This may seem like a no-brainer for some, but many times these things are overlooked. You do not want to overlook anything when it comes to marriage proposals. Think of marriage as an investment - an investment in life, your future, and your family's future. Make the wrong choices early on, and that can spell disaster.

So you want to get engaged? Well for starters, congratulations! Now let us make sure that congratulations is in order and that you have all your bases covered. When you think about engagements, what is usually the first thing that comes to mind? The ring.

Make sure you have the ring when you propose. While there are people out there who have proposed without having the engagement ring, it takes away from the moment and the effect. No matter what she tells you, no matter how many times you have heard "Baby, I would marry you if you gave me a ring from a cracker jack box", do not mistake that for what she wants, and that is a ring when you propose. You see guys, you need to understand that this marriage proposal means something completely different to your girlfriend. It is a moment in life that she has been waiting for since she was a little girl. She has thought about this in depth, has planned it different ways in her mind as to how she would like it to happen. And every time she thinks about it, it always ends up with you giving her a beautiful diamond ring.

You have the rest of your life to be together, you will probably have months, if not a year or more, until the actual wedding date after you propose. So do yourself a favor and do not rush this. Get the ring first. You do not even want to plan a huge proposal prior to receiving the ring because you never know what might happen. You could end up not getting the ring in time which means the entire event has gone to waste. The last thing you want is to look like you cannot plan a simple proposal. Trust me, this looks very bad on your part.

Now that you have the engagement ring, start planning the proposal. You have a wealth of information available to you on how to do it, different ideas and techniques, etc. Remember, you only get ONE chance at this, so make it count! There's birthdays, holidays, special events, vacations...the list goes on and on. Get a list of about 3-5 ideas and write them down.

Narrow down the list by looking a bit further into each of the choices. Does she prefer one over the other? For instance, if she is not a Nascar fan, then proposing in the infield at a race with your drunken buddies and flashing girls around may not be the best idea. Cater to her likes and dislikes. Not only will she be more emotionally attached to the moment, but it is a good way to show that you were actually listening to her all those years. What does that mean? Bonus points for you buddy!

After you have narrowed it down to one choice, start your planning. Make sure to have solid, 100% accurate information. Call people more than once to confirm things if you are planning something at an event or location. If it is outdoors and weather dependent, then make sure you check the forecast ahead of time or have a backup plan. Also, do not just think "Where can I ask her", think about all the things you can do to make the ambience great as well. Saying sweet things and getting down on one knee is sure to make her fuzzy inside, but having the entire surroundings compliment the moment is almost a guaranteed tear jerker. You can finally show your sensitive side and let her know that this one day, this one moment is about nothing except for her. She is your special person in your life so make her feel like it.

Dress appropriately! There is nothing worse than taking her out to a nice dinner while you are sporting your torn jeans and bud light t-shirt. If you are going to an event, then it is ok to dress for the event. For instance, if you are going to propose at a baseball game, then it is acceptable to wear your team's jersey. Just make sure to avoid getting mustard stains on it before the seventh inning stretch!

There you have it fellas. If you put forth a real effort into the above items, you will have a great proposal story to tell everyone. And best of all, you will have a very, very happy fiance when it is all said and done. Good luck!