It’s officially engagement season!
The holidays are the perfect time of year to get engaged. Your family and friends are all gathered together and it’s a time when joy can be most contagious. While many women play the waiting game and keep their fingers crossed that they’ll get a some major bling from their lover for the holidays, there’s no rules that says you have to wait for him to put a ring on it. Are you considering flipping the script and asking for his hand in marriage?
Now there’s plenty of reasons as to why a woman would want to consider this. One could be that she’s in her late 30s to early 40s, and feels that since she wants to start a family, and due to her ticking clock, that she must make the first move and follow her heart. According to recent Pre-Engagement Stats and Trends on WedInsights.com, powered by WeddingWire, 18% of all engagements occur in the month of December. In 2016, the number one day to get engaged was, you guessed it, Christmas Day — with Christmas Eve coming in third place. New Year’s Day is the fourth most popular day, and New Year’s Eve rounds out the top five.
Romance expert and professional matchmaker Gee Sanders, of PCB Agency, advice for women looking to propose is to first know what your romantic goal is, then put together a strategy on how to achieve it.
Ready to make your plan? Sanders offers four ways to pop that question to your beau during the holidays with ease and confidence:
Skip The Big Expenses and Make The Gesture All About Love
If you and your long-time love have discussed getting married, you have clearly made a couple’s goal and some plans, and if finances are the barrier for your man to be the traditionalist and get that ring, you might consider eliminating the finances and slide a small ring on his finger, to show you don’t want to hold up your plans simply for a ring. This may help him to realize that you value the elevation of your commitment more than the value of the ring.
Give Him The Best Christmas Present Ever
If you are simply a non-traditionalist in life, not just in romance, the timing feels right, and your closest family and friends, and man would not be at all surprised that you proposed, then follow your instinct. Buy the ring, get on one knee, and start shopping for your dress. Romantic love is challenging enough, in addition to living by the rules of society. Make your own playbook for the foundation for your marriage. The best way to propose since it wouldn’t be a surprise to your family, friends, and significant other, would be on the number one day to get engaged, Christmas day.
Bring In The New Year Planning Your Future
New Year’s resolutions are easy to make and hard to stay committed to and follow. Make your resolution for 2018, one that you will never forget, changing your relationship status. This time, your resolution will be a full commitment to yourself and the love of your life. Ask him to be your husband when the clock strikes midnight and walk into the New Year planning your next chapter and the rest of your lives together.
If a public gathering doesn’t work for you, instead, plan a vision board date night at home. Enjoy a dinner by candle light, wine, and a healthy discusion about what you plan to get out of the New Year. Discuss your goals and plans for the upcoming year. Make sure that you have all your supplies for the two of you, the board (you only need one in this instance), magazines (be sure to include a few men’s magazines too, and of course don’t forget us, ESSENCE), glue sticks, and scissors. Continue the conversation from dinner, and make sure that your board includes the plans for marriage, have an open dialogue about this, and pop that question. Of course, the vision board will primarily be focused on the plans for the two of you, together, hence the one vision board because you are planning to become one.
Of course chivalry isn’t dead, but it’s okay to make your own rules when it comes to love. So it feels right, pop that question. Congrats in advance!
