Shopping for a Wedding Dress

Have you decided that your girlfriend is the one you'd like to marry? If you're planning to propose to her, there are a few steps that you can follow to make the engagement meaningful and memorable. Not only will you leave a lasting impression on her, you'll show her just how much effort you put into making the surprise engagement special.

Step 1: Choose the Perfect Engagement Ring                          

No engagement would be complete without the proper ring. Every woman has their own preference of ring styles. Because you don't want to ruin the surprise, consider asking your girlfriend's closest friends for their opinion. Some of the ring styles that you may want to choose from include:

• Vintage
• Prong
• Diamond band

A vintage ring may look antique and will likely have an intricate, detailed, old-fashioned appearance, which some women prefer. A prong ring may have a diamond or other gemstone attached to it with that particular gemstone protruding from the actual band. And, there are even engagement rings that have a row of diamonds wrapped around them. Have a look at these options and consider the metal choices too, such as white gold and rose gold.

After you find a ring that you think is the perfect fit for your girlfriend, you can have it evaluated by a professional jewelry appraiser like The Jackels Collection Inc. Having the ring appraised is important because you'll want to make sure it is worth what you've paid for it. The jewelry appraiser can tell you the value of the ring based on its detail and embellishments.

Step 2: Start Setting Up for the Engagement Party

Now that you've found the perfect ring, you'll want to get ready for the surprise engagement party where friends and family will get to experience the special moment with both of you. These are some fun ideas that you can use when setting up for the engagement party:

• Make treat bags by placing sweet chocolate covered popcorn inside of clear plastic candy bags. Seal the bags with ribbon and attach a note to each one that says, "Pop..Pop..Popping the ?"
• Create a large timeline of events on poster board and hang it up as the main decoration for the party. The timeline of events should include pictures of both of you throughout the relationship, starting with the day you met her.
• Have a playlist of songs that remind you of your relationship with her. You can also have a playlist loaded with all of her favorite songs too.

These and other ideas will help you create a special moment for your girlfriend.

Step 3: Prepare a Creative Speech

Once your girlfriend gets to the surprise engagement party, she'll see the decorations, and she'll know something is up. You can head over to her and recite a speech, followed by getting down on your knee to ask her if she'll marry you. If you don't exactly have a way with words, consider adding some of these things into your speech:

• A memory from the beginning of your relationship
• The reasons you fell for her at the beginning
• Things about her that you love the most
• The reasons why you'd love to spend your life with her

You can propose to her right after you've recited the speech in front of everyone with the beautiful ring in your hand.