Proposing to your significant other is one of the most beautiful moments of your life. You want every little detail to be perfect. You also want the proposal to be romantic. Picture you and the love of your life on the beach or on a private balcony when you start to serenade her with a gorgeous song. Of course, at the climax of the song, you will get down on your knees, stop singing, and ask the person of your dreams to marry you. If all goes according to plan, you will get married and have a perfect life together with a fence, a dog, and 2.5 kids. However, this won’t happen if the song isn’t top notch. Here are some tips on how to write a romantic song to propose to your significant other.

1. Base it in Reality

Write song lyrics about the things you and your significant other have experienced together as well as how you feel about them. If you have had a rocky relationship, avoid bringing up those topics in the lyrics except to possibly say that you’ve learned and you’re sorry. Keep things positive.

2. Brainstorm

Sit down and just write lyrics. Anything you think of. If you can’t seem to think of anything, write down the single words that come to your mind. These things don’t need to go together. You just want to throw darts at the dartboard until you find something that sticks. Keep writing.

3. Don’t Worry About Making it Rhyme

Some people focus too much on trying to make the song rhyme. There are a number of songs that only rhyme in certain places or don’t rhyme at all. A poorly constructed rhyme can be more of a distraction than anything else. Just avoid it all together by letting the words work together naturally.

4. Stay Calm and Get Help

Just because this is a personal song doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get any help. If you happen to know somebody in the music industry who might be able to help, get them involved. If you get help from someone else, make sure it is someone who your significant other likes and who supports and respects your relationship.

5. Create Different Options

Your first song might not be the best of your creative abilities. Then again, it might be. Create two or three songs. After you have them written, get the opinion from someone you trust about which one is the best. If they are all good, you could consider playing them all throughout the night.

6. Keep it Simple

Sometimes in writing you just want to stick to the basics. Instead of focusing on too much in one song, try to maintain one or two main areas of focus. A way to determine where your focus is involves answering different questions. Answer one question in each verse and a larger question in the chorus. Naturally, make the questions related.

7. Edit

Your first draft probably won’t be a masterpiece. After you write your song, take the time to work on the different wording. You may find better words to use. You should also consider the flow of the song and organization. Even a bad song can turn into something beautiful with enough work.

Set the mood on your big night. Set up candles and get a bottle of your partner’s favorite drink. Tell them you are going somewhere nice so they look nice for pictures. You should also be sure to hide your simple engagement ring well before they suspect something. When you start singing, she’ll be blown away. She’ll have to say yes.