Published at 21:09, Wednesday, 03 February 2010

A proposal of marriage is a special moment that you will treasure forever.

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Traditionally it is the man who proposes to the woman and it can be filled with a sense of fear mixed with excitement, so you may want to take a bit of time to think about making it special.

This doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be a grand gesture. If you are a private couple or simply don’t think your beloved would appreciate a big fuss then a more low key proposal may be more appropriate.

Think about the date you want to propose as well as how and where you will propose.

There is a tradition for the man to approach his future father-in-law before proposing to her to ask for her hand in marriage as a mark of respect so think about whether you want to follow this.

It might be that the timing of the proposal is more important than the location.

Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve/Day and Valentine’s Day are all popular while it could be a date special to the couple, such as an anniversary or birthday.

Or it could be completely spontaneous.

Friday 13th may not seem like a good date to propose but for one couple from Whitehaven it turned out to be a lucky date.

Claire Donnelly and Daniel Barwise got engaged on March 13 last year. After going out for a meal in Cockermouth, Daniel proposed when they got home but he hadn’t realised that this happened to be Friday 13.

The following week Claire saw a competition in Cumbrian Weddings and decided to enter and they were chosen as one of the winning couples and were presented with a voucher for a wedding gown and bridesmaid’s dress from The Wedding Warehouse in Carlisle at the Live the Dream Wedding Event in April last year.

It doesn’t always have to be the man who proposes. There is a tradition that during a Leap Year women can propose to men on February 29 and journalist Gilly Fraser found this custom came in handy in 2000 when she decided to propose to now husband Malcolm Mason.

As far as the location goes, it could be a romantic place, perhaps a special place you have both been during your relationship, on holiday, while at home, the location of your first date or during a romantic meal.

There have been many memorable proposals featured in Cumbrian Weddings.

Paris has the reputation of being one of the most romantic cities in the world and the Eiffel Tower is popular for proposals. Not only was it the location for Tom Cruise, who got down on bended knee at the top to propose to Katie Holmes, but it has also been the chosen location for brides and grooms featured in Cumbrian Weddings.

David Edwards got down on one knee at the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris to propose to Leesa and then went on a moonlit cruise on the river Seine while Spencer McGlennon proposed to Rachael during a picnic in Trocodero Gardens on a surprise trip to Paris.

Venice in Italy is another romantic city and Alister Edgar proposed to Sarah in a gondola on The Grande Canal in Venice – Sarah’s mum Jean Simpson had given Alister her engagement ring to give to Sarah.

The Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy is another popular proposal location along with the Grand Canyon and the top of the Empire State Building in America and the London Eye, where you can hire your own private capsule.

When Kerrie and Milarn Smith were living in Sydney Milarn took Kerrie to Rose Bay where a sea plane was waiting to take them to a restaurant on Hawkesbury River. During the meal ‘will you marry me?’ was written in chocolate on Kerrie’s dessert plate and Milarn then got down on one knee and proposed.

If jetting off to a foreign location to propose isn’t for you there are plenty of ways to make a proposal special at home.

Marc Faulder proposed to Kathryn on Christmas Day with an engagement ring wrapped up under the Christmas tree while Nicholas Hutchinson decorated his mum’s living room with candles and flowers and had I’ve Had the Time of My Life playing ready for Linzi when she returned home from work. He was wearing his Whitehaven rugby league top for good luck.

When Ann-Marie and David Mutter got engaged things didn’t work out quite as David planned. They were flying out to Paris where he had planned to propose but he ended up popping the question in Newcastle airport. David put the ring in his pocket but panicked over whether it would set off the security alarms so he proposed in the airport lounge because he was so worried.

Wherever and when you choose to propose is a personal decision and you shouldn’t feel under pressure – it should be something you enjoy and look forward to.

Traditionally, the engaged couple would tell the bride-to-be’s parents about the engagement first and then the groom-to-be’s parents but today this is not always the case.

You may want to take out an announcement in your local newspaper to let people you aren’t in regular contact with know about your engagement.

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