1. Arrange to meet her in a beautiful park near some riding stables. Rent a knight's armor from a costume shop or theatrical company and pick it up on the way. Rent a horse at the stables, don the armor, ride up to meet her and offer to be her prince. Present the loose diamond with princely flair on bended knee. You could have someone in the bushes nearby ready to play Holst's "Jupiter" as she starts to see you in the distance. |
2. Cook and set an elaborate candlelight table (or cater if you are not talented in the kitchen) for a quiet romantic dinner for two at home. Serve her a glass of champagne with the diamond ring in the bottom or ribboned to the stem. |
3. Have an artist paint her portrait, adding a box with a loose diamond in her hand before you present it. When you present the portrait, have the ring ready when she asks about it. |
4. Bring home a sweet stuffed animal with a ribbon for a collar. Have the ring in the bow for her to find as she cheerfully greets her new friend. |
5. Have a plane sky-write your proposal. Plan it for the day of a family picnic, boat ride or other outing so she is sure to see it. Have your loose diamond ready when she sees your proposal. |
6. Hire a magician to entertain just the two of you. Have the magician make the box with the loose diamond mysteriously appear as the surprise ending of the last trick. |
7. Memorize a short French poem and recite the poem to her at a French restaurant as you offer the ring. Be sure to know what each word means so you can demonstrate your savoire faire. Have the loose diamond ready in a presentation box. |
8. Decorate a Christmas tree with lights and only one ornament -- a ribbon or bow tied around a velvet ring box. Ask her over for a Christmas celebration for just the two or you. |
9. For a very traditional approach, ask her father for her hand in marriage. When the approval is given, make plans for the next family gathering and make your proposal to her in private with diamond in hand. When she says yes, stand up and announce your engagement to everyone. |
10. Prime a friend with harmless little secrets about the two of you, and have him pose as a psychic when you dial. Be sure to ask the right personal questions to make it look authentic. Have the psychic predict a diamond in her very near future. Then make your proposal on the spot. |
11. At a college or professional sporting event (if you both like sports), arrange to have your message displayed on the scoreboard after halftime..."Karen...Will you marry me?" Have the diamond ready in a presentation box. |
12. Arrange to have dinner together at your favorite Chinese restaurant. Have the waiter give her a special fortune cookie with "Will you marry me?" in it. Or you could have it say, "You will receive a diamond in the very near future." And present the diamond in a box. |
13. During dinner at your favorite restaurant, arrange with the waiter to have the diamond in a box as one of the choices on the dessert tray. Tell her she is the sweetest thing you know and you can't resist her any longer. |
14. Place the diamond in a presentation box at the bottom of a box of Cracker Jacks(R)... and give her the special box at your next baseball game and ask her occassionally if she has found the prize yet (to keep her alert to finding it). |
15. For the chocoholic: Chocolate-dip the diamond box, and put it in the center of a box of chocolates when you are alone for the evening. She will always wonder what's in the largest piece of candy. Pick it up for her and open it with a flair. |
16. Invite her for some games at home. Use Scrabble letters and spell out "Will you marry me?" Have the diamond close by. |
17. Create a personal Web page with her name and your proposal with a picture of the diamond in its velvet presentation box, and send her the Web address. Or sit down together to surf for good vacation sites, and visit a site or two before you type in the site address. |
18. Set a date to go to the movies, then rent ad space for your proposal at your favorite theater. Make sure you have the diamond with you. |
19. Take her for a surprise picnic at the beach or in the woods. At the picnic spot, spell out "Marry Me" with stones, flowers or seashells. Put the diamond in her hand when she says yes. |
20. Rent a limousine for the evening. Have the driver pick you up first, then pick her up at home or work. Ask the driver to roll up the privacy window. Have one of her favorite evening dresses inside to change into. Take her to an elegant restaurant where you have pre-arranged to serve the limo in the parking lot for your own romantic dinner. Be sure to tell the servers to make it a picnic and ask them not to disturb you after the main course is served. Have the driver play your favorite romantic music, while you enjoy the privacy for your unique dinner. Present the diamond instead of dessert. |
33. If she likes cute stories, you could make a storybook of two animals (with your names) falling in love and getting engaged. Take two stuffed animals, put a coathanger in their backs to make them hold a position, then set up the animals to act out the story while you take photos. Type the words to the story on your computer and paste them to each page. Write the last page to say, "Will you marry me?", with a picture of the diamond in its presentation box. Take it all to a printer to have it bound as a booklet, then present the book at a private moment at home. Be ready with the real diamond when she gets to the last page. |
34. If you have a talking bird or parrot, train it to say, "Will you marry me?" And make a big show with the new words he has learned -- at a romantic moment. |
35. If she has deep ties with her family: Make up a special Christmas or birthday present when she will be traveling alone to see the family without you and send it with her as a gift to open with her family on the big day. Place the diamond in a presentation box between two plush velvet pillows into a gift box. Type your proposal on parchment paper and pin it to a pillow next to the diamond, and wrap it all as a gift. Be near a phone during the day when she will open the present. |