Will she say yes?

Dear Brian,

Congratulations on wanting to take the next step in your relationship. It's completely normal to feel nervous and have a bit of anxiety over asking your true love to spend the rest of her life with you. Before you go out and spend thousands of dollars on an engagement ring, you should hint around and find out how she feels about marriage and your relationship. Have you two discussed marriage before? Have her parents been happily married for thirty years? Or has their divorce left her with ill feelings towards marriage? First find out how she feels about getting hitched by asking questions like "do you see yourself getting married?" or "what kind of wedding do you imagine for yourself?" If she replies that she never wants to get married, you should probably wait on popping the question and have a serious discussion about your relationship and where it's heading. If she goes on and on in detail about her wedding gown, the venue for the ceremony and how long her veil will be, you can be sure that she's eagerly waiting a proposal from her Prince Charming. Once you determine if she wants to get married, you must find out about her feelings for you. You could cut right to the chase and ask her "where do you think this relationship is going?" or you can be a little coy and ask "do you think I'm marriage material?" Try to keep the tone of the questions light and playful. She'll let you know where you stand. Once you start asking her questions about marriage, she'll know that you're planning something so you better be ready to take the plunge. If she talks about being with you forever and that you're the love of her life, all signs point to her saying yes. Most couples talk about the future at some point in their relationship, but if she's never uttered a word about future plans with you it's best to find out before you fork over three months salary on a shiny rock. On the flip side, many brides-to-be were completely surprised when their grooms asked for their hand in marriage and those make for some of the best stories to share with the kids and grandkids. 

Yours truly,

Jennifer