Red roses and white pine cones

The ring is bought, the words rehearsed — you’re prepared. But you want to add a little special something to your proposal…think engagement flowers. You are brilliant! There are not too many women who will tell you they don’t love receiving a beautiful bouquet.

A picture paints a thousand words, but in the world of romance, a carefully chosen bouquet of flowers can be the most eloquent statement of your love — other than the fabulous ring you just bought for her, of course.

If you decide to give your love engagement flowers, here are a few tips on making them winter wonderful for your holiday proposal.

Go for elegance with a silver and white look or celebrate the season with reds and greens. Create a sparkling winter land of evergreens, white, silver, and crystal.

For a magical winter bouquet, use Austrian crystals or use a few strategically placed sparkling crystal flowers within the bouquet of blooms you choose.

Red and white aren’t just the colours of Christmas, they’re also the colour of love. The combination of red and white roses symbolizes union.

Bouquet Ideas

These arrangements can also be used to create floral centerpieces or given as beautiful hostess gifts too.

• White poinsettias mixed with red roses or tulips
• Red roses mixed with white lilies and holly
• Red and white roses accented with fragrant evergreens and eucalyptus.
• Calla lilies with clusters of purple/blue berries
• Gardenias, holly berries and ivy
• Hydrangeas and pomegranate with trailing ribbons
• Blue hydrangeas, baby’s breath and silvery eucalyptus
• Gardenias, red berries, white rose buds with green ivy
• White roses, white hydrangeas, white sweet peas, white ribbon and tulle
• Red rose buds, pinecones with pine leaves and red ribbon
• Red poinsettias mixed with white tulips or roses

Engagement Ring

You’ve got your plan of action on how and when to pop the big question. Now it’s time to think about the ring. It’s possible your bride-to-be (don’t faint – that’s what she’ll become!) has dropped many hints about what type of engagement ring she wants.

Study the kind of jewelry she generally wears. Is it simple of flashy? Does she prefer platinum, yellow or white gold? Does she prefer simple styles or something that will be instantly noticed? Do you know what kind of cut of stone she prefers?

It can pay to go window shopping for jewelry and take note of her reaction to certain shapes and styles. You may even be surprised to find out that she’s not a diamond girl. Remember the engagement ring is important – she’ll be wearing it for the rest of her life…no pressure though.

But if all else fails, consult with your girlfriend’s friends or sisters about ring styles.

Do you need a ring to propose? Technically, no, but many women may tell you that neglecting to have an engagement ring at your proposal is the most serious proposal related mistake a man can make. Need we say more?

Size matters

You should probably consider how to figure out the ring size of your girlfriend’s wedding finger. There is an easy way to do this without any measuring required. Chances are she wears a ring on her right hand ring finger and she’ll probably take that ring off occasionally.

Launch a covert operation and sneak the ring away to make an impression in a bar of soap or lay it down on a piece of paper and trace the circumference. But don’t get too hung up on ring size. Although it is nice to have a perfect fit, remember that jewelers can easily resize an engagement ring to make it either bigger or smaller.

But the right style right matters most. If you get it right you’re ahead of the game by demonstrating to your wife-to-be that you listened to what she really wants.

Now, get down on one knee, and good luck!