After 28 years of "dating," Gene Simmons finally popped the question to his girlfriend, Shannon Tweed. The proposal, which was recently aired on A&E, was definitely lackluster. I mean, Gene Simmons is worth millions, and his proposal was him just simply asking her on the beach. After 28 years, she deserved something better than that. But he isn't the only one that made a mistake. Here are some lessons learned from their engagement.
Ladies, don't wait 28 years. Besides the years of infidelity that she put up with, why on earth did she wait 28 years for a man to propose to her? Honestly, if you are over the age of 25 and your man takes more than 2-3 years to propose to you, move on. I know this is controversial advice, but I stand by it. If you are good enough to date, and especially if you are good enough to have his children, you are good enough to marry!
Ladies, don't pressure your man to propose. This is a rookie mistake. Girls that constantly nag their boyfriends to propose will end up regretting it. Just like Shannon said in the therapist's office, she wanted Gene to propose but she wanted him to do it because he wanted to. And truthfully, would you really want him to propose for any other reason? It is OK to give subtle hints to let him know that you are ready. Of course, be advised, men rarely catch "subtle hints." But if you nag and nag him to propose he may leave you or give you what you want and you will feel guilty either way.
Men, don't propose if you aren't ready. The worst part of watching Shannon talk about her engagement to Gene Simmons was when the therapist asked him if he was promising to be faithful. He said he would try his best. WOW! If you are not ready for marriage, do yourself and your girlfriend a favor and don't propose. And in case it isn't obvious, if you aren't ready to be faithful, you aren't ready to propose.
Men, make the proposal memorable. Seriously, just dropping down on one knee on the beach isn't a memorable proposal. A proposal should be a well thought out event. It should be unique and memorable and full of personal details that are relevant to your relationship. I am sure that Gene and Shannon had many inside jokes and memories that could have been incorporated into their proposal. I mean, they were together for 28 years!
Men, don't spend all the money on the engagement ring. Hardly anyone is in the position to buy his girlfriend a 27-karat diamond engagement ring like Gene Simmons did. But what is the point of spending that much money on a ring if you are going to give her a crappy proposal? Yes, the ring is an important part of the engagement, but the proposal itself is equally important. Why? Because the first thing that your girlfriend will be asked when she announces your engagement is, "How did he propose?" You have to give her a good story.
When you are getting ready to pop the question, make sure you budget some of your money for an equally impressive proposal concept.
Michele is a Romance Expert, who specializes in Romantic Date and Proposal Planning. She owns The Heart Bandits and has been featured on Fox News, Houston Chronicle, Orange County Register, NBC Los Angeles, and KTLA news. Contact The Heart Bandits to have them plan your romantic date or marriage proposal. For more information about The Heart Bandits, visit www.theheartbandits.com.