Proposal hacks

They say that during the course of a lifespan one lives through and remembers many cherished memories. The extent to which our mind remembers these memories depend on the effect the memories had in our lives.

My most cherished memories date back to the age of 12 which is when I invented my own country, made up a new accent, spoke non-stop about my made up customs and annoyed my teachers to death and at 16 when I had to put out a flaming fire on a girls head whilst wearing a tux on my prom night. But for most people, their most cherished memories are less ridiculous and more meaningful.

One such memory that you will quite possibly cherish all your life is the day that you get engaged to your significant other. For this week, we decided to leave out all the lovey-dovey clichés that surround a proposal and opted instead to let you know of the most epic and creative ways you can pop the question and make your better half the happiest person in the world!

Before we get into the easy as well as the extravagant ways to propose, keep in mind that proposing with rings on a cake, in a glass or at a game are out of the question as these have been used and overused too many times over the years.

Samira - a student of Dhaka University – had this to say, "Nowadays you read about people proposing in the craziest ways imaginable. Thankfully my fiancé keep it simple and sweet. He took me to the part of our campus where we first met, handed me a rose and asked me whether he could spend all his life with me. It was perfect and I loved the proposal. Of course, I said yes!"

Maisha, another student added, "I got engaged in my last year of university in New York. It had been a really long and tiring last semester. One night my boyfriend asked me to meet him outside and handed me a box of laddu. I was missing home so much I started eating them right there and that's when he went down on one knee and proposed. It was the perfect blend of a local and western proposal. With a mouth full of laddu, I said yes!"  

You might also consider staying away from proposals that are basically too crazy to pull off. These days, people propose in every place and every way imaginable. There are stories of couples getting engaged while sky-diving, as if the idea of marriage wasn't scary enough.

Whilst this might seem like a memorable way to propose, if you think about it for a minute, you'll realise how crazy it is. "This is so romantic! Can you believe I thought of this? We are falling from the sky as newlyweds!" the groom might say. To which the white-as-a-ghost bride would reply, "Dude, if you don't pipe down and pull the cords, we'll soon be newlydeads!"

To start off, the first thing we should cover is the easy-cheat-way you can pop the question. This is directed to those who – like me - are too lazy to plan something extravagant. You can do something as simple as a proposal in a photo booth.

Get in the booth, take out the ring and let the booth do your dirty work or rather, frame your special day. If however, you don't want to do too much but still want to make it personal, there are dozens of simple things that you can wrap your awesome proposal around.

You can also keep it casual and do a surprise proposal, maybe in the middle of a scrabble game? That way, even if you lose, you win. Another amazing way to propose would be to put the ring into a Harry Potter Quiddich Snitch. These are for those of you who love books and films and would cherish these sorts of memorabilia.

Then there are the much more complex ways to pop the question and number one on that list is a scavenger hunt! For those of you who want to do something a lot more personal, this can be the way to go.

You can map out your history with the other person - like the first time you met, first date, places you visited together, hangout spots – and choose your locations accordingly.

You can also add items that you acquired or gave each other over the years and put them on the scavenger list. There is perhaps nothing that'll have more of a personal touch than a fully customised scavenger hunt that tells both your stories. If however, you still want that personal touch without having to put in as much work, you can always go classic with a handwritten letter.

Yes, as old fashioned as that sounds, a long meaningful letter might just be the right thing for you. All you'd need is some old paper textures and you are all set!

If however, none of this captures how you want your proposal to go then perhaps what you want is something that is a little lighter. In that case, pranks can be an awesome way to go. Prank your significant other and the worse you get them, the better!

Record the sweet ownage and then pop the question at the first sight of them sulking. This might not be the most romantic way but it's fun and will definitely catch them by surprise.

No matter what you choose, be sure to add your personal touch. And if nothing else works you can always book the planetarium and fill it with lilies and when the two of you meet under the stars, you can propose. You can thank the Friends' writers for that one because that's how Ross always dreamed he'd propose to Rachel!