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There have been times in history when a man could ask for a woman’s hand in marriage by offering her father a half-dozen stocky goats and a flagon of mead. Later on in the twentieth century, a moonlit canoe ride and a ukulele ballad usually sealed the deal, especially if the fella was lucky enough to be shipping off to a World War the following week. Between those simple and idyllic proposals and those of modern times, however, it has become custom to create an engagement experience filled with unforgettable happy tears and frequently lots of witnessing and adoring eyes.
One of the easiest ways to propose is to share the history by recreating a similar experience of a celebrated past proposal from a close friend or family member. Find out what date her father proposed to her mother, and propose on that same day of the year, letting your girlfriend know that you wanted to choose a day that was special in her family to be special for the family the two of you are forming.
You can share the date with other relatives, too—even of great-great grandparents who are not around anymore—or perhaps of a couple you two are best friends with. You’ll be showing your wife-to-be that you care about her and the people she loves, and that you want your love to be a continuation of that warmth and tradition. Similarly, you can’t go wrong with proposing on a holiday. If you propose to your girlfriend on New Year’s Eve, for example, you can celebrate the memory every year with champagne, fireworks and laughter. Plus, you’re guaranteed to have friends and relatives around to watch the event! Valentine’s Day is great, too, because it allows you to invite her to a romantic setting, and yet still catch her by surprise when you spring the ring on her.
For guys with bad memories for dates, picking a holiday is great! You’ll never forget the anniversary of the day you proposed, because every store-bought calendar will have it listed. If you’re an extrovert and want everyone, including hundreds of strangers, to know how much you love your soon-to-be-fiancée, you can’t go wrong with a public spectacle.
Of course you can always spring the money to spell out "LUANNE – LUV YA – MARRY ME?" on the Jumbotron at your local baseball diamond. But you can also have the football players at your local high school game do the proposing for you, as eHarmony’s dream date winner Chip did when he proposed to his now-wife Rachel. As a bonus, the cheerleaders would probably be willing to do the work for you as well.
Other unexpected public places work just as well, like the subway or a daily bus line. If you’re more the rock-and-roll type, you might make the next KISS concert special for everyone by seeing if you can get the band to propose for you (well, maybe that’s more of a Ben Folds Five thing, but a lot of bands will be happy to do this for you if you can just get in contact with them before the show).
If you want to propose publicly but efficiently, do it at an actual wedding reception! Clink a glass, give a toast to the bride and groom, and then give a toast to the woman you love. All the friends and family will be there, and in this case, your girlfriend will already be pumped up by all the positive marriage energy in the room. She’ll definitely say yes, as long as the timing is right—but one important note: don’t do it too soon after the wedding cake has been cut (you want to let the married couple have their special moment) but not so late that people are passing out from too much champagne. If your girlfriend loves surprises, there are plenty of ways to get creative and have fun with your proposal.
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