When’s the Best Time to Pop the Question? Dropping 10 Hints for You

“It’s complicated.”

This statement can describe a relationship status or an answer to the question posed. You know that you have found someone for keeps, but it’s the timing to formally ask for their hand in marriage that eludes you.

There’s a right time for everything, after all. You may be going too fast or dragging your feet for too long; who knows? If you are finding it hard to decide or you need a sign or two to cement your decision to pop the question, here are ten scenarios to help clue you into taking your relationship to the next level.

You Visualize a Life with Them

You have seen each other’s best and worst since the big move in. The dishes, scented candles, and other personal kicks can be fodder for arguments. If you have managed to put up with them and willing to do so for many years to come, guess you are ready.

You Survive the Move-In Itself

Moving into a new house is stressful, with lots of packing and unpacking to do. This event can turn the most lovey-dovey couples into sworn enemies overnight. Surviving the move-in, aside from the months of adjustment, shows that you can weather storms together now and, possibly, forever.

You Have Become Friends with Their Friends

It’s common to see your significant others’ pals on their birthdays or gatherings. What’s groundbreaking is how you can connect to them the same way they do with your partner. You think that they are great additions to your existing friendships, and that’s a good sign.

You Have Become Part of the Family

Whether it’s anniversaries, weddings, and so on, you have become a fixture in your partner’s family celebrations as they are in yours. You enjoy their company, having grown fond of nieces and nephews. Even the in-laws have welcomed you to the inner circle.

You Can Come Clean about Exes

You’ve reached the level of comfort and trust when you can openly talk about your past relationships. The details for previous breakups can be unsavory but necessary, as they can be waving flags in your romantic ties at the moment. This openness goes for your partner too.

You Feel Happy Doing Nothing

It’s Friday night, and you opted to go home and take dinner old-school style with your significant other. Still, you had fun when you just practically sat on the sofa, talking about anything. That’s not the first time you feel this content over simple joys. If it isn’t happiness, then what is?

You Can Talk Openly about Finances

Money is a sensitive issue among couples and is responsible for many marriage dissolutions. Any discussion about finances will bring up salaries, debts, costs of living, and goals for the future. You are fortunate if you and your partner can have money talks with ease. This willingness to tread on dangerous territory is a sign that you are serious and honest.

You Are, or Try to Be, on the Same Page about Children

Whether you want to have children or not is another big issue that some couples avoid. You can have opposing views about the number, spacing, or raising the kids that can mean giving up one’s career. Your opinions may diverge, but if you can come to a common ground or be more understanding, you have progress right there.

You Are as Ready as Your Partner Is

Marriage takes two to work. After talking over your finances and future plans (with you being part of each other’s) and seeing no hurdles that you two can’t overcome, it sounds like you are all set to go to the next level and pop the question. Your partner can be dropping hints too, like wedding gowns, honeymoon, that sort of stuff.

You Can Get That Perfect Engagement Ring

The engagement ring shows your love and commitment, and when it’s time to give yours, it has to wow your beloved. You should thus work hard for a suggested 2.5-carat sparkly diamond ring.

Why this carat weight? It gives you a big diamond at an affordable price than, say, a 3.0-carat number, which if done in the same cut as a 2.5, has a slightly noticeable difference in size.

Best Time to Propose

Heart.co.uk relates, citing a survey, all these signs can take time to manifest and prove that there is never a right time to pop the question. It also follows that no length of time since meeting this person can stop you from proposing.

Aside from timing, you can focus on your readiness to get married, not just to wed. You have to show you are the best for your partner to say “Yes, I will marry you.”

In collaboration with Heather J.