In case you didn’t know, 2012 is a leap year, which means today is a leap day. Traditionally it’s the day that lucky ladies can propose to their men. Some say this tradition was created by Saint Patrick or Brigid of Kildare in the fifth century in Ireland. A recent survey showed that 80% or more men in serious relationships would say yes if their lady proposed, but don’t worry girls, if he says no, he has to pay you a fine. In 1288, Queen Margaret (then aged five) demanded that if a man refuse his lady love, he must compensate her broken heart with a material token such as a kiss, a pound or a silk gown.
In Denmark if a man refuses the lady, he must buy her twelve pairs of gloves (not a bad deal really), and in Finland, he must nurse her wounded pride by buying her fabric for her skirt.
So if you are planning to propose to your man, the question is, how will you do it? If he refused I would want to be compensated by more than a pound or a kiss, which seems to just add insult to injury really!
Put your score on the board
You could always go for the old scoreboard approach. Men are forever proposing at big sports events, by having ‘Marry me ___’ flash up on the screen at half time. Now there are girls who love sport, but I often think that this is really a secret projection of the guy’s fantasy, and he’s really thinking of himself, rather than her when he plans this approach – not only does he get to watch his favourite game, but he gets an entire audience to watch his proposal, and he simultaneously pleases his beloved and is therefore exempt from her anger at being dragged to a sports match. So girls, this is probably a good option. Take him to his favourite sports event and propose on the scoreboard … the only thing is if he says no it’s going to be pretty awkward, and 12 pairs of gloves probably won’t come anywhere near to mending your wounded dignity, so make sure he’s going to say yes!
After the game (and a few beers)
Propose after his favourite sports team wins – he’s going to be in a pretty good mood, and has probably had quite a number of beers so it could be the ideal time to catch him! Don’t do the deed during the match though, he’s likely to just tell you you’re blocking the screen.
The way to a man’s heart (or really bad indigestion)
The cliche goes that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, so set the mood with candles, and music and then cook him all his favourite things, and hide the ring in the pudding or something. Just make sure he doesn’t eat it- waiting for the little sucker to reemerge could be a long (and potentially painful) process for both of you. Try making slow-cooked Karoo lamb shank followed by one of these delicious desserts – I recommend the Amarula dark chocolate cheesecake – heavenly and irresistible!
Riding in cars with boys
Boys love their toys. Why not rent one of those beautiful old-school cars, take him for a drive to a romantic picnic spot and pop the question casually over a bottle (or maybe a few) of champagne? The only snag with this option is that he may become rather too infatuated with the car, and it could be difficult to get him out of it. You don’t want to be spilling your heart out, while he goes ‘yes dear’ and spends the next few hours honking the horn and telling you how the gearbox, steering thingamajig works.
To kneel or not to kneel
One thing I don’t think you should do is kneel down, it could be difficult to do in heels, and may not look particularly dignified, and it could also potentially freak him out. You don’t want him to run away, like a frightened panda climbing up the nearest pole. Approach the target gently, use stealth (and sexiness and possibly alcohol), and make sure he’s cornered but also comfortable, before you go in for the kill…um, I mean pop the question.
Well dear isn’t this nice… let’s get hitched!
You could always just drop the question casually into conversation. For example, you are sitting on the couch together and you say ‘Well isn’t this nice, I could sit here forever with you,’ and he says,’ Why yes darling’ and you say, ‘No really. Let’s get hitched’ and bat your eyelids and go in for the kiss. If he tries to run, at least you’re sitting next to him, so it’s easy to catch him before he gets too far.
The ambush
If he stops and bends to tie his shoelace, you could always just shout, ‘Yes, yes I do!’ before he has a chance to say anything, and then ignore his terrified expression, and give him your best winning smile, and tell him this is the moment you’ve been dreaming of … (this may backfire pretty badly, so use with caution).
A surprise lunch
Pack him his lunch and surprise him at the office: sandwich, juice, apple and … a ring! This could go either way, either he’s had a bad day, and so your proposal could be just at the wrong time, or it could make his day, choose your moment carefully. Alternatively, he could be giving an important presentation to a major client, and you slip in a slide saying, ‘Marry me ___’- why he’s bound to be absolutely delighted and not flustered at all, and I’m sure the clients will be all smiles at having their presentation interrupted, and he will definitely get the job.
Propose mid flight … no don’t!
Do something completely off the wall together. Jump out of a plane, go bungee jumping, or paragliding. Do something exhilarating that will bring you together and quicken both your heartbeats! I was thinking maybe you should propose in the air, and show him the ring mid flight, but then I thought he might be absolutely stunned and forget to open his parachute which is not ideal at all really. Wait till you land, run into his arms, and tell him you want to be with him forever. If you’re planning on flying anywhere together make sure you don’t frighten him off by breaking one of these rules for passenger etiquette!
Making love with an eagle
Go to a falconry show, and tie the ring to the eagle’s leg beforehand, and have it swoop down and land on his arm, as you cry, ‘Marry me ____!’ Of course, eagles are animals and therefore unpredictable- your beloved may have a tasty looking head, which the eagle could launch an attack on which may ruin the moment, or alternatively, the eagle flies off into a tree and won’t come down again, and sits there laughing at you as you frantically try to coax him down with bits of disgusting dead rat. Not quite the memory you were aiming for, but potentially very funny for onlookers. You might even find your very own avian hunter in your own back garden, the problem may be convincing him to participate in your scheme…
The sexy approach
Buy a really sexy outfit and some amazing dessert. You should know some of his fantasies, so make them come true, and then pop the champagne and the question. Although, handcuffing him to the bed until he says yes probably isn’t the best way to do it.
Take him away
Choose a romantic spot you will both love and take him away. Not only will you make him a captured audience, but the excitement of exploring a new place together is bound to spark the romance. Why not float away together on a hot air balloon (this way there really is no way for him to escape!) and enjoy spectacular views over the Serengeti, on a seven day Serengeti and Ngoragora safari or learn something new together, and do a photography workshop with the legendary Art Wolfe, in the spectacular setting of Arniston- then you will know exactly how to capture that special moment when you propose!
Plumber’s attack
If he’s good with plumbing you could always drop the ring down the sink and make him take the sink apart, until he finds it, and then shout surprise and look adorable. There is a risk he may not find this amusing though.
Facebook. No, please don’t.
You could always propose over Facebook – we’ve heard everybody’s doing it. You don’t even have to ask him, you could just sneakily update your relationship status to engaged and make it ‘Facebook official’ before he even gets the chance to say yes (or no). There could be a potentially awkward explanation to follow though, and strangely enough he might not be too chuffed.
While sitting on the throne
Men love bathrooms. They enjoy sitting on the ‘throne’ and reading the sports pages of the newspaper is bliss for them, so why not hide the ring in the toilet roll? This could go devastatingly wrong and again may involve quite a lengthy and painful retrieval process, so another option might be to make a sign saying, ‘I love you, be my husband’ and subtly sneak it into the sports pages, that will give him something to ponder.
Hide it in the hole
Play golf with him and hide the ring in the hole, and when he reaches to retrieve his ball, tell him to look again, and he’ll find it! Wear some sexy golf gear and he’s bound to say yes! Of course if he’s had a bad round this may not be quite the romantic moment you were wanting, especially if you happen to be winning the round.
Scrabble
It may be a cliché, but it’s also quite a sweet, relaxed way to propose. Of course you may have to sneakily steal some letters and he might accuse you of cheating, but once he sees what you’re trying to spell hopefully all will be well, and he’ll reply with a Y-E-S.
All the ladies out there planning to pop the question, I admire you so much. If you love someone, then why not, it’s time the girl’s took charge! Remember, if he does say no, he has to pay!
So, how would you pop the question? Leave a comment below with your suggestions. Men we want to hear from you as well- how would you feel if your lady took a bended knee?
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