For many men, these two times in life can be both enjoyable and filled with fraught.

When it comes to the engagement, you have to make sure everything goes just right, especially in order to get to the next step that is the wedding.

As for that wedding day, even though it is generally regarded as the bride’s day to shine, you want to be able to enjoy that day too.

That said making sure the engagement process comes off without any major issues is something you can typically do with a decent amount of planning.

So, where does that planning all begin?

When you stop and think about the engagement process, it typically is going to revolve around two all-important factors.

First, do you have the right engagement ring in mind for that special woman in your life?

More and more these days, it is not uncommon for couples to go ring shopping together. 

While some men may want to totally surprise their future wives with moissanite and diamond engagement rings, others choose to have her along for the selection process.

If you do opt for the latter, talk amongst yourselves about several matters including:

• Style – Since she is the person who will be wearing the ring, it is important that she finds a look and feel she is totally comfortable with.

• Price – This can oftentimes be a sticky issue, but since you will have to deal as a unit with financial matters when married, what better time than now to have your first big test?

• Location – Finally, even though she is picking out the ring she wants, that does not mean she gets to wear it immediately. The ring may need some refitting etc. You might also want to be more of a traditionalist and surprise her with the ring at a location and time of your choosing.

Lastly, although there might be a tad bit of disagreement during the ring search, don’t let  it impair what should be many years of happiness ahead for the two of you.

By listening to one another, you can make it so there are no major differences of opinion and/or hard feelings when the ring is bought and ultimately given to her.

Just as businesses need to have open lines of communication both within and outside their operations, the same holds true for two people in live.

It certainly isn’t uncommon in today’s world to see more and more couples living together out of wedlock.

With that in mind, you and your bride-to-be may have different ideas about living arrangements prior to a planned wedding.

For instance, she may want to live separately, while you are more in favor of sharing an apartment or home together.

Much like when it comes to ring shopping, don’t let any living arrangement disagreements turn into major tiffs.

• Will living together dampen your enthusiasm for following through on your wedding?

• Will living together bother one or both of you in terms of your religious beliefs?

• Will living together ultimately be beneficial to your planned nuptials, as you can now save money in terms of rent, food, utilities and more?

In the event you decide to have what many would see as a “traditional” relationship, meaning you don’t live together until you are officially married, don’t feel pressured by those who choose or think otherwise.

The most important thing for any couple to follow through on is being who they are, not letting others tell them how they are supposed to live.

If you’re ready to get engaged to the woman of your dreams, make sure you’ve got all your plans checked off and ready to implement.