A marriage proposal is a huge step in the relationship between two adults. This signifies taking a step towards a stage of a relationship where companionship goes past the “girlfriend and boyfriend” stage and becomes long-lasting.
Though a lot of people shy away from committing to one person or one relationship for the remainder of their lives, there are a plenty of people who prefer to take this step together.
Although romance is, of course, a key component of any successful relationship, more people seek out a person who they are compatible with in terms of attitude, financial stability, and sexual attraction. During the 1980s, marriages were on a steady rise, with a recorded almost 2.5 million marriages each year.
Though people are still getting married, the numbers seem to be taking a decline. Only about two million marriages happen a year, a drop of almost half a million from when numbers were at their peak.
However the stats show where marriage will go in the future, weddings always begin with a proposal. This is traditionally done by one person getting on their knee and presenting the other person with an engagement ring. An engagement ring traditionally has a gemstone, and can be found at any jewelry shop, for example, a place that sells diamond engagement rings Northern Virginia.
In heterosexual relationships, the man is traditionally the one who proposes to the woman. But when the whole wedding industry is in flux, this can change as well! After all, why does the man have to be the one who always proposes? There’s an outdated theory that states because men supposedly had more to lose by getting married, they were considered to be the more rational, level-headed decision-makers, but his idea is extremely archaic and problematic, not to mention sexist. People have learned that a woman and man both come into a relationship with as much to lose out on as the other person involved. In many cases, women are as financially stable, if not more, than their male counterparts.
Keep reading to learn more about why a woman shouldn’t wait for her man to propose.
1. Women don’t have to wait for their father’s “permission” anymore.
Gone are the days of a man needing to ask a woman’s father’s permission to marry her. Until the 18th century, marriages were arranged without the consent of the woman, which itself is extremely problematic. Many of these arranged marriages were done for the sake of financial gain, as fathers and potential husbands brokered the financial future of the bride to be. The assumption was that that the woman couldn’t survive by herself economically, and the wife to be unfortunately had no say in such cases.
Things have changed a lot since then. Women are often the breadwinners for their families and are no longer financially dependent on men. Gone are the days where a woman had to wait on their father’s and husbands to be to reach an arrangement on marriage. They can go ahead and pop the question themselves.
2. You’re never going to have a perfect proposal moment.
Many people think that a proposal has to be this epic, romantic event where the stars align for this perfect moment. That doesn’t happen on many occasions. So rather than waiting for your husband to set up such a moment, just go and get yours.
That doesn’t mean you don’t have to make it special though. Get dressed up, maybe glam it up with some mink eyelashes or special jewelry. You can set up a quiet dinner for two, bat your mink lashes at him and pop the question yourself. At the end of the day, he might even appreciate having the pressure of the “perfect proposal” being lifted off of him.
3. Your potential spouse doesn’t handle pressure well.
Some people fold under pressure. It’s just a fact. If you know how your husband to be handles pressure-heavy situations, you know you might be waiting a while for a proposal to come. Rather than waiting for your boyfriend to get a spurt of newfound confidence, just go ahead and knock out the proposal yourself. That’ll give you both more time for him to find a way to handle the stressful marriage preparation part of the process.
4. Get yours.
If you’re the type of woman who is decisive and knows what they want, you should maintain that same attitude when it comes to the marriage proposal. Don’t wait. You know if this is the guy that you want to marry. You’ve had conversations with him to see where his mindset is at on the topic. Just do it. Propose, and take the next step towards marriage. You’ll be happy that you owned the moment.
5. The guy’s masculinity will stay intact.
Despite the outdated stereotypes involved in proposals and offering engagement rings, the truth is either fiancé can propose. Your man won’t lose their “manliness” if you propose to them. They won’t sit in a corner lamenting “Why did she have to be the one to propose?!” Don’t worry about them losing some antiquated ideal of what makes a man a man if you propose to them.
They’ll be alright. Some men might even be so excited after the proposal that they’ll be planning for the honeymoon by booking hotel rooms, planning the upcoming trip, and planning out the trip cost by finding travel insurance or his and hers luggage. Don’t forget his part of the wedding planning — make sure both of your passports are up to date and that you have travel health insurance because the honeymoon is the best part of getting married!
