Will he still marry me after I rejected his past proposals?

I’M a woman in my 30s and my partner and I have two young children together. He’s asked me to marry him a few times in the past and I’ve always said no. It’s not because I don’t love him or don’t want to be with him, but I’ve never seen the importance of a wedding and it’s just not me to walk down an aisle in a big dress.

However, since we had our second child, I have been thinking more about it and I think I would like to get married now.

Nothing extravagant, just a small ceremony for close family and friends.

My problem is, I’m embarrassed to bring it up with him, especially as the last time I turned him down, he swore he’d never ask me again.

I never really considered his feelings when I rejected his proposals and now I feel very bad about it.

He’s a great dad and a wonderful partner. I’m now worried I’ve blown it and that my reluctance to commit has damaged our relationship and he’ll end up asking someone else to marry him.

Should I drop hints about getting married and will he take the bait?

I’d love to know your opinion.

WHY can’t you just be upfront and propose to him? All that dropping hints stuff sounds like a big waste of time and he still might not take the bait or be confident enough to ask you again after being rejected several times in the past.

But if you do ask him, then he might want an explanation about why you changed your mind and I wouldn’t say it’s because you don’t want to risk him marrying someone else.

I think it can take some people time to get their heads around marriage.

It took my second hubby Ray forever to propose but, at least when he did, I knew he meant it and that it felt right for him.

So, before you do ask the big question, just make sure you are doing it for the right reasons – love, commitment and family. It’s about the marriage, not the wedding.

And make sure you’re 100 per cent committed to getting married before you ask him because I’m not sure your partner will stick around if you go off the idea again in a few months’ time.