Congratulations! In the immortal words of Phoebe from Friends, you’ve found your lobster–the one you love and will go through life with happily! Now, how will you propose marriage? Read on to find out our quick list of things you might want to say to your partner when you propose!
Hey, John!
Jordan and I have been dating for four years now and I think it is the right time to propose marriage. Are there any words I need to use to make it a legal or official engagement?
Since you’re the co-owner of Ainsworth House & Gardens wedding venue, I thought you might have great ideas.
Thanks!
–Taylor, in a Tumult in Tualatin, Oregon
Hey, Taylor!
That’s a great question!
Since we are in engagement season when 40% of all new engagements occur andwhich runs from Thanksgiving to Valentine’s Day), we expect many will reserve a location here to propose to their loved one and/or have an engagement party during the next 11 weeks.
There are a few elements which many successful proposals have:
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Be confident: Your confidence shows that this is the person you really want to marry. Planning helps reduce any nervousness.
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Be genuine. Express your thoughts about why this person is the one you want to go through life with as your partner.
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Get down on one knee. This is a sure sign you are proposing marriage rather than anything else.
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Open the ring box when you ask the question, “Will you marry me?”
Wording
Let me answer your question if there are any specific words you need to use to make the proposal legal or official. Since Ainsworth House & Gardens is in Oregon, I’m going to answer only for Oregon: No. There are no words legally required to make this a marriage proposal.
However, to make sure there is no confusion about what you are doing down there on one knee, you should include words such as, “Will you marry me?”
While your proposal could be just that question, you might want to write a little bit more.
Quick hint: If you get stuck trying to find the right words, use a thesaurus. No, it’s not a dinosaur you’ve never heard of. It’s a book or an online website which lists synonyms (words of similar meaning) and antonyms (words of opposite meaning) to the word you selected. You can enter a word such as “cheerful” at the Merriam-Webster Thesaurus and find similar words such as “happy” or “joyful” to use in your proposal.
This way, you can find alternatives and not use “amazing” 10 times in your proposal. 😊
Here are a few ideas you might want to include in your proposal. Don’t feel that you need to include them all.
1. “(Insert partner’s name here), I love you.”
2. When I first saw you (or met you), I thought _____.
3. That time you (yelled out a cheer for our favorite team/nursed me through a cold/rewrote my résumé for that important job interview), I knew we were meant to be/I knew I wanted to be with you forever/I knew you were my soulmate.
4. You make me feel ________ and I am so grateful for ________.
5. I love and respect _______ about you/
6. ______ makes me feel so excited about our future together.
7. Together, we ______.
8. I am ready/so ready for our future together/the life we will create together/ the family we will cherish together/_____.
9. Get down on one knee. Open the ring box and hold it up to your partner. Ask, “Will you marry me?”
Who can propose to whom?
Anyone can propose to anyone.
She can propose marriage to him.
He can propose to her.
She can propose to her or they.
He can propose to him or they.
Setting
We have several wedding venues—both indoor and outdoor—which you can reserve for your marriage proposal. In addition, we have an amazing indoor venue for your engagement party. Let me know if I can help you set up your proposal!
I hope this gives you ideas on how to start. I wish you the best of luck! Reach out to me if you have any questions.
Your friend in the wedding business,
John Shyne
The images above are courtesy of Pixabay.com.
The images below are from the Ainsworth House & Gardens wedding gallery.
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