For those of you who ARE already married or engaged, HOW was your proposal? Liked it? would have preferred it in another way? Is there anything that would have made it a little bitter?

For those of you who are NOT; how would be the perfect way to do it for you!?

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The Perfect Proposal

By Andre Cross
Relationship Correspondent

Very few events in anyone's lifetime require as much thought and preparation as marriage. People want their proposals to be the perfect point of culmination in their relationship.

Men and women both want this day to be a truly memorable moment in their lives. But it seems that there are no new ways to get married anymore because virtually everything has been done. Well, guess again.

We can all think of typical ways of asking our lovely girlfriends to marry us. The man gets down on one knee and gets out a box with a ring (probably worth a month's salary) before asking her to spend the rest of her life by his side.

This traditional way of proposing still works, and can be categorized as the conventional way of asking a woman to marry you. But these days, women want to be mesmerized with emotion, romanticism and originality. And not necessarily in that order either.

The following are a mix of both innovative and more traditional ways to pop the question.

1. To the extreme
If your woman is the sporty type, you can propose to her from the heights of a mountain after a day of rock climbing. Other possibilities would be during a parachute jump or a scuba-diving session in South America, or anywhere else for that matter.

2. Make a video
Making a personal video of yourself proposing to her can have a great effect, especially if you are watching it with her. She will likely jump from joy and want to skip straight to the honeymoon...

3. In mid-air
A more public display of affection is to have the captain of an airplane you are on recite your marriage proposal to your woman over the intercom. You can just picture it: "We are now flying over the Grand Canyon and will be arriving at our destination in approximately 45 minutes. And, by the way, Joanna, Michael would like to know if you would do him the honor of marrying him."

Of course, after this, all you should hope for is a "yes" and a safe landing.

4. My way or the highway
Just imagine driving home from work and seeing a billboard that says "Lucy, will you marry me?" This will have an amplified effect, and the rest of the commuters who see it will hope it works out for you.

They will also hope that she doesn't slam the brakes in excitement.

5. Marriage on the big screen
Let's say you agreed to go see the latest Julia Roberts movie, and right before the movie is about to start, as part of the previews, one frame action simply displays the words: "Maria, will you be my wife?"

Although this is not likely to win you an Oscar nomination, it will certainly go down in the annals of history for best dramatic sequence.

6. Raindrops falling on my head
The Canadian Niagara Falls are an ever popular destination for honeymooners, but few people actually think of it as a great place to ask for your girlfriend's everlasting love.

7. Vegas-Style
Ever thought of going to Sin City to prove your love to each other? This is still one of the most popular locations for couples to get married. But who says you can't get engaged over a game of roulette at the Caesar's Palace?

8. Valentine's Day surprise
Instead of offering a traditional card, flowers and chocolates, why not offer her the greatest sign of love by asking her to marry you? Your girlfriend will surely remember this holiday for the rest of her life.

The only bad part is that it will be hard to surpass this gift every following year.

9. Indecent proposal
The ultimate way to ask your woman to marry you would be during an intense lovemaking session. Popping the question while bringing her to ecstasy is one of the ultimate thrills for a woman.

Imagine your woman climaxing physically and emotionally. She is not likely to forget that day anytime soon.

10. The love police
Although this one requires quite a bit of work and coordination, getting your girlfriend pulled over by a real cop to give her a "love ticket" is quite unexpected and very original.

Just make sure any outstanding parking tickets are taken care of beforehand.

11. Happy birthday to us
Proposing to her on her birthday is another great way to go about it.

And another positive aspect of it, she probably won't notice that you forgot to get her a birthday present.

12. You've got love mail
The Internet era is upon us, driving us to adapt to the technology. So why not send her a love note by email along with the big question?

13. Radio dedication
If you know she listens to the radio at a certain time everyday, making a dedication will work charms with her. Except that this one will have the disc jockey asking your girlfriend to marry you. A good follow-up is to call her while the question is being asked.

If you want to be more personal, you can also ask your girl to marry you live on the air.

14. Take me out to the ball game
Bringing your girlfriend to a Yankees game might not be the most fulfilling experience for her. But just imagine her expression if during the Lucky 7th inning intermission, the stadium big screen is focused on you on one knee asking her to marry you.

This is a great way to have 20,000 people witness your display of love, which is a nice gesture in itself.

This list is by no means exhaustive; people are coming up with new and innovative ways to propose every day. Whichever way you choose, remember, the only thing you have to worry about afterwards is whether or not she'll say "yes".

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Article Suggested By: Arnold James M.

-- Edited by LGigolo at 16:12, 2007-08-22