Photo by Jen Lynn Photography

So you’ve been with him for what seems like forever. We get it. You’re anxious. You know he’s the one. You know he knows you’re the one. So what the heck is he waiting for?

Sadly, we may never know what goes on in a guys head. And it can definitely be killer when you know he wants to marry you, and probably soon, but you just don’t know when.

But trust us. You don’t want to be that girl. You know. The girl who whines about why he hasn’t proposed yet. The girl who makes slight jabs in front of friends about what’s taking him so long.  And of course, the girl who cries and cries about how long she has to wait.

Please. Don’t be that girl. It may be hard, but we have you covered on ways to avoid the over-obsessing.

1) Make it a point to never mention being anxious to friends.
Sure, your friends may bring it up and ask, “So Julie, why hasn’t Kevin popped the big Q yet?” But if you give in to those inquiries, you’ll drive yourself mad. Instead of replying, “Oh my gosh I have no idea what’s taking him so long!” try to redirect the question or just exude indifference. Answers like, “I’m sure he will when the time is right” or “I don’t know. I guess that’s why they call it a surprise” also work. When you act as if you don’t care, you’ll feel less stressed about it.

2) Don’t bug him about it.
If you keep nagging him about when’s he going to propose, you may stress the poor boy out so much that he won’t know what  to do with himself. Or he may even get angry and not want to propose just because he thinks you’re acting like a brat. If you MUST complain about what’s taking your fella, then pick ONE person like a sister, mother or maybe your closest friend who doesn’t blab to people. But if you don’t bug him, then he won’t be bugged by you. And if he’s not bugged by you, chances are you guys are living harmoniously in a stress-free zone and you’ll hardly notice he hasn’t proposed yet.

3) Don’t plan the wedding yet
Sure, that bridal show sounds awesome. But do you really want to walk around a million bridezillas and talk to vendors who will all ask you the same thing: When’s the date? Well, if you don’t have a date or a ring, it can get rather depressing. Trust me. I made this mistake. It’s probably best not to go to bridal shows until after he puts a ring on it.

4) Live in the moment
Don’t wish your life away. Enjoy your dating life while you can. Maybe you’re anxious because you’re not doing anything new as a couple and you feel like being engaged is just the next step. Well, even if it is, obsessing won’t do any good, so why not try to go out and do something new? Try a new class or activity together. Go on a picnic. Enjoy being together now instead of burning a hole in the back of his head while he plays Xbox as you try to send telepathic messages about how you want a princess cut instead. Not only is it a distraction, but it’ll bring you closer together as a couple.

What do you do to keep yourself from over-obsessing?
Nikki

Facebook billionaire Mark Zuckerberg gave his bride “a very simple ruby” as an engagement ring. He designed the ring himself.

What about you? Are you dreaming of a ruby engagement ring? What about this one?

Coast Diamond

This guy tries to create the feeling literally with his proposal. They set up a room that his fiance is going to meet someone in. However, everyone in the room knows what’s going to happen. Some are even wearing hidden cameras. When her man walks in the room, at first she’s surprised. But then he snaps his fingers and the whole room falls still. Silence. People are mid-talking with their hands and taking sips from mugs, but they are instantly frozen as if time has actually stood still for what he’s about to say.

It really is a unique idea. I think it went well. I mean, he did get a “YES!” after all.

What do you think? Is this a cool proposal?
Nikki 

1)  DON’T buy a ring without consulting anyone
Sure, you may want to surprise your lady, but that doesn’t mean you should blindly walk into a jewelry store and pick the first thing you see. Ask her friends, ask her family, and if you don’t mind, even ask her. The worst thing to do is buy a really flashy ring in the wrong style. Either go simple and classic or make sure your lady will love the ring if she has a particular style in mind.

2) DON’T plan a proposal without knowing her style first
If you have a shy girl, don’t make a grand gesture in front of the whole wide world. Show her Youtube videos of proposal flops and successes and see what tickles her fancy and what appalls her completely. Remember sometimes less is more.

3) DON’T do anything stupid
Hide the ring in a place you forgot? Propose over a body of water and drop the ring? Propose with the ring inside of a piece of food and choke your bride-to-be by accident. Seriously just pick up a copy of Engagement 101 and avoid these easy faux pas that could truly ruin your big moment.

Remember: Above all else, follow your heart. You know your girl better than we do. Do what you know she’ll like and you can’t go wrong. After all, she must like you already if you’re expecting a “Yes!”

Still, it can be a nice gesture if you want to win points with the father (especially if he is old fashioned himself). Here are some easy tips on making the asking a little bit less painful.

1) Pick a family holiday or gathering where you can get him alone
What many doesn’t like a holiday or spending time with his family? Chances are, he’s already in a really great mood. Take this opportunity to get him by himself (ask to see some sort of collection of his or help him with some task) and ask him there. It’ll make that holiday much more meaningful (plus he won’t want to make a scene in front of the family).

2) Take him out on a father-”son” outing
You may not be part of the family yet, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be trying to get to know her family. Ask to take him out for lunch, round of golf or any other kind of activity he likes. He’ll appreciate that you’re trying to get to know him too and it gives you the quiet privacy you need to ask him your important question.

3) Give him something he likes that’ll help with the asking
My fiance almost bought a cookie cake for my dad that said “May I marry Nikki?” At the last minute he chickened out, but I was in full support of that idea. If her father is the good-natured, easy going type who would appreciate something like that, why not? I say, by that cookie cake and ask your question on it and give it to him. Chances are you’ll get a chuckle and a less awkward conversation.

Nikki

There were a few “awwws” until someone was like, “Hold up. Is it ever okay to propose at someone else’s wedding?”

It’s true. Weddings are supposed to be about the couple and only about the couple. Or, as some would say, it’s completely about the bride. Why would it be okay for some guests to suddenly make it about themselves?

It’s not too uncommon. Here’s a guy who proposes on the dance floor at a wedding. I guess if you gave the newly married couple a heads up, it wouldn’t be so bad. Would it?

What do you think? Is it ever okay to propose at someone else’s wedding? If you were the bride, what would you think?

Nikki 

Every person who purchases a piece of 1884 Collection jewelry is invited to register their piece online so that a coin, along with their wish, can be thrown into the famous Trevi Fountain in Rome. How cool is that? The 1884 Collection recently announced a partnership with the Make a Wish Foundation®, that will provide children with life-threatening illnesses a chance to expand their horizons through travel to Italy. You can find items in the collection starting around $250. We love the concept, what’s a better gift than a lucky wish?

And of course, picnics are incredibly romantic by themselves, but know what would make them extra romantic? You got it– a proposal. The best part is, you don’t need anything flashy or extra surprising to pull off this kind of proposal. The only thing you need to know is how to pull off the perfect picnic. Lucky for you, there are only three main keys to planning the most romantic picnic your girl has ever seen.

1) Location, location, location
This is the most important thing for you to consider. Know of a perfect park with a great view? Know where the ducks are the friendliest to be fed? Scout out a few areas beforehand and maybe find a place that’s quiet or even secluded like off of a hiking path.  Avoid the following: dumpsters, loud places,  and too many kids.

2) Plan perfect picnic food
While it’s a terrible idea to hide the ring in food, that doesn’t mean what you eat isn’t important. Pick food that isn’t messy and very easy to eat. Grapes and strawberries are perfect to eat and playfully feed each other. Try your hand at making fancy sandwiches like a classic caprese (Italian bread, tomatoes, mozzarella, and pesto). Or, if you’re not as daring, plan a great finger food platter. Fancy cheeses, crackers, dried fruit,  maybe even some pepperoni or salami sticks you can slice– all of it makes for a romantic picnic. Add a bottle of wine or champagne to the mix and you’ve got a great meal.

3) Plan a memory
You don’t need to plan anything spectacular here, but it really makes for special memories if you put a little more thought into the picnic than just the food. Whether it’s a hike beforehand or asking her to look at cloud shapes in the sky like she did when she was a kid,  little things can go a long way. If it’s windy, kite flying can also be fun. Make sure you bring a camera to take cute pictures of each other having fun. It’ll especially come in handy once you pop the question. Impromptu engagement pictures is something no girl can turn down.

Still not sure how to pull off the perfect picnic proposal? Take some pointers from this guy.

Nikki

If you’re visiting someone together…
Sometimes you have to go visit a family member in the hospital, like grandma in this scenario. Of course grandma means the world to her so you’re going to want to go with her to support her and show how much family means to you. This guy plans his proposal so grandma can watch. Girl didn’t even see it coming.

If your girlfriend works at a hospital…
Working at a hospital can be stressful, but this guy completely surprised his nurse girlfriend with a great proposal. She was prepping for ER (or what she thought would be a situation) and he was all dressed up in the surgeon garb with his back to her. She didn’t even notice he was in the room. Skip ahead to the one minute mark to see her reaction.

If your girlfriend is a patient in the hospital…

Obviously she’s probably having a pretty crumby time, so you should do something over the top. This guy proposes to his girlfriend who had just had his baby. It’s a very long proposal, but very sweet. The new momma and bride-to-be was crying the whole way through. First he had nurses one-by-one go in and deliver a rose to his lady, reading a card about what love is. Then around minute 9:30, a male nurse comes in and starts singing a love song, which then prompts Casanova, who is wearing a a pretty snazzy suit, to walk in and get down on one knee to propose.

What do you think: Would you propose in a hospital?

Nikki

Here are the best of the best ways to propose with planes, trains and automobiles.

On a Plane..
This guy met his girl on a plane so of course it only made sense to propose to her on one. He had a song written for her play over the loud speaker and then popped the question. So romantic and so surprising.

On a Train...
If you live in an area with a subway or commuter train, this could be the best place to propose. There’s nothing quite like taking a mundane daily event and turning it into something special. This guy got a chorus of people to serenade his girl on the train. It was definitely magical.

On a Car…
My dad actually proposed to my mom in a car on the fly without a ring with my mom sitting in the back seat because she had a broken leg. While very sweet,  this guy took a little more planning with his proposal. Check out how a fleet of cars drive by his lady with messages on them for her.

Nikki