You have the ring in one hand and you’re down on bended knee. But do you know what to say when you propose marriage? “Will you marry me” just seems so abrupt.

Everyone has their own way of proposing marriage. Unfortunately, a lot of people seem to think that you only have to pop the question. But if you really want to make the moment count, you have to know what to say when you propose marriage.

1) Who is she to you?

One of the things to say when you propose marriage is what that person means to you. She’s not just your girlfriend. You’ll have to tell her the qualities that endeared her to you. What does she bring to your life?

2) Who are you when you’re with her?

What kind of person have you become since you two got together? Every woman wants to know that she has had some influence in her man’s life. Just make sure to enumerate only the positive influences.

3) What’s in store for the future?

One of the important things to say when you propose marriage is your plan for the future. You don’t have to give her all the details, but it would be wonderful if you can say something about it.

While not absolutely necessary in a proposal, it does give the girl the impression that you’ve thought long and hard about this plan.

4) What do you promise her?

Don’t just recite the wedding vows. You have to promise from the heart. Do you promise to let her have monopoly of the remote control except during basketball season? You can be as funny as you want to make the whole situation lighter.

5) Tell her you love her and will love her more everyday.

But most importantly, you have to promise her that you will love her forever. It’s what marriage is all about. You know there’ll be tough times but together, you’ll make it through.

It’s important to know what to say when you propose marriage. You don’t need to have a script in hand, but it would be better if you tried to organize your thoughts before acting upon your feelings.