Will You Marry Me? These might be the four scariest words you will ever utter. But if you are planning on saying them soon, be sure to do your homework on the do's and don'ts of marriage proposals. The proposal might only take a couple minutes, but the marriage (hopefully) will last a lifetime.

DO:

• Use your connections. If you work for a television station or have friends at one, tell them to hook you up. Go on air so you can proclaim your love publicly.



• Be creative and spontaneous. Don't let her know that you are proposing and make sure it is a complete surprise. Women do not want to know the exact date and what you are planning.



• Ask the parents. Women will appreciate this no matter how crazy their family is.



• Make it personal. Now is the time for being cheesy and romantic, so play it up. Write her a poem, engrave her ring with something special or think of something that has to do with your relationship to tie into the proposal.



• Enlist her friend's advice. They know her better than anyone and it will make you look good that you went to them for help. If she has a sister than you're golden.



• Get on one knee. Unless she has told you how cheesy she thinks it is, most women still want the old school romance.

DON'T:

• Propose in bed or in the middle of anything in bed. Girls will not want to share the story with anyone because it won't sound romantic.



• Propose unless you know she is going to say yes. If you just broke up last week, now is probably not the best time.



• Do it while intoxicated. She won't say yes unless she is drunk and then you both might regret it in the morning. Girls dream about his moment, try to do it sober.



• Do it at a sports game or on a billboard. How many times can this be done already?



• Do it at someone elses wedding. Need we explain?



• Get her a fake diamond. Somehow, someway, she will find out. And then you will be in serious trouble.



• Be cliche. Stay away from holidays and obvious dates for engagements. This will leave her wondering and will make it more spontaneous.



• Forgoe the romance--you will have to hear about it for the rest of your life.

Now that you know the basics, make sure you get a ring she actually wants (she probably already told you exactly what that is). If not, Tiffanys is always a good bet. If you are on a budget, talk to your married friends to find out where they got their rocks. Now is not the time to be cheap, so if you really can't afford it you might want to hold out. Or buy her a box of Cracker Jack's and hope for the best.

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