Before you pop the question

Prince William had to fly all the way to Kenya to propose to his fiancée Kate Middleton.

He did not book into one of our beautiful five star beach hotels or rent one of the stunning villas or the privately-owned exclusive ranches that we have around. He opted for a remote area in Rutundu on the slopes of Mount Kenya that is not even connected to electricity.

Well, Rutundu may be secluded but you cannot trade it for any other place in the world. Its beauty is outstanding and its simplicity is what made it the preferred choice.

I’m sure there are great sites and hotels in London and other places around the world but the Prince went for the most spectacular one.

No doubt, Kenya has what it takes to have hosted this royal proposal. The bottom line is the Prince wanted to make this moment a special one that Kate would always remember and cherish.

Well, not every man is a prince and not every girl is dating a prince so away from the royalties and closer home. As long as you are in a steady relationship that is headed to marriage, as a man, you are expected to propose to your woman.

Yes, every woman in such a relationship expects you, at one point or another to propose to her that you want the relationship to move to the next level…marriage.

Proposing is such a relative word since there are many ways and means of doing this. Whatever form you choose, just bear in mind that “the proposal” is one of the most important moments in a woman’s life and therefore you ought to make it as special as you can.

I have to admit that this is one of the toughest things that a man has to do and for sure, I do not envy our brothers at all.

However, it does not have to be an insurmountable task.

Before you decided to pop the question, you must be certain that this is person you want to spend the rest of your life with.

Both of you must be reading from the same page. You do not want to propose to someone who has never thought of getting married, leave alone get married to you.

So have a conversation on where the two of you see each other in the next couple of years.

It is wise to write down a list of all the reasons why you want to marry her. This will go a long way in guiding you on what to say on the day you are actually proposing.

Some things may be beyond your control, you need to know for example, that how you propose to her will be a topic of discussion among her girlfriends for a long time and from there they will judge you as a romantic at heart or not, as a ‘stingy’ person or not among other things.

What happens once you pop the question and she accepts is that she will update her status as engaged on facebook and from this, everyone of her friends will be informed of the development.

The girls will then convene an urgent meeting so that they can view, complement, criticise the ring you gave her and then jostle to be in the wedding line up.

The newly engaged woman is asked to narrate the whole event of ‘the proposal’. Questions such as ‘so how did he do it, where were you, did you cry, how did you feel, have you chosen your wedding date?’ are common in these girly rendezvous.