8 Things You Do When You Think Your Boyfriend Is About To Propose

Maybe a friend who helped him pick out the ring clued you in. Maybe he’s dropped hints. Maybe you just feel it coming. No matter where your suspicions come from, most women know when that moment is coming – and this is what they do while waiting.

Make sure your nails always look good

You know that, all things considered, this is a tiny, insignificant detail, but you imagine how perfect and beautiful the moment will be that you first see that ring on your finger and chipped polish or a broken, janky nail simply will not do.

Have a tiny heart attack every time he ties his shoes

Or bends down to pick something up. Or blinks. Or breathes. Jesus Christ, could he just do it already so you can stop with the painful anticipation?

Create secret Pinterest wedding boards

Whether you’re the kind of person who has always idly daydreamed about what your wedding might be like, or the kind of person who never gave it any thought, as soon as you feel like an engagement is coming soon, you can’t help but think about it. And pin about it. But it’s just for you – you don’t need your entire social network to know what fantasies you’re presently indulging.

Fight the urge to snoop

You’ve never been one to go through your man’s emails/texts/underwear drawer, and you hate the insecure people who do, and it’s not like you even want to know the details of his proposal plans, but a part of you neeeeeds to know. A part of you is dying to know. You refrain because, at the end of the day, you still respect his privacy and have good boundaries but, ugh, the temptation to go digging for details is so real.

Start working out more

You love your body, and you know your boyfriend loves your body, but let’s be real: who doesn’t want to look their absolute best on their wedding day? Those photos will be expensive and permanent. You don’t want to be one of those crazed people doing a radical cleanse the week before the big day, so might as well start putting in a little extra effort to get your body in its most perfect condition now (whatever “perfect condition” means to you.)

Think about your friends…differently

Your friends have no idea, but they are secretly already in the process of competing for Maid of Honor.

Try out different last name options

Will you take his name? Keep yours? Hyphenate? So many options, and you now have them written down on a piece of paper that you will quickly feel self-conscious about and destroy.

Question everything

Is this what “forever love” is supposed to feel like? How do you know he’s The One? Isn’t that some bullshit notion anyway? Isn’t marriage really just about two people loving each other and committing to do the work involved to share their lives? It’s not some cosmic, pre-ordained, fated situation. You know that. But it doesn’t matter how in love you are, nor how well-matched you know the two of you are, once the idea of saying “yes” to forever becomes much more real, you can’t avoid doing a little pre-engagement soul-searching.