How to plan a marriage proposal

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Ah spring -- what a beautiful time to be in love and what a beautiful time to get engaged. At first blush, proposing might appear to be a relatively straightforward process: a nice restaurant, a rock in her champagne glass and, voila! Right? Well, while every proposal is memorable, a little creativity will go a long way to making your special moment even more so. So if you're thinking of popping the question soon, we have some ideas to help you organize an unforgettable proposal.Sarah on "Getting Creative"Nicolas Garraeu of ApoteoSurprise (http://www.apoteosurprise.com/indexEN.htm), a company that arranges romantic wedding proposals for tourists in Paris, quoted a survey that found 80 percent of women felt their proposal was less romantic than they had hoped for. The same study also revealed that 20 percent of women actually swallowed the ring when their groom-to-be dropped it in a glass of champagne! (That gives a whole new meaning to "choked up," doesn't it?) The best way to get beyond the obvious is to spend a little time thinking about how you might weave a special detail about you as a couple into your proposal. If you're stuck, try to think of ways to link the big moment to how you met or your favorite activity to do together. And if you're just not the creative type, ask other creative types like ApoteoSurprise, for a little help.Alicia on "Ditch Perfection"There is no such thing as the "perfect" proposal. It sounds so obvious, but a lot of people get caught up in trying to create a proposal moment that lives up to some external perfect proposal benchmark. There is no rule that you must get down on bended knee, no optimal time of day to pop the question, no must-have background music, no specific lighting requirements, no specific wardrobe needed... The only thing that matters is that your proposal come from the heart. Stay true to that, and everything else will fall into place.Here are a few tips on how to get ready to pop the question.1. A Little Advance Planning Goes a Long WayWhile you are in the throes of daily life, it can be difficult to find the time to plan. But a few minutes spent mapping out the details a few weeks in advance is likely to make all the difference. If you and your beloved are highly spontaneous people, you might resist the thought of planning. But the fact of the matter is that it's hard to create a truly out of the ordinary proposal experience when you're flying by the seat of your pants. A little planning does indeed go a long way.2. The Ring is the ThingThe central feature of any proposal is the ring. There is obviously some legwork required on this front. Things to try to plan ahead for as best you can: her exact ring size, preferred metal (platinum, gold, white gold, silver), and favorite cut (princess, Marquise, etc.). If you don't have a clue where to start, check out the online diamond experts at www.bluenile.com. They have a wonderful online guide that walks you through ring basics.3. A Family AffairMost women want to tell their close family and friends the news right away. So you may want to think twice about popping the question before dinner plates arrive. You might be on the phone for the next hour, or even have to leave to tell her family/friends in person. One idea is to arrange for her family and closest friends (which you will need to plan for -- see above) to meet at a pre-arranged place, like a restaurant. That way, once you have proposed, you'll have the makings of a ready-to-go engagement party.The writers are co-founders of Buttoned Up, a company dedicated to helping stressed women get organized. Send ideas and questions to yourlife(at)getbuttonedup.com. For more columns go to scrippsnews.com.)