What to Say When You Propose Marriage

Knowing what to say when you propose marriage can be one of the most challenging, wonderful and exciting things in your life. The reality is that no one can tell you exactly what to say when you propose, since the proposal needs to come from the heart and reflect who you are and who your future spouse is and why you want to come together as a couple and spend your lives together. Still, here are a few suggestions for what to say when you propose marriage so you can create the perfect proposal.

Nobody can tell you exactly what to say to the person you love when you propose marriage, but having a few ideas of where to start might be what you need to get going. The suggestions below should get you thinking in the right directions, and from there perhaps you can take the proposal and turn it into something truly special and personal for you and your future partner. 

Explain what the person has meant to you.

Talk about the past you have with this person – how you met, the time you have had together, any meaningful events that you have experienced that brought you closer to one another. This helps solidify the fact that you are used to having this person in your life and indicates that you appreciate his or her presence there. 

Talk about hope for the future.

Tell the person how you are excited to experience future events with them – whether these events are building a family or going skydiving don’t really matter, and that part is between you. The important thing is to indicate that these future events mean more to you when you imagine doing them with this person – that, in fact, you cannot imagine things being otherwise. 

Talk about your feelings – and make it personal.

This is the tough part. Remember that talking about your feelings doesn’t have to be mushy, but needs to be honest.

• The single best way to do this is to avoid clichés. Don’t tell the person that he or she has captured your heart, or has you head over heels, unless those words are exactly what you want.
• Don’t just say words because you feel like they are supposed to be in a marriage proposal.
• Choose the words which are meaningful and important to you. Do you love your partner because you can laugh about bad situations, like when you threw up on the Ferris wheel on your first date? Tell them that. Make it special, personal, and show them that you mean every word you’re saying.

Finding the Words to Propose Marriage

There are so many situations in which it’s difficult to find the right words to say – not because you don’t know what you want to express, but because there are things you would like to express that seem beyond the power of words. Proposing marriage is more than likely one of the situations where you’ll feel exactly like this.

If that's the case, you can take the ideas here about what to say when you propose marriage, and you can modify them and make them your own. You also don't have to plan a big speech or have some elaborate words written out. A simple declaration of love, straight from your heart, is often the best thing you can say when you propose marriage to your intended.