Main Holidays Valentine's Day

If you've decided that this Valentine's Day you want to pop the big question, you'll be in good company.

Ten percent of the reported 2.3 million couples who get engaged each year in the USA, actually get engaged on Valentine's Day (Source: Diamond Information Center).

It makes sense.

Valentine's Day is the most romantic holiday of the year and has always been associated with love and lovers.As simple as it may sound, the preparations for proposing can be complicated.

You know your bride-to-be would love to have a story to share that will let the whole world know how romantic her future husband is.

Getting to YES

Here are a few tips to help you come up with the perfect setting to propose to your future bride to show how much she means to you...

1. If your sweetheart comes from a traditional family, asking for her hand in marriage may be appropriate. You can be sure it will go far to raising your future in-laws opinion of you if you make the effort to show them that you respect them enough to care about their blessings on your marriage.

2. You've probably witnessed those awful moments when a suitor proposes on national TV...and the answer turns out to be NO! It may seem impossible for you to imagine, but before you go public with a marriage proposal, sound out the bride-to-be, her family and her friends to make sure that you are reading the signals and the answer to you will be a big smile and a big YES!

3. Prepare ahead of time and make sure your intended will be available for your surprise. Proposing to someone over a romantic dinner is difficult if a business trip takes them out of town for your big day.

4. Use the media... Your local radio, TV or newspaper may be looking for a romantic proposal idea to feature for Valentine's Day. Everybody loves a lover and on Valentine's Day that is a great way to boost ratings.

5. There may be millions of couples getting engaged on Valentine's Day, but you are special and when you propose, it should be a reflection of who you are as a couple. Why not retrace the relationship for the big event?

Make reservations at the restaurant where you had your first dinner together. Get a scrapbook of mementos - they can be real or you can fake it - ticket stubs from movies you've seen can be made from pieces of colored paper, dried flowers from the first bouquet can be purchased at your local florist...you get the idea.

Think of the romantic places you've enjoyed and the things you like to do together and add them to your Valentine's Day Proposal Book. Add a favorite poem or snapshots of the two of you. Get ready and as she comes to the last page in the scrapbook -- which is a page asking her to be your wife -- have your engagement ring ready to slip on her finger. You may even be able to get the waiter to take a picture of you proposing and her accepting to add to the scrapbook!

Sky writing proposals are wonderful -- on cloudless days.

6. Skywriters are a great way to pop the question, and they may be impressive, but the idea is not the most original, and a cloudy day can ruin all of your plans. If you decide to put on an airshow for your future bride, add a little personality to the setting.

Have dinner at your favorite restaurant and have the waiters unfurl a banner asking the all important question... go to a sports event and have the banner unfurled from the stands across from your seat during a break in the action... go to a favorite ski resort and have the banner unfurled as you come to the top of the ski lift. You'd be surprised at how willing people are to help with surprise marriage proposals - especially on St. Valentine's Day.

7. If you live in an area where outdoor activities in February are comfortable, get tickets to an outdoor event and as the sun begins to set have the MC announce that you would like to know if the woman you love would like to be your wife... If you live in a cooler climate do the same thing at an indoor event.

8. Fortune cookies have come to be a popular place to hide a surprise ring. Steaming them open lets you put the ring inside with a piece of paper that says, "Will you marry me?"

If you have a favorite Chinese restaurant this can be the perfect ending to your Valentine's Day Proposal dinner, but don't stop there. Add slips of paper that tell your love how special she is. Copy some quotations from famous lovers and add those too.

Since Valentine's Day is the 14th, fill 14 fortune cookies with love notes and after she has opened them all present the last one -- with the ring inside. You can also use this idea with other containers.

9. Stop at your local jeweler, or ask the jeweler where you bought your engagement ring, for 14 ring boxes to hold your love notes. Make the 15th box the real engagement ring.

14 crayon boxes can hold notes telling your love that she adds color to your world; 14 candy boxes telling her how sweet she is; 14 balloons filled with love notes or flower petals make an unusual bouquet and the 15th balloon with your engagement ring inside makes an unusual way to propose... come up with your own version to tell your special love what she means to you.

10. If you are a couple who likes simple things - keep your marriage proposal simple. A quiet get away, snuggling in front of a warm fire... You on one knee telling her how much she means to you and that you want her to be in your life forever as your wife... now, that's romantic!

The bottom line is that proposing doesn't have to be elaborate to be romantic. As long as you find a way to tell her what she means to you and that you love her enough to ask her to marry you and spend the rest of your lives together... your Valentine's Day marriage proposal will be a special memory forever...

More about Valentine's Day proposals around the Web:

Marriage Proposal Do's and Don'ts

Valentine's Day : Proposals e-Cards

More ideas for celebrating Valentine's Day
10 Minute Valentine's Day Cake Recipe	Valentine's Day Exotic Dinners
Gift & Proposal Guide for Men	What Do Women Really Want?