When you've made the decision to ask somebody to marry you, it's pretty inevitable that you'll be excited and anxious about the actual proposal. After all, it's a moment that you both will remember (and repeat the story of) for the rest of your lives -- not to mention one that she's been dreaming about since she saw her first Julia Roberts movie. Bottom line: She'll be overjoyed simply by being asked, but don't let your nerves lead you to make one of these all-too-common proposal mistakes.
1. Asking Empty-handed
In a recent survey by The Knot, "proposing with no ring" was ranked #1 as the biggest engagement faux pas a guy could make. Sure, your declaration of love and request for a lifetime commitment should be more important than whether or not you're bearing jewelry, but you have to understand that to a woman (and her friends and her mother) an engagement won't seem 100 percent legit unless she's got something sparkly to show for it. If you don't feel confident enough to pick a bauble without her input, buy one from a jeweler with an exchange policy or borrow a family heirloom that can act as a placeholder until you go shopping together. (And if you're not dead set on making your proposal a total surprise, you can take her ring shopping in advance -- more than 50 percent of women surveyed said that they had something to do with choosing their rings.)
2. Jumping the Gun
Your girl's got it all -- brains, beauty, and a willingness to spend Sunday afternoons eating salt and vinegar potato chips in front of ESPN. Though you're understandably eager to seal the deal, cool your jets until you're beyond the dizzy-with-infatuation stage. You won't be truly ready for a lifetime commitment until you've tackled some real relationship challenges, weathered your beloved's every mood, and received unequivocal signs that she's equally ready to commit. Proposing too early may scare her off or result in an awkward "let me think about it and get back to you..."
