Suggestions for this idea please?

[MrBleeker]

Hey all you female types out there: I need some suggestions as how to go about decorating my girlfriend's apartment before she arrives. I plan on having rose (or flower) petals etc, and lots of votive candles, red and white most likely. I need help with decorating or romantic ideas for her actual apartment. I also need suggestions if you think anything I will do will give the proposal away. I want it to be a complete surprise!

My plan so far is this: She teaches highschool during the day, so on Friday, I am going to arrive at her apartment and start decorating and preparing. But first, I will deliver to her school, a handwritten letter, stamped and enveloped, so she thinks I'm just being romantic. I have done this throughout the school year last year. Then, I will have a single red rose that I will also deliver, that the school secretary will call her down to pick up after school. This may or may not be with a heart-shaped box of chocolates (corny)? There will be a letter of some sort saying how much I love her and can't wait to see her next. She doesn't expect me until Saturday, so this should still not give anything away. But in case she is suspicious, I have her fellow teacher working with me to hold her after and have a "mentor meeting" with her for an hour or so, until around dinner time. The teacher will then excuse himself, and let me in a side door, where I will surprise her! But, I want her to just think I surprised her by making it up on Friday evening instead of Saturday like she originally thought. So, I won't be doing anything super extraordinary because I don't want her thinking I might propose.

I plan on then taking her out to a nice dinner, and during dinner, I will call yet another accomplice who will light all the candles I had previously set up at her apartment. Then, she and I will return to her apartment like we usually do, to watch a movie or whatever, and she will be completely surprised, as I will have the stairs leading up to her apartment decked out with red and white candles, 2 on each step, leading to her doorway.

Without a doubt, that moment she will know, that I am proposing. But before then, I'm hoping she won't. Do any of you ladies think that anything I had planned prior to arriving at her apartment with her, will give my intentions away? If not, any suggestions for other small but romantic ideas are very welcomed.

Secondly, I need suggestions as to how to go about decorating her apartment. I will have candles leading up to her doorway. Inside, I will have a CD playing a CD that we both love (Norah Jones) and I will hopefully have some good scents coming from the multitude of candles. What I am not sure is how I want to present the ring. I am toying with the idea of having it tied or hidding inside a single rose, which would be differently colored amidst several other roses. What color should this single rose be, and what should the other roses be? Should I use roses? ARGH I am such a guy when it comes to this stuff. I was thinking I would attach a piece of paper, nice quality of course, to each flower, and it would have something I loved about her on it. Ultimately she would end up with the last rose or flower, and see the ring attached, or possibly inside the petals. Some note would direct her to read them in order and save the odd-flower-out until the end. There are lots of open possibilities here and I need suggestions from all the romantic types!!

Thanks so much,

 

[Gale]

Wow. What a detailed plan. Perhaps the delivering of the rose and the card to her school will alert her to the fact that you are already in town.

Have you given your girl flowers before? Were they roses? You may want to choose to give her flowers of the sort you first gave her, or her favourite, if her favourite is not already roses. If you do decide to go with roses, have the florist cut ALL of the thorns off of the stems, especially if you want her to handle them.

Good luck!

 

[MrBleeker]

Wow 40 views and just one response for suggestions? Come on ladies! I know you can do better, Friday quickly approaches!

 

[jellybean]

If I was your girlfriend and was expecting you on Saturday, the very fact that you showed up on Friday would totally get me suspicious. But then again, I''m a very suspicious sort of person.

If you were just at her apartment when she got home, that would spoil the going out to dinner....hmmm...

OK, you show up at the school. I would not to the box of candy. I agree -- too corny.

I like the rose idea. Sweet, but not too much so where your idea would be given away.

If you''re going out to dinner, I wouldn''t go somewhere too fancy or somewhere you haven''t gone before. Fancy restaurants are usually a dead giveaway. Keep in simple.

As far as the apartment...I would have a special table set up with the flowers and pictures of you two as a couple. Bring her back down memory lane. The candles up the stairs are considered a fire hazard and most landlords will not let you do that. Just have the candles on the table. You could have rose petals leading up the stairs. Have the apartment dim (assuming you will be coming back when it is dark) with the candles and/or a few low lights.

If you do the roses, you could do red and white or like Gale suggested, use her favorite colors. If you choose red and white, I would have the bouquet all white roses and put the ring on one red one in the middle (or vice versa). The paper idea is nice but she will probably be such a nervous wreck and she won''t get through all the papers.

I think it''s a great keepsake though.

How about this....you give her a rose at certain locations...i.e. one at school, one at dinner, one in the car, one on the stairs leading to the apartment and finally one inside with the ring. Actually if that was me, I would be totally suspicious with the first rose

(Can you tell my husband isn''t the romantic type?) Nah -- I like your idea better.

Not sure if any of these suggestions help...if you totally want to blow her away, I would just be at her apartment when she gets home. Hey - here''s an idea -- be at her apartment when she gets home, go out to dinner, and have your accomplice set up everything while you''re gone!

I think the fact that you''re thinking up such as elaborate plan shows what kind of guy you are.

Congrats and good luck!

 

[caligal]

Oh this sounds lovely! I agree- no chocolates at work- just a flower. Are roses her favorite? If so- great! You know each rose color means something different? There should be some info on the web about that- I would get a color that is meaningful to you two. I like the music and candles- if you are having dinner somewhere light then you could have a favorite desert of hers waiting if you want to prolong the proposal? Is she the type to share everything with family or girlfriends? I am! If she is like me- it would be neat if you asked family and friends to arrive at her apartment right after you all do and wait outside- then after you propose you could let them in for a surprise! Just some thoughts. Good luck- can''t wait to hear all about how she loved it!