The first step after knowing you want to spend the rest of your life with her is planning everything out for you to propose. From getting the ring, to when you’re going to propose, and how you’re going to propose are all important steps to make it special and the unforgettable moment that it should be.
Here, we’ll help you pick out the right ring for her and help you come up with great ideas on how to propose to her. Follow this quick little guide and you should be on your way to making her day completely.
Picking the Right Ring
Determining Your Budget
First thing you need to consider when you start looking for an engagement ring is to figure out how much you’re willing to spend on a ring. An engagement ring can range from anywhere between $500 to over thousands of dollars, all depending on the carats in the diamond, the clarity of it, and the type of metal (gold or platinum) used in the ring that holds the diamond.
Tradition states that you “should” be spending about 2 or 3 months of your salary worth in a ring, but don’t get pushed into buying something you can’t afford. Don’t let a ring, a Jewelry salesperson, or a friend question your commitment to your (cross your fingers) soon to be fiancé. Buy what you feel is right for her and within your reach. With the average ring cost going for around $3,000 to $4,000 dollars, take your time on deciding on what you’re willing to spend and stay within that budget.
Picking the Ring Band & Setting
Now that you have a set amount that you’re willing to spend, the next step is to decide which type of band you want the diamond to be on. You can choose a platinum band which is a more expensive metal than gold due to its rarity & popularity right now or you can choose a gold band which is a great classic choice for engagement rings. Keep in mind also that even though a platinum ring is more expensive ring, it is a more durable metal than gold and requires less upkeep. If you do go with a gold band, you have your choice of yellow or white gold and will find that the white gold has a shinier look than platinum.
Your best bet in this situation is to look at the jewelry she’s wearing now. Does she wear a lot of silver or white gold or does she like yellow gold only. Try thinking about which type of jewelry she wears most often because this will be more of her favorite. If you’re still questioning which type of metal to buy still, find away to ask her or a close friend of hers’ which she would prefer, without giving away that you’re looking to get her a ring. If you ask her friend, make sure to ask the friend to keep this a secret because you want to surprise her and I’m sure he or she will help you out.
The Diamond
Picking out the diamond is the next thing on our list to do. This is by far the most important part of buying the ring so we’ll go over a lot of details here. We’ll help you get through this and helping you with the Four C’s (Cut, Carat, Clarity, & Color) of buying a ring but also do some more research before buying a ring on your own.
Cut
When buying a ring, which type of shape or cut of the diamond you want is most likely the first questions you’re going to get asked from your jeweler. You have a choice of Princess Cut, Pear, Round, Emerald, Heart, Diamond shape, Marquise, or Oval and each vary in look and price.
The Princess, Pear, and Round shaped diamonds are the most popular choices for women but remember, your woman maybe different. Make sure to somehow find out which she would prefer by asking her friends or family for some help. If not, try to somehow ask her in a “roundabout” way without giving up your surprise.
Carat
Diamonds are measured in their weight which is Carats. Depending on the number of carats your diamond is, will change the price of your ring. The heavier you go, the more expensive the ring gets.
The majority of women prefer at least a 1 Carat ring.
Clarity
The Clarity and the Color of the diamond are areas in buying the diamond where you don’t want to go cheap. The lower the clarity, the more imperfections and flaws will show on your diamond.
When looking at clarity, ask your jeweler for the “Clarity Rating” of the diamond. FL & IF are top of the line when it comes to clarity, VVS1 & VVS2 have very good clarity, VS1 & VS2 have small flaws, and S1 & S2 also I1 to I3 have low clarity.
Color
As stated in the clarity notes, you don’t want to skimp here. The clearer the color of your diamond is, the better it looks. The cheaper you go on the color more yellower the diamond goes.
When talking to the jeweler, ask for the color rating on the diamond. D to F diamonds are colorless, G to J are near colorless, K to M are a slight yellowish color, N to R are light yellow, and S to Z are a noticeable yellow color.
Good Luck shopping for the ring and remember to educate yourself as much as possible before making that big purchase and letting a salesman pull one over on you. Also, don’t forget to try and get her ring finger size. This can always be fixed later but when you put it on her fingers for the first time, it’d be a bonus if it fit perfectly.
Proposing To Her
So you’ve chosen the perfect ring and you’re ready to ask her for her hand in marriage, now it’s time to figure when to ask her, where to ask her, and how.
When to Ask Her
Picking the right day to ask her if she’ll marry you isn’t hard at all. It’s holding onto the ring until the day you’re going to ask her that’s going to kill you and make you go crazy. But be strong fellas! Let’s pick a day that means something to us or a day she won’t expect it.
If you’re going to ask her on a special day, make it your “dating anniversary” or maybe even New Year’s after Midnight if anything. Try not asking her on her Birthday, your own Birthday, or Christmas. Save those days for what they already are.
In our opinion, the best day to ask her to marry you is a day where she won’t expect it so you can genuinely surprise her. Pick a day for whatever reason you have and plan something special to make a lasting memory and story to tell. Plan a little thing or two to say to her before you ask her for her hand and then come up with a setting as to where you’re going to ask her.
Where to Ask Her
Now that you got the ring and you got a good idea of when you’re going to ask her, you can start thinking of where you’re going to ask her. You can ask her anywhere and anytime but this is a moment that a lot of women look forward to. Let’s make this special and memorable.
Here are some ideas of places you can go to and other ideas on where to propose:
– Your favorite restaurant
– The place you first met
– On the beach at night
– Someplace surrounded in candles
– On a vacation somewhere
– At a place that holds meaning to you and her
– If she’s into sports, do the Scoreboard Proposal
– At a family gathering (not just your family, hers too)
– On top of a mountain or huge hill over looking a beautiful site
– Get together with friends at your place
How to Ask Her To Marry You
This is the most important part of proposing fellas. This is where all you’re planning comes together and you make the story of how you got engaged. You got the ring, check! You picked the perfect day to do it, check! You got the plan in your mind and you’re ready to go, check-check! Now let’s do this and make it unforgettable.
First, out of respect, tradition, and definitely some cool points with her and her family, ask her father for his permission to marry his daughter. If her father isn’t in the picture, then I’m sure asking her mother or the closest person to her as a parental role will do just fine. After getting their blessings you’re almost ready to ask her.
Now once you’re at the place you’re going to ask her to marry you at, try to remain calm and your normal self. Depending on what you’re doing when you’re planning on asking her to marry you, she might start picking up that some things up. Keep playing it cool and follow your plan. When you’re ready or when you’re good to go, say a few words to her about your relationship, tell her you love her, start taking the ring out, put it in your hands, and you MUST drop down to one knee fellas. No proposal is right without you down on one knee. Then recite ”(Her Name Here), will you marry me”. You can even through in a line or two in there like “(Her Name), I love you with all of my heart baby” or “(Her Name), I would love to spend the rest of my life with you” then the “Will you marry me” right after that.
Now fellas, I’ve seen guys already start putting the ring on her hand before they get the answer…..but you’re not going to do that. You’re going to stay on that knee until you get an answer and THEN put the ring on her finger. After the ring is on, get on up and kiss those lips after getting that yes you’ve been waiting for and Congratulations!
