15 Subtle Signs He's About To Make You His Wife

So, you've been together with your partner a decent amount of time and naturally you start to think about the future. You may have casually mentioned that you've always pictured yourself in a tulle ballgown and that a pear-shaped diamond ring would suit you best. The two of you are totally on the same page, and you're already planning your lives together. So when is he going to put a ring on it?

Stop right there! Don't feel like you have to wait around. It's your life and your future too! You don't have to sit on your butt and wait for your boyfriend to wise up and propose. There's no one saying you have to do it that way. You could propose to him, or you could skip the whole proposal thing. But if you're into the tradition and want a surprise proposal from him, that's great. The proposal can be a surprise, but the idea of marriage should definitely be something you've previously discussed.

Did you know that most engagements take place between Christmas and Valentine's Day? Just by numbers alone, the odds that he's going to be thinking about proposing around this time of year are just higher. So, if you're hoping for something sparkly under the tree this Christmas, look out for these signs that he's planning to propose.

15 He's Being Extra Romantic Lately, Emotionally And Physically Demonstrating His Love For You

If your man is planning to propose, you can bet he has romance on the brain. He's got all sorts of lovey-dovey thoughts in his head. And that means he'll be acting extra romantic towards you. He's going to do whatever he can to make sure that you only have good feelings towards him. No one wants to propose to someone who isn't feeling it, right? So, if you're usually on your man for leaving his socks around and all of a sudden the dirty socks are gone and replaced with candles, you know he has romance on the brain. He might be extra affectionate with kisses and hugs out of nowhere. He might be taking on more chores around the house, offering to pick you up from work and making you breakfast in bed. He's getting you into the mood for a sweet and romantic proposal.

14 He Wants To Talk And Spend More Time With Your Family All Of A Sudden

Hopefully, if you're considering marriage, you have met your guy's family and he has met yours. Unless family is estranged or really far away, it would be a bit odd if you were discussing marriage without having met the in-laws. But a sign that your man is wanting to get a ring on it would be if he suddenly starts to feel very family oriented. He knows that your family does a big dinner every Sunday and all of a sudden he wants you guys to go each week. He hears your sister is in town, so he clears his schedule so he can spend time with the two of you. And if your guy is really traditional, he may start to seek out some alone time with your dad. Maybe he asks you for your dad's cellphone number or the address to your dad's work place. Or maybe he pulls your dad aside after Thanksgiving dinner for a walk around the block. Is he trying to get your dad's blessing to ask for your hand? Maybe!

13 He's Saving His Money And Paying Attention To His Finances More Than Usual

You know what's expensive? Engagement rings. Especially if you have your heart set on a really big diamond engagement ring. If your man is serious about proposing, that means he's been to the jewelry store and he's seen the prices. He knows this isn't something he'll be able to just pick up with the extra change in his wallet. Engagement rings can cost thousands and thousands of dollars. A sign that your guy is thinking of proposing is when he starts to tighten his belt. When you suggest going out for dinner, he may counter with a plan to cook at home instead. On your usual movie date night, your guy may opt for a Netflix binge instead. Don't panic just because your guy is acting a little cheap. It might just be that he's saving up for a big purchase!

12 Suddenly, He's Interested In Your Jewelry Collection And Taste

If your man is really considering proposing, and not just the abstract idea of marriage but the actual getting down on one knee part, he's going to get very interested in your jewelry. When you go shopping at the mall, he might casually take you past a jewelry store and see where you stop. As you're cooking dinner one night, he might offhandedly ask you if you prefer silver or gold jewelry. He might start stalking your Pinterest board to see if you have pinned any rings lately. And if he really needs some details, you may even find him rooting through your jewelry box. How else is he going to learn your ring size? If you notice one of your rings is missing, don't immediately report a robbery. It might be that your man took it to the jewelry store in order to learn your size.

11 He Talks About The Future With You And Isn't Afraid Of Making Plans That Are Six Months+ In Advance

If your boyfriend has proposing on the brain, he's going to be thinking about your future together. So you might find that a lot of your recent conversations are focused on the future. Instead of discussing what happened on Stranger Things, he wants to talk about baby names. And over dinner, he wants to talk about the kind of house you'll live in, instead of telling you about his day at the office. All of this talk of the future is likely very exciting. It's always nice to know that guys think about that stuff too and want to talk about it. Usually guys don't bring up their future plans, especially when it involves kids, marriage and commitment. But if he's planning to propose soon, he won't be able to help himself. He'll have to talk about it because he's so excited about it!

10 He's Making Room For You In His Life, Emotionally And Physically

If your guy wants to propose soon, he'll be making room for you - both literally and figuratively. Literally, your guy will be making room for you in his life. If you don't live together yet, he's going to be making space for you in his apartment. He might invite you to leave more of your stuff over at his place. He might start buying your brand of toiletries to have on hand. He might even let you bring in that throw pillow and potted plant you were eyeing at IKEA to help make the place feel more like yours. And figuratively, he'll be making room for you in his life. If he knows you always work late on Mondays, he might start to switch his schedule so he can still have a late dinner with you. Or he'll move his pub night with the guys so that it better fits your schedule. He'll be more considerate of how your lives intertwine and where he can make more room for you.

9 He Talks About Your Past Special Moments And Memories Together, Clearly Holding Them Close To His Heart

So, even though your soon to be fiancé can't stop talking about your future together, he's also going to be fixated on the past. And that's because your guy is looking back at your relationship timeline. He's going to start getting really nostalgic. He'll want to walk down memory lane every chance he gets. He'll randomly tell you during a commercial break that he remembers you wearing a purple dress on your first date. Or he'll point out the spot where you first kissed as you're driving home one day. Your guy is going to be all about the mushy memories. You might even catch him scrolling through old photos of you two or reading old cards you've given him. Enjoy the happy memories. It sounds like your man is planning something very memorable very soon!

8 He's Talking To Your Friends Behind Your Back And Seems More Secretive

Now this could also be a sign that your guy is sneaking around. So if this is the only sign from the list that he is exhibiting, you may have a problem. But if he's doing this in addition to other stuff on this list, you may be in for a surprise. When a guy is planning to propose to his girl, he has to call in the recruits. See, we ladies think we've been dropping hints the whole time. We may have casually sent him a video of a romantic proposal on the beach with fairy lights. And we may have pointed out the same jewelry store in the mall every time we walk past it. But guys are oblivious. Your guy may have missed all of your hints. So he's calling in back up. You may pick up his phone and notice he's been texting your best friend. Or maybe he has a Facebook chat going with your sister. Your guy is trying to do a little recon. He's asking the people who know you best what you would want in a proposal and what kind of ring you'd love. So you better make sure your besties have the right answers!

7 He's Planning A "Big Trip"

If your man is thinking of proposing, then not only does he have to get a ring, he also has to plan out the proposal. Many proposals take place on big romantic trips. So if your guy is really involved in planning a big trip for you two, he might have plans to propose while you're on vacation. Or even if it's not a big trip, he might have a big date that he's working hard to plan. Since this trip or date is going to be so important, he won't be leaving anything to chance. He'll be planning every little last detail. You're probably not used to your guy being so organized and methodical about planning. And he keeps checking in to make sure that your schedule is clear. He'll ask you three times that you're free before he makes the reservation. And he'll constantly bring up the big date or the trip to make sure you're still excited and prepared to go. Hopefully he can channel all this planning and organizing into the wedding too!

6 He's Behavior Is A Bit Off  And He's Acting Shadier Than An Umbrella

Here's another sign that can definitely mean other things. If your guy is only acting shady but not talking about the future, looking at jewelry or spending time with your family, it's probably not a proposal this time. It could be something much worse. But yes, acting a little shady can be a sign that your guy is on the brink of a proposal. If he has a big plan in the works, he's naturally going to be really nervous and secretive. So if you walk into the room unannounced, he may jump up and get really startled. Or if you pick up his phone to call for pizza, he may snatch it away from you and insist you use your own. He might close his laptop screen as soon as you get home. Or he might be secretive about his whereabouts on the weekend or after work. These shady actions may freak you out to start. But take a deep breath and see if his shady behavior might be linked to something much more romantic.

5 Your Friends And Family Are Also Acting Unusual But You Just Can't Quite Place Your Finger On It

So not only is your guy acting super shady, but so are your closest friends and family members. You may walk around for a few weeks wondering if everyone in your life has gone nuts. It actually might freak you out a little bit. But again, take a step back and give everyone the benefit of the doubt. Is there a reason they are acting shady? Why is your BFF sending you funny texts to ask about your opinion on beaches or rubies? Why is your mom calling for no good reason just to check in every other day? Why is your sister booking you a manicure appointment? And why is your dad almost in tears when you call just to ask if you can borrow the car? There might be a reason why all of your loved ones are acting weird. They might be in cahoots with your guy and his big proposal around the corner.

4 A Lot Of His And Your Friends Are Getting Married Lately

You probably think that your relationship with your man is totally separate from his friends and what they're doing with their relationships. Yeah, not really. As much as you'd love to think that your guy is his own man, he's also really influenced by what his friends are doing. Peer pressure can last way beyond high school. So if your guy's friends are starting to move in with their partners, propose and get married, you can assume it's something your boyfriend is considering too. Part of it is that he'll want to keep up with his friends. If they're all doing something, he wants to be included too. But he's also going to have proposing, weddings and marriage on the brain because that's all he'll be hearing about. His friends are probably comparing stories and giving out advice. Your guy is listening and getting some good ideas.

3 He Hasn't Been Answering Your Texts And Calls As Often As Usual And Maybe Even Going MIA

Now this is another sign you have to be careful of. It goes hand in hand with your man acting shady. If he's nowhere to be found and acting shady, it could be a bad thing. But it could also mean he's getting serious about proposing. For most men, it's not a quick one time trip to the jewelry store on their lunch break to seal the deal. He probably needs a bit more time than that. Maybe he has to meet up with your friends or family members to get their opinions. He probably has to go to the jewelry store a few times to see the options, pick out something he thinks you'd like, get the right size and pick up the ring. Depending on the expense, he may also need to meet with the bank and figure out financing. And if he's traditional, he may also want to meet with your dad or both of your parents. That's a lot of his free time that he'll have to account for! So if your guy is randomly gone on a Sunday saying that he has to help his buddy move, don't let your suspicions get the best of you. He might be planning to propose!

2 He's Making Sure You're On The Same Page Mentally

Before your guy puts a ring on it and locks it down, he'll want to double and triple check that he's making the right decision. No one wants to propose and then call it off and ask for the ring back. So he's going to do his due diligence and make sure you two really are ready to share your lives together. Hopefully by this point you're both in love with one another and don't have to worry about that. But he may want to just double check that you two are on the same page. He has to make sure you both want the same things and have the same plans. So if you have casually mentioned kids a couple times, he may now insist that you tell him exactly how many kids you want and when. If he had mentioned moving across the country for work, he may bring it up again to make sure you'd still move with him. He just wants to make sure you're both planning the same life together before he gets down on one knee.

1 You've Already Frequently Had Open Discussions About Marriage Together

A great sign that your boyfriend is planning on proposing is if the topic of marriage and weddings is something you both talk about together all the time. As we said, the proposal itself can be a surprise but the idea of marriage shouldn't be. You both should know you want to marry and spend your life with the other person before anyone gets down on one knee. The proposal is more of a formality. It shouldn't actually be a question your boyfriend doesn't know the answer to. You two should have discussed marriage at length if a proposal is upcoming. You should both be in a really good place in your relationship. That doesn't mean that you don't fight - but it means you've learned how to resolve conflicts and move forward. You should be in love but you should also know how to work hard at your relationship. The idea of marriage, weddings and a husband/wife shouldn't scare either of you anymore.