Great Ways to Propose With or Without a Ring

Are you in a serious relationship? Do you think she might be The One? Maybe you’ve even tried proposing before, but you chickened out at the last minute. There’s nothing that puts as much pressure on a guy as proposing. You only get to do it once, so you want to do it right. Here are some great ways to propose, whether you’ve got a ring or not.

In the traditional proposal, the guy goes and buys a ring, waits for the appropriate moment, and asks his girlfriend to marry him. Traditionally the couple is alone when this happens—it’s often more romantic that way—but others like to do it with a big gathering of friends and family to share in the happy moment when she says “yes.”

Probably the most common way to propose is to have a romantic evening out at a nice restaurant (maybe even the place where you had your first date) and then propose. But there are lots of options for great ways to propose. Even at a restaurant, you can ask the waiter to spell out “will you marry me?” in chocolate sauce around her dessert or slip the ring in her drink so she finds it at the bottom.

Less conventional ways to propose would be taking out an ad in the newspaper she always reads asking for her hand in marriage, or even arranging with the MC at a concert for you to get up on stage and ask her to marry you after the concert.

But let’s say that you don’t have a ring right now, or maybe you can’t afford one at the moment. Keep in mind that you don’t always have to have a ring in hand to propose. Some women may even prefer it. That way they can be pleasantly surprised by the proposal itself but still help shop for and pick out the ring. Some women like to be surprised by their guy’s choice of a ring, but others reason that they’ll be wearing the thing for the rest of their lives so they’d rather be present when it’s purchased!

There’s nothing quite so great as when your girlfriend says “yes” and throws her arms around your neck. All the anxieties you’ve felt as you’ve prepared for this moment will melt away and you’ll feel complete security. Your girlfriend isn’t just your girlfriend anymore—she’s your fiancé, soon to be your wife!


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