Pay for the ring she desperately wants but leave it displayed in the jeweler’s window or case. Bring her in every once in awhile to tease her further before popping the question. A variation: pay for the ring, but have the jeweler remove it from display. The next time she sees it’s gone, bring her in to look at alternate choices. You will need to prompt her about what she liked about the last ring. Arrange for the jeweler to say something like, "well, I have one more in the back that might be close to what you want." He or she will then return with the original ring.

Pretend to leave town, but show up as the postman to deliver a very special message: the ring and your proposal!

Arrange for an "intimate dinner out," but reserve a private room and invite friends to show up for an engagement party – yours!

Tell her you’re going to an engagement party. Show her the invitation – the names of the "engaged" couple should be anagrams of your names. Hopefully, she won’t realize it until you show up at your own engagement party!