my (preliminary) plan..let me know what you think

[oliverOSU]

So I am going to be proposing soon, and after having an original plan, I am thinking of changing it....I bought the ring and have been holding it, and I am finding myself unable to just do it!

originally I was planning on waiting until a vacation we have coming up in january to Florida, and proposing on the beach. Part of the fun of moving it up is I think she is expecting me to propose on this trip, so if I do it now, I can catch her off guard!

So here''s my plan so far: She will be gone in the evening for a couple hours (might be not enough time...something I need to work on), and I am planning on setting up a romantic dinner at home while she is gone:

-cooking a nice dinner for the two of us to eat
-champagne on ice in a new bucket
- I want to get a small little cake, but get it to look kinda wedding-cakeish....white frosting, formal looking, and putting it on a little cake stand out on the table
-I want to put up some of those white xmas lights, or some other soft lighting that might look a little better, around the room. Lots of candles all over, with a big silver platter on the table filled with different sized white candles
-music with special meaning to us playing
-buy a whole set of nice looking plates, place mats, serving platters, a vase, a framed picture of us on the table, I am thinking of one that was taken when we first met, new glasses, champagne flutes, etc. Everything will be glass or silvery, a very shiny night....
-she''ll walk in and all the lights in the house will be off, and just this room set up. On her plate, there will be a card, and I''ll tell her to read it.
- the card will say something about how I love her so much, all that. Then it will say something like "I''ve thought up a plan. Let''s enjoy this dinner tonight, and when we are done, we''ll pack all of this stuff up, put it in a box, and wait one year to open it, when we''ll set it up again and have a wonderful night together again. We''ll do this every year on this night. I''ll do the cooking, all you have to do is answer one thing...."
- hopefully at this point she''ll look up, and I can ask her to marry me. After that, we have a nice dinner to enjoy, with hopefully some good lighting for her to enjoy her ring

I know it''s a wedding proposal, but I also sometimes think it''s a little cheesy.

problems:
-we live together, and she''ll only be out of the house for a little over 2 hours...I can shop ahead some, but I also don''t want all the ingredients for dinner sitting in the fridge, or the cake, etc. she''ll be snoopy, and I don''t want her to suspect a thing.
-I''m not sure I can set this up AND cook something nice, but I don''t want to pick up food either...
- she''ll be coming home in clothes that aren''t exactly nice, probably just sweatpants and a tshirt, and won''t be made up in any way, and this might bother her
-does anyone actually remember their engagement date? It sounds like a nice idea of saving the table setting to use every year, but I could also see it never happening...

anyways, what does everyone think? Any additions, or problems you see, or ways around problems...anything will be appreciated! Also, feel free to tell me I should wait until the vacation if you think it would mean more to my girlfriend, but I am guessing all the girls here will say the sooner the better!

 

[JulieN]

Date
problems:
-we live together, and she''ll only be out of the house for a little over 2 hours...I can shop ahead some, but I also don''t want all the ingredients for dinner sitting in the fridge, or the cake, etc. she''ll be snoopy, and I don''t want her to suspect a thing.
-I''m not sure I can set this up AND cook something nice, but I don''t want to pick up food either...
- she''ll be coming home in clothes that aren''t exactly nice, probably just sweatpants and a tshirt, and won''t be made up in any way, and this might bother her
-does anyone actually remember their engagement date? It sounds like a nice idea of saving the table setting to use every year, but I could also see it never happening...

anyways, what does everyone think? Any additions, or problems you see, or ways around problems...anything will be appreciated! Also, feel free to tell me I should wait until the vacation if you think it would mean more to my girlfriend, but I am guessing all the girls here will say the sooner the better!

I think it''s sweet!

Regarding problems, 2 hrs can definitely be a time crunch if you don''t do this thing often. If you have a Whole Foods, Bristol Farms, or something like that near you, I would definitely utilize it. Or you can tell her you have a romantic night planned, so she''ll plan ahead her wardrobe and toilette, though it''s cool to be comfy, too. I mean, if you live together, looking great every time you see each other isn''t possible. I don''t know what I lean toward, surprise, or pent up anticipation just waiting to burst free...

 

[RockDoc]

Here's a suggestion...........

Get an Ice Cream Cake.... This way you hide it in the freezer......

Have " Will You Marry Me?" written on the top of the cake........

Don't know if this is available - put maybe get a figure of a little guy kneeling to a girl ( sort of like the figures on a wedding cake )

Maybe a small photo of when you first met, with I Love You written on it too. OR

Maybe a note that says ..... "I just couldn't wait til our trip ...."

Below - put the ring box on the cake.....

That should be the perfect end to a spectacular memory !

Rockdoc

 

[havernell]

To alleviate the time crunch problems, could you enlist friends to help you? For example, could a neighbor store the ingredients for dinner in their fridge for a day or two? Could you have a friend pick up the cake and bring it to your place while you are cooking dinner? Just be sure to pick people who won''t spill the beans beforehand!

Also, re: the sweatpants problem- maybe after you propose but before you sit down to eat she could shower/change (this will also give you a little more time to cook). That way you''ll keep the total surprise but she''ll actually be dressed up for the majority of the night.

Sounds like a great proposal idea to me- nice and private just the two of you enjoying each other''s company in a beautiful setting you''ve created with some great food! I''d say yes!

 

[oliverOSU]

thanks for the tips- I''ve been thinking of asking friends to help, I was just thinking if I could get it done on my own, I tend to try and get things done myself so I feel like I did it, but there really is no harm in asking a friend to pick something up for me

I figured I can go shopping for the food earlier in the day and she won''t expect anything, and if I have everything basically set up but just hidden somewhere, I can get it done in two hours if I make something that cooks quickly, I am thinking either tuna or sworfish steaks, something that sears in a few minutes (no roast beef!)

Also, I realized the night I am planning to do it is a night I usually drop her off and pick her up, so if I am a few minutes late, so can be annoyed but it will buy me some more time