internet era is upon us, driving us to adapt to the technology. So why not send her a love note by email along with the big question?
12. Have a plane sky-write your proposal. Plan it for the day of a family picnic, boat ride or other outing; so she is sure to see it. Have the ring ready when she sees your proposal.
13. Take her for a surprise picnic at the beach or in the woods. At the picnic spot, spell out “Marry Me” with stones, flowers or seashells. Put the diamond in her hand when she says yes.
14. place the ring box inside several different size boxes.  She’ll think she’s opening up a large item, but she’ll keep opening successively smaller boxes until she gets to the one box that matters.  Be ready with your engagement at just the right moment.
15. make an ornament for your Christmas tree with your engagement ring in it.
16. Decorate a Christmas tree with lights and only one ornament — a ribbon or bow tied around a velvet ring box. Ask her over for a Christmas celebration for just the two or you.
17. Arrange to have dinner together at your favorite Chinese restaurant. Have the waiter give her a special fortune cookie with “Will you marry me?” in it. Or you could have it say, “You will receive a diamond in the very near future.” And present the diamond in a box.
18. During dinner at your favorite restaurant, arrange with the waiter to have the diamond in a box as one of the choices on the dessert tray. Tell her she is the sweetest thing you know and you can’t resist her any longer.

The Ring – Engagement

A diamond ring maybe a gift from the heart, but also remember its a big investment & what it represents.  When you are ready to purchase a ring; look around.  Know the four Cs.  Carat weight, Clarity, Cut and Color.

Round Brilliant: This shape has resigned as the most popular for engagement rings. More than 75% of engaged women wear this style.  It appeal is due in no small part to the way light bounces off of its facets, creating a particularly brilliant sparkle.

Oval: An oval traditionally a more common shape for other precious stones, namely rubies and sapphires, but since  the last century, when diamond-cutting techniques improved; ovals have also graced diamond engagement rings. They look particularly pretty when ringed with tiny diamonds.

Emerald: Developed in the art deco period.  This rectangular shape has long glamorous line with lean facets extending down the sides. No shape more aptly fits the diamond nickname “ice” than the emerald.  The large “table”, flat surface on the top, shows off stones’s clarity better than any other shape, though this means that any flaws will appear more magnified.

Marquise:  Legend has it that the elegantly tapered marquise with its rounded sides and points at each end.  Contemporary versions have a hexagonal surface with faced on top and bottom to reflect light.  It’s the perfect ring for women who like to make a statement.

Pear:  This sensual teardrop shape is one of the most femine and also one of the most flattering.  It tapered silhouette gives the illusion of elongating the finger.  It’s also one of the most difficult cuts to excute, so pears while quite sparkly, thanks to thier brillant cut facets are fairly rare.

 

Always check out online stores as well as retail stores to see what you want. Great online jewelers:
Ice.com (http://www.ice.com)
Mondera.com (http://www.mondera.com)
E-Wedding Bands (http://www.e-weddingbands.com)
Zales (http://www.zales.com)

After saying “yes”…

Most brides become completely overwhelmed after they have said “yes” to getting married.  The engagement period is a great time for both families to become better acquainted with one another. This is also a time when major decisions need to be made. There is a growing trend for couples to buy their first home before they get married, which simply adds more stress to the engagement period.

Here are some effective ways that a couple can announce their engagement and to friends and family

• Personally telephone them
• Mail out ‘Save the date’ cards
• Publish an announcement in the local paper
• Announce the engagement at a party
• Create a wedding website

Some couples want to plan the wedding but do not want to worry about the details on the day while other couples want professional assistance right from the beginning to the day of the wedding.

Below are some of the more popular choices for service options that couples can select from:

1. Hourly consultation:charge per hour for your time. This type of consultation is designed for the couple who has just a few questions for a planner or would like some details reviewed and finalized. Fees for this service can range from $40 to $100 per hour.
2. ‘Day of’ Coordination: This type of service is designed for a couple who would like to plan their own wedding but does not want to worry about all the little details on the day of the wedding. Wedding planner would be to finalize all the information with the vendors (set up times, take down times and arrival/departure times), direct their rehearsal and execute the wedding agenda/itinerary. This also includes all the little things such as setting up the guest book, place cards and programs. This service can range from $500 to $1,500.
3. Full service planning
   This service is designed for a couple who requires assistance with many aspects of the wedding. The services can include any of the following

• Referring and sourcing new vendors
• Providing creative options (theme design and color selection)
• Negotiating contracts
• Tracking budgets
• Coordinating logistics
• Arranging travel or accommodations
• Developing floor plans
• Developing back up plans (What if it rains?)

Fees for this service can range from $1,500 and up.