How to Propose Marriage on Leap Years

Men and women can propose marriage memorably by playing up Leap Year traditions, including the reverse proposal and Leap Year Cocktail. Legend has it that the tradition of women proposing to men on Leap Year began in the 5th century, after St. Bridget complained about having to wait so long for a man’s marriage proposal. It was eventually deemed that women would be allowed to propose once every four years on—you guessed it—Leap Year. Below are a few ideas for a unique marriage proposal:

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Leap Year Cocktail Ingrediants, as listed in Gary Regan's "The Joy of Mixology":
• 2 ounces gin
• 1/2 ounce Grand Marnier
• 1/2 ounce sweet vermouth
• 1/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
• 1 lemon twist
• Your one-of-a-kind, soon-to-be fiance

1. The Day You Propose Marriage: have fun with the Leap Year tradition of role reversal. On the day of your proposal, plan to do things or go places that you normally wouldn’t. If your boyfriend always makes dinner, cook it yourself and invite him over. If she’s always the one to give cards, make a special one for her and give it to her before taking her out to that chic flick she’s been dying to see. Who’s usually the one to go in for the kiss? Switch that around today. Turn the tables and set the stage for romance.
2. Get Creative With Your Marriage Proposal: Leap year is special; it comes only once every four years. Lead in to the proposal by talking about Leap Year traditions. Then talk about some ways that your hon and the relationship you have is also rare and special. Ahead of time, figure out how many Leap Years span your life. Now, ask if your hon will share the next *number* of Leap Years with you and present the ring or another symbol of a life together. *Alternative proposal ideas presented below.
3. It's a yes!? Celebrate your engagement with a Leap Year cocktail. Have it pre-made and ready for celebration. Or, if you plan to propose marriage at a restaurant, find out ahead of time if they serve the drink. If you really want to woo your hon, tell him/her the story of St. Bridget. Now earn double gold stars: add that in the Middle Ages, a law was passed allowing women to propose, but holding that if a man declined, he had to pay a fine (such as a kiss). Bring a special gift with you, and present it after s/he accepts. Explain that since your hon accepted, s/he’s the one who gets the gift.

Tips & Warnings

• SPECIFIC IDEAS
• Plan the day ahead of time with your hon. Call it ‘Leap Day’ and have fun planning unusual activities for each other. Read up on Leap Year history and present facts throughout the day regarding laws on marriage proposals and the Leap Year cocktail.
• Make it a game: tell your future fiancé that at the end of the day, s/he will have to guess what the theme of the day was, and if the guess is right, there will be a special surprise. S/he may guess that the theme has to do with role flips or reversals. This will lead in nicely into the history of Leap Year and your marriage proposal.
• Present the Leap Year cocktail and explain that (according to Gary Regan in his book The Joy of Mixology) “the cocktail is said to have been responsible for more proposals than any other cocktail that has ever been mixed." Have him/her take a sip and then say you hope it worked/thought you'd test the theory. Present the ring or, if you're proposing to your man, another symbol of a life together.
• Use of the tips presented in the article may lead to an elated fiance and memorable proposal...and an extra special day spent together once every four years.