Look before you leap (year)

It’s a leap year, and according to tradition, a woman can propose on 29 February.

As we may be on the verge of the first female President of the United States, women are definitely capable of asking a man for his hand in marriage on any day of the year if she so wishes.

Looking back through history, the tradition seems to have begun in 5th century Ireland when St. Patrick decreed that women could propose to men on this one day in February during the leap year.

How not to do it:

Here are a few questions you should ask yourself before popping the question:

• Firstly ask yourself why you want to get married.
• Is your relationship ready to be taken to the next level?
• Have you discussed marriage with your partner?
• Have you listened carefully to what your partner said?
• Have you agreed on how you’ll solve issues that might arise?
• Do you share the same goals for the future, and are you equally committed to reaching them?

All the answers must be YES

All the answers to these questions need to be YES if the marriage is going to be successful. If you answered NO to any of them, why not wait, and use 29 February to talk to your partner about the future. Cook them a meal or take them out for dinner and discuss what you’re both looking for, and celebrate what you already have.

Famous women who have proposed

In 1839 Queen Victoria proposed to Albert, a situation necessitated by the fact that she held a much higher rank than him.

Zsa Zsa Gabor claimed that she proposed to all of her nine husbands. The first proposal was when she was only 15 years old, to her 35-year-old boyfriend, a Turkish official named Burhan Asaf Belge. It was Gabor’s parents who provided the ring, sporting a ten carat diamond, for their daughter.

More recently, celebrities such as Halle Berry, Jennifer Hudson, Heather Mills, and Pink have admitted to proposing to their husbands (or ex-husbands).

Halle Berry

Jennifer Hudson

Pink

Pics: Corbis