SALT LAKE CITY -- For men, the marriage proposal is one of the biggest “make it or break it” moments of their lives. Not only do they have to worry about whether their lucky lady will respond in a correct and timely manner, but they are also under tremendous pressure to make the proposal itself as creative, romantic and memorable as possible. With all that’s riding on the occasion, modern man is turning increasingly to technology as a tool to help plan and execute the perfect proposal.

Capture the process on video

Creating a wedding proposal video has never been so easy, thanks to digital cameras and laptops equipped with digital recording devices. The trick to making your wedding proposal video stand out is knowing your audience and picking your venue.

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How has the digital age affected the marriage proposal?

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You might consider privately viewing a montage of images representing your favorite memories as a couple together on your iPad before you pop the question. For a romantic twist on the classic “getting on one knee,” send a video of your proposal to her smartphone at just the right moment. This can either be done while on a date (a smooth move that will probably have your fiancée crying and/or laughing) or when she least suspects it: at work or while she’s enjoying a relaxing spa visit (that you provided for her, of course). This is a riskier move since you won’t be there to back up the proposal with the ring, but if your fiancée is into surprises, this might just be the thing.

No matter what route you take for your proposal, be sure to get her reaction recorded with the help of a couple of strategically placed tripods or accomplices. This doesn't need to be the end of these pictures, though. According to John Barry with LookLoveSend wedding invitations, you can add these pictures to your "save-the-date" announcements or bridal shower invitations down the road.

Propose via Internet

Tread lightly with the social media proposal. This has the potential to be very well done, but many men who attempt it end up failing utterly. Even if you are sure of your fiancée’s answer, she would probably prefer something more original and formal than you changing your Facebook status to “Engaged.”

Successful social media proposals have been accomplished through YouTube, Twitter, Foursquare, Groupon and, yes, even Facebook, but you should be absolutely sure that your fiancée will like the idea of being proposed to in such a public fashion. There’s a good chance that many of her friends, in addition to myriad complete strangers, will find out that you’re proposing before she does. They may even ruin the surprise by texting her about it before she sees whatever ingenious thing you’ve done.

Have You Seen This?

Movie trailer proposal

Talk about raising the bar for marriage proposals. A guy made a movie trailer, which actually played in a theater, to ask his girlfriend to marry him.

The trick to making a successful social media proposal is to put a lot of creative energy and time into the proposal so it doesn’t seem like you’re just too lazy to ask her in person. Search the Web to find examples of men who have pulled off a proposal in this fashion, and then let your imagination go wild and create something that she will love.

Final thoughts

The best way to bring your proposal into the digital age is to use technology to put a new twist on a modern technique. If you’re both geeks, it may be a great idea to propose via video game, but even then it’s best to follow the digital question with a real one. Keep in mind that your fiancée is going to be telling the proposal story for the rest of her (and your) life, so make sure that it is something both of you will remember fondly together.

Andrew Johnson is a journalist, writer and marketing consultant. He lives in Salt Lake County and enjoys spending time with his two kids.

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