Marriage Proposal

ON BENDED KNEES
The idea of a romantic marriage proposal is distinctively a western concept. Asian traditions are great and definitely worth keeping, but lets face it, romance wasn't big on their list. So in our hothouse east-west hybrid of a culture, we sorta get the best and worst of both worlds. We adopt the western idea of courtship romance, throwing out the outdated betrothals and matchmaking (ok matchmaking still exists), yet we Singaporean Romeos still haven't the faintest idea how to propose (romantically) to our beloved Juliets.
I recently asked a friend how her boyfriend proposed. She said (with a sigh), he didn't. He just asked her when she could go ROM with him. Many of course, assume that by that stage in a relationship, it is a extraneous effort to make such a romantic gesture. But does it really hurt to try?

I know it’s the little things in a relationship that make it count, but it IS a once in a lifetime thing for the girl (divorce rates notwithstanding), and a grand gesture like that...hey she'll remember it for the rest of her life!
Every girl dreams of her knight in shining armor sweeping her off her feet, and walking down the aisle with the man of her dreams. If you really love her, make a little part of that dream come true! She'll love you all the more.

The One Ring - no hobbits included
Before we come to the actual proposal plan, you've got some homework to do. Most important on that list is of course...

The Ring (no Sadako jokes please, she still scares me)
Find out brothers. Investigate. Watch her like a hawk when you go shopping. Watch where her eyes linger when she walks past a jewelry store. A couple of things you need to know.

The ROCK
Diamonds are a girl's best friend. You need to get a diamond engagement ring. Of course it's not compulsory. I've heard really cool stories...like for example my friend who propsoed to his girl on top of a tower in Scotland, with a toy ring bought from a vendor along the way. That gesture itself...coooool... BUT other than that, you need a diamond. So remember the 4 C's

1. Find out the kind she likes. The CUT that is. There are several. Princess cut, round cut (aka brilliant), marquise, pear, oval, emerald and heart. She will most likely have a favourite.

2. Colour - Diamonds are classified by how clear (or white) their color is. With exceptions like the fancy colored diamonds (the blue Hope Diamond), all you need remember is the higher it is on the alphabet (i.e Z) the cheaper it is. So a diamond with a color D would be REALLY expensive (the grades are D to Z)

3. Clarity - ranging from Flawless (F) to Inclusions (I3), the ones we usually can ... ahem... afford are around the VVS1, VVS2 (very very small inclusions - which means small imperfections) to VS1 VS2 (very small inclusions).

4. Carat...this is the one that usually incites "HOLY SHIIT look at the size of that ROCK!" comments. Simple...the bigger the carat, the bigger the diamond. Of course the other 3 Cs still affect the price, but as a general rule, the bigger the more expensive. A tip here. Anything more than 1 Carat is really too much. Unless you're J. Lo. Or you want to be robbed.

Ring Size - how to find out without her knowing you're finding out?

1. When she's not looking, grab one of her existing rings and get it to a jewelry store to find out its size.
2. ok if you don't wanna be mistaken for stealing, trace the interior diameter on a piece of paper.
3. Use your little finger as a guide. Put one of her rings on it, and remember where it sits. (those with fat fingers like me please standby with some soap or grease) Ring sizes range from a 4 (about 4.65cm) to a 13 (6.91cm-thats me!)

Armed with this information, go to a reputable jewelry store and find the Rock that will melt her heart.

Click to read next article on making the move for her hand

~ Leroy
Leroy is an ex-MOE-slave/teacher, happily married to the most gorgeous woman in the world and spends most of his days making up funny slogans and designing funny t-shirts as thekillerpenguin. He vehemently believes in t-shirts that do not use the buyer as a walking advertisement. Then again he also believes in UFOs and conspiracy theories so...