How to have a “hoppy” Easter proposal

There are plenty of holidays that hog proposals. Christmas, New Years, and of course Valentines Day are among the most popular. Even Thanksgiving snags a couple good ones each year.

But there are some holidays that just seems to go unnoticed in the proposal world and I’m not sure why. Easter to me is one of those coolest though and has tons of proposal possibilities.

Easter is one of my favorite holidays. I love the religious meaning and the commercial fun of bunnies, eggs and everything Spring. And since most women want Spring weddings, wouldn’t you think that would tie in perfectly?

Here are some tips on how to have a cute, adorable Easter proposal.

1) Hide the ring in an Egg. Who doesn’t like a good, old-fashioned egg hunt? Whether you hide eggs around the house, backyard or even just pull an egg out of your pocket for her– if your lady loves Easter, she’ll think it’s adorable. If you do hide the eggs outdoors…make sure that particular egg is in plain view and no where to be lost or taken by some rogue, chocolate-crazed child.

2) Mold your own hollow chocolate bunny with the ring inside. This is the only safe way to do a ring in food scenario. NEVER hide rings IN food. But hollow sugary goodness? Eh, that’s okay for a special day like today.

3) Propose to her in her Easter dress with cameras nearby. Secretly, every girl wants to look BEAUTIFUL the day she gets proposed to. Most guys overlook this detail, causing many girls to get proposed to in sweat suits, etc. If your girl is a church-loving lady, take advantage of her getting all dolled up in her floral Easter dress and pop the question. Have a camera nearby to capture the moment as well.

DO NOT hide it inside of a Peep. That’s just gross.

Have a happy Easter from everyone here at Engagement 101!

Nikki

 

 

A proposal “no” turned “yes”

It’s a terrible thing to ask someone to marry you and hear “no.” But surprisingly, this story has a happy ending.

So at a comedy club, this girl gets on stage and makes an adorable and funny speech about how her boyfriend always said he’d say “no” if she proposed to him. Well, she was going to try anyway. Yup, that’s right. This girl pulled a brave, albeit unconventional, proposal in front of EVERYONE.

Guess what he said?

You guessed it! He said “No.” Just like he said he would. I guess he’s a man of his word.

But then in a ridiculous twist of events and with the perfect air of romance, he gets down on one knee on stage and says, “But would you marry me?”

The girl who originally popped the question and was rejected looks half shocked and half elated. What a crazy, random proposal. I don’t think it was planned either since he makes a comment about not having a ring.

Guys: Please have a ring. Even if you carry it around for months in your pocket before getting the nerve up– please get a ring. If you need help, you’ve come to the right place since Engagement 101 has tons of rings to choose from.

What do you think of this flip-floppy proposal?

Tips for avoiding terrible engagement pictures

Whether you’re planning on getting engaged soon or you’re already engaged, chances are you’ve probably thought about engagement photos.

There are some things in life that people say have no right or wrong way to do them. Engagement photos are not one of those things.

There are wrong ways to do them. And by wrong, I mean so embarrassingly awful it ends up on the Internet for people to laugh at you over.

After it was brought up over the water cooler by a coworker of mine today, I realized there are some general guidelines one must follow when it comes to the sacred art of engagement photography.

1) Do not copy movies. You’re your own people. Why mimic something weird like an upside down Spiderman kiss or dress up like someone who isn’t you? That’s just silly.

2) Don’t do awkward body positions. You’re a young couple in love. Not human contortionists. And even if you are, that comes AFTER the wedding. Not for your save-the-dates.

3) Don’t try to be too sexy. Kinda follows along the lines of the awkward positions bit. Stay away from outfits that are too revealing or photo shoots that require you to be completely drenched in water. Grandma won’t appreciate it.

4) Don’t look like you hate each other. Sure, some photos are funny when it’s obvious you all are just pretending. But for the actual portraits it may be nice to actually be cuddled up. Looking awkwardly at the camera with enough space between the two of you for an elephant to walk by does not scream “COME TO OUR WEDDING!” It’s more of like “Looks like they’re forced to get married for citizenship papers.”

You may think these tips are completely wacky, but trust me when I say you’ll thank me one day. Don’t believe me? Check out this site of awkward engagement photos. A lot of these people would have been saved if they just followed my advice a little sooner.

A Poetic Proposal

There used to be a day and age where men LIVED to write and recite poetry to their fair maidens. What happened? Seriously? Now the closest thing we get to poetry is a song lyric that usually goes “oh baby, baby, baby oh.” So…sweet? Not.

Well, at least this guy gets it right. His wife-to-be is in this play and at the end, he starts reciting this beautiful prose regarding his love for her. The words are very sweet and you can tell he’s being sincere because if you listen to his voice…it sounds like he may pass out any second.

So there’s the girl, spotlight on her, but the guy is no where to be found. Finally he emerges from the scenery and proposes on stage in front of the entire audience which strategically hid his entire family and all their friends. The look on her face was priceless.

Leave it to the theater guy to pull a Shakespeare. Kudos, man. Let’s revive the days where men bared their souls like this. I approve!

How do you celebrate a one-year proposal anniversary?

Every now and then I mention tidbits of my own proposal. Well given that March 29th will be the one-year anniversary for my engagement, I figured I’d share the details of my own since I can’t figure out any way to celebrate this special day except reminisce

My fiancé wanted our proposal to be absolutely perfect. Being the considerate Southern Gent he is, he asked if I wanted a public or private proposal.

Being a fickle, Italian girl, I couldn’t decide.

“Private—definitely private,” I said. “No wait! Public could be sweet.”

I honestly didn’t know. Finally I told him to decide because I obviously didn’t have the slightest clue about what I wanted. All I knew I wanted was him.

The day he proposed, I didn’t suspect a thing until I got a knock on my door. My friend DeeDee smiled and handed me a “clue.”  It turns out Addison had planned a long scavenger hunt to take me to places all across town where we had sweet memories. He even somehow got the guy who moved into his old apartment where we had our first kiss to hide a clue inside. Each step of the way, a different friend of ours greeted me to help escort me to the next clue. And when I finally did find Addison in our special spot, he was waiting with a beautiful, red rose. We were alone in the mountains, just us as he nervously fumbled with his words.

Or so I thought. When he got down on one knee and I nodded an enthusiastic YES—all of the sudden there were cheers from behind us.

Friends had been watching at a distance. I didn’t even know they were there!

Since I couldn’t make up my mind about what I wanted, he did both! Not only was it intimate, but he had a photographer follow me the whole way so I’d have pictures to remember forever. I guess I got my “perfect proposal” after all.

But now a year later, I’m knee deep in wedding plans as my wedding day is quickly approaching. Some people have long engagements. Others have really short ones. Since it seems like short engagements are in the majority, there’s never really been a guide available on how to celebrate this special day. In fact, I’ve never heard of anyone doing anything to commemorate the day they got engaged.

So what do you think? How should one celebrate their one-year proposal anniversary?

Nikki

Danhov: Finalist in JCK Jewelers Choice Awards!

Two of Danhov’s best-selling rings were awarded finalists by the JCK Jeweler’s Choice Awards: the Abbraccio engagement ring and Men’s Tubetto band. We hare very happy for our Danhov friends and can only concur with this decision. Their designs always kick, you know what.

A little background info. Each Danhov ring is hand-made or hand assembled ensuring both precision and excellence.  No molds are used in the process. Danhov’s focus is on small production and the constant release of new designs, ensuring the rings are not overproduced or mass-marketed.

Danhov also recently released a new website where you can see amazing 360˚ interactive views of rings from all collections, as well as descriptions, design customization and retailer information. Very cool!

We can’t wait to preview new rings very soon.

Weirdest Proposal Ever

Umm…. I’m not really sure what to say about this one.

This guy does a handful of things to coordinate his “perfect proposal”– all of which are just bizarre. First, he dresses like a woman (red flag, sweety!). He gets on one knee and proposes (okay, at least something acceptable) and then gets lit on fire, shot with fireworks and jumps into a baby pool. I’m not even kidding.

And somehow after all of the crazy shenanigans, the girl says “yes.”

I don’t get it. I really don’t get it at all. Sure, the dressing up as an ugly girl could be funny… maybe. Depends on the couple. But if my man lit himself on fire and then nearly obliterated himself with careless firework usage like that– I’d not only take one look at him and say, “Um…no. You can keep the ring.” I’d probably kill him.

Seriously? What if something went wrong? What if after that life-changing unforgettable moment where he popped the question and then proceeded with his death defying “declaration of love,” he blew his head off, or burned his face into an unrecognizable mess or even worse– DIED!

Not only would I be devastated that I lost the love of my life, I’d be PISSED that he went in such a stupid, preventable event. Way to ruin the moment, Romeo by ACCIDENTALLY KILLING YOURSELF BY BEING STUPID.

Luckily for this couple, he lived. But fellas, DO NOT try this at home.

How to reject a marriage proposal with class

We’ve seen them before. Sad Youtube videos where men are left with a look of horror as the love of their life runs away, usually in tears.

It’s a bit cliche, don’t you think? And who’s to say that you have to break up with your guy just because he’s maybe jumping the gun a little early. Perhaps you could follow this girl’s advice and just…well…ignore the question to begin with.

I found this short little video on Youtube and thought it was hysterical. First she pretends she doesn’t hear it. Then  he tries to get her attention and it becomes very clear she’s trying to ignore him without making a scene. She even throws in a “We’ll talk about this later look” for a nano second.

These kinds of videos are reminders that maybe you should feel out the situation a little more before popping the question willy nilly. Please practice safe proposing by planning ahead and possibly even asking an Engagement Coach here before making a mistake.

But hey. Maybe you’ll get lucky like this guy and at least have a girl who doesn’t run away.

What do you think: Ladies: Would you run or stay if you got an unwanted proposal? Gents: Would you rather your lady run or stay?

Nikki

The advantage to proposal planning services

Yup, it’s hard planning that life altering moment where a guy asks a girl to be his wife. Some go the simple route. Others opt for something more lavish. And now there’s a whole industry based on the mission to help execute smooth and romantic proposals for guys.

Here’s one that is absolutely adorable. At first I thought, “Pfft, I could have put that together.” But then I realized not all people are detailed oriented so I guess I’d understand enlisting some help.

He planned a literal walk down memory lane where his girlfriend walks to a room blind folded (to be honest, that part freaked me out a bit) and then meanders around a decorated room that is filled with pictures, cards and mementos from the past seven years of their relationship. Serious “aw moment” here, people.

Then Mr. Fiance-to-be comes out in a suit and delivers a romantic speech (though the “Will you marry me” balloon KILLED me).

Still, a very sweet proposal and what’s even better? They had it professional filmed and photographed. Talk about preserving a memory for life. So beautiful.

What do you think: Would you use a professional service to help you plan a proposal? Ladies, what would you think if your guy used one?

Nikki

Happy Proposal Day!

March 20th happens to be the national day of proposing! I wonder how many guys are going to propose today?

Well, it also happens to be a few other national “holidays” today. But in the light of all things engagement and proposal, I figured we could romance things up a bit.

National Extraterrestrial Abduction Day:
Oookay. Kinda creepy. Maybe you have a shared interest in SciFi movies? Then date night! If not, then surprise your lady or guy by “abducting” them for these last couple of hours. Nothing like a spontaneous dinner date or moonlit stroll on a Tuesday, right?

National Macaron Day:
French macarons are definitely the new cupcake. These almond flour cookies are one of my newest favorite things to make to impress friends at parties. Surprise your love by either taking them out to a fancy macron place like Bouchon Bakery in New York or make them yourself (Invest in a great food processor if you do). Nothing says love like fancy, dainty cookies.

National Unplug Day:
Stop everything and turn off your computer (wait….finish reading this first). You still have a couple hours left of March 20th, why not use them to just spend time with each other? No Internet. No phone. Just you and your love chatting on the couch…or other things.

What do you think: How are you celebrating National Proposal Day?

Nikki