Fiona Harper’s The Little Shop of Hopes & Dreams is a gorgeously romantic novel and the perfect treat to curl up with!  We’re thrilled to introduce Nicole Harrison, the heroine of The Little Shop of Hopes & Dreams, released this Friday.

Nicole has always dreamed about running her own proposal planning agency and helping other’s dreams come true, and she is one of my absolute favourite characters from Fiona’s long list of wonderfully relatable heroines. A big fan of 80s teen movies – and the big romantic gestures that they usually contain-Nicole is the kind of girl that you just can’t help but route for and we’re excited to share her amazing Dos & Don’t’s  for creating spectacular proposals:

Hi, my name is Nicole and I run Hopes & Dreams, a proposal planning agency. Yes, there is such a thing! If people can get help planning a wedding, why not a proposal? After all, without the ‘Yes’ I help my clients get, there wouldn’t be the ‘I do’ that follows. Anyway, here are my top five Dos and Don’ts when it comes to planning proposals:

1. DO know your subject – in other words, it’s a good idea to really know the person you want to propose to. I know this seems obvious, but you’d be surprised how clueless some of the men who come to me are about their other halves.
2. DON’T rush into things – jumping the gun means you’re much more likely to get a ‘No’.
3. DO personalise, personalise, personalise – this is why No.1 is so important! Your fiancée-to-be doesn’t want a ‘one size fits all’ proposal. She wants something unique, tailored just to her. You have to show her that not only do you love her, but that you know her inside out and are ready to put her wishes before your own – what better signal can you give her that you are good marriage material?
4. DO keep it real – your proposal needs to be honest and from the heart. Don’t get so caught up in the razzmatazz and excitement of planning that you lose sight of that!
5. DON’T forget to prepare for the unexpected – this was my biggest mistake. I hadn’t counted on walking into a room to plan a proposal and finding my whole life turned upside down! Pretty soon, everything I cared about was in danger and I was losing the man I was falling in love with to someone else… 

By The Mills & Boon team