Declaration of love XXI
Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse for declarations of love and proposals of marriage. In most existing modern traditions, offers of hands and hearts continue as an act of male bonding that requires courage, responsibility and fantasy. Often, in our life, there are rarely truly special moments that are memorable and better make a concerted effort in this, so that we can fashion something to remember that will provide us with warm memories in the future.

WITHOUT WITNESSES
If you are a prude or just immensely worried about your reputation, you have more suitable options available if you can make an offer behind the scenes, with no witnesses or too much “official-ness”. Even if your girlfriend refuses, no one will know. In the case of consent, it is advised to have a prepared “piano in the bushes” so that the surprise is more significant and striking. For example, let the photographer awaits your signal and, in the case of a positive response, be ready to have an emotional first submission for your first family album. You can later use these pictures for your wedding film.

The most simple and harmless version of the proposal will be a letter or a postcard that can be sent by mail, enclosed in a significant romantic book or in a DVD, with a compilation of your favourite music. Other possible original ideas with an element of surprise could include: a letter in an envelope from under the bills, an announcement on the blackboard at a convenient entrance or in an advertisement in a newspaper or magazine, on a local TV channel or on the radio, a balloon with a message or a billboard nearby. In these cases, you will have to make an extra effort to guarantee that it is seen by your beloved.

RING: GIFT DIAMOND
Actually, it’s a place to start. Many choose, for such an important event, an appropriate atmosphere. For example, a romantic dinner at a nice restaurant, a rooftop with table laid for two, a vacation hotel or simply a comfortable apartment.

Now, there is a lot of debate about what a perfect ring for engagement looks like. In the modern Russian tradition, an engagement ring is meant as a wedding ring.

In the Western tradition, these are two completely different activities requiring two different rings. An engagement ring is usually something with one expressive stone in the middle. The ring for marriage is often simple and smooth.

Recently, in the “new age”, with the growing trend of diversity, increasingly there are options of wedding rings in Celtic or Buddhist style, with runes or Sanskrit embedded and engraved.

However, the most interesting option would be a ring that does not exist yet! A new tradition has started of giving a ring that is not completed yet, with an individual diamond that will be, for both of you, a great family symbol, uniting you two as a couple. The setting, at this stage, will be the beginning of the “family jewels”. As we know “diamonds are a girl’s best friend!”

PUBLIC EVENTS
For self-confident guys, we can suggest ideas of love that involve a certain amount of people. Security rule: Consider the nature of your sweetheart, as any public and mass events implies a particular psychological stress on the bride and not every girl will be ready to accept it. In this category, you can include multiple ideological categories, like the well-known and proven flash mob or a well-orchestrated prank

FLASH MOB
The idea is not new, but still not widely used. The first thing that deters the idea of a flash mob is the size of the budget. Indeed, for a good professional flash mob with fifty professional dancers and singers, a video, cameras and an extraordinary scenario requires a significant investment or a very interested sponsor. However, if you are not able to afford all of this, ask friends to help out. You will need a great idea, a script (an action plan of each participant with the timing), the main melody and a suitable site. You will certainly need a gifted photographer, videographer and hidden camera.

The script (for the lazy):
Basic tune: Snow Patrol — ”Just Say Yes”. The minimum participants is 6 people, not including the couple. The maximum is limited only by the size of the room. She comes at the appointed hour into the restaurant. The waiter gives her a note from you in which is written a declaration of love. The words are notes and words of selected songs. At the next table sits a stranger. His cell phone rings and the ring tone is your song. He answers the call, ending his remark with the words: “Just Say Yes!” Then, the waiter comes, takes the menu, quietly, but audibly, humming the song under his breath. In come two girls, who sit at the next table and begin to discuss the song, one shouting to the other: “Just Say Yes!” By this point, your lover is already in a state of bewilderment. It is time to act.

The bartender switches the radio station and, from there, at the first lines of the verse, you open the door to the restaurant and leisurely approach your future spouse. You sit next to her or get on a knee and, handing her the treasured box, the chorus begins. Behind the tables, a number of participants start, one by one, singing and dancing around your table. Your girl is definitely in a trance and, hopefully, happy! At the end of the song, everyone gathers at the table and chants: “Just Say Yes!” There is applause and they, then, leave. You are left alone.

QUEST
Today, on You Tube, you can find many romantic options for this quest. The quest can be a very interesting idea for the original proposal of hand and heart. The only drawback of the quest that I see, as a woman, is that the script is usually developed with the girl having to complete it; running around town and collecting notes from strangers. The girls would prefer to see a quest, for example, in the form of a tournament, saving the princess or, maybe, a chess battle. Depending on the preferred style, you can think through the scenario quests in the spirit of Sherlock Holmes, Alice in Wonderland or Game of Thrones.

PRANK
When using a prank, it is best to plan ahead and to be sure of every element. From relatively harmless options, I would suggest to consider the “magic” prank, where objects are moving by themselves and fly around the room. There is also the “lost ring” and the “false death” of the protagonist, with a fall from the roof to a prepared awning. Perhaps, you may consider the “false arrest”, the “bank robbery”, the “window cleaner” or the “incident plane”.

THE MORIOKA
Perhaps the most beautiful, harmless and the least costly option is the Morioka. It is a music video where cast members lip-synch. You apply professional soundtracks in the video, obtained from a Hollywood movie about love. The more people that participate, the better it will be because attention will dissipate. Rather than concentrating on one artist and the synchronicity of lip movements to the sound recording, many people will be seen. You can include video, photos, excerpts from old videos, even if they are ‘home’ quality. The simplest option would be a song in solo performance. For example, Avril Lavigne — I Love You (Male Version). You can use the vocals in the chorus where the female voice connects as an opportunity to ask your girl to ‘sing’ a couple of sentences for you.

The advantage of this kind of video is that it can be constructed in pieces and the desired effect will be visible only if all of the pieces come together into a single picture. Even if your relatives live on the other side of the world, you can ask them to send in a home or professional video for a particular piece of the soundtrack by email. At the end of the shooting, do not forget to make the offer of marriage!

All of the above options work very well together and can be used together. For example, the bride can use the prank “swallowed ring” in response to the proposal, when the ring is placed in the champagne or cake. If preparing a surprise, be ready for surprises!

In any case, the main thing in preparing for any activity is the strategic planning and detailed organisation. Trust the professionals. A special offer for February: A gift from Special Moments for each couple during their engagement.