how to make a man want to marry you.

I once found myself bang in the middle of a lover's tiff between a good friend of mine and his girlfriend. They had just been on a vacation and both came back more than a little irritated with one another.

It turns out that he didn't like the fact that they spent the better part of their vacation shopping, to which his girlfriend responded that he found plenty of time to look at other women. So how come I was involved in their fight? Well... you guessed it; they had turned to me for advice!

I was hardly the expert when it came to relationships but since they had asked me, this is the gist of what I said to them - "Every relationship (without any exceptions) is going to encounter certain problems. Regardless of the nature of these problems, only two things can happen. Either you will manage to overcome the issues and your relationship will be that much stronger, or the problems will be bigger than what you can handle, in which case you'll probably break up."

 Relationship Maker 1: Dependability
The one quality that most women look for in a man is that of dependability. If a woman does not feel that she can count on you, you'll never manage to get her to the wedding mandap. Agreed; the modern woman of today can take care of herself and may not actually need a man to do so, but nevertheless she is still looking for a man who'll be there if and when she does.

What to do: Show your woman that she can count on you to be there for her. Make her realize that you do things for her not just when she asks you too but because you want to. For instance, if she declines your offer to pick her up after work (as her car is in the garage) and tells you she'll just take a cab; surprise her by picking her up. Small things like that go a long way towards cementing a relationship and taking it towards permanency.
 Relationship Maker 2: Strength of character
It is all very well to be the strong and caring partner when things are going smooth. But if you can be the same when the chips are down is what matters most. Women are looking for a partner who wants to be in a marriage as much as they do and someone who won't want to call it quits at the first sign of trouble.

What to do: Tell your woman that you're in the relationship for the long haul and take your commitments seriously. If you do face any issues in your relationship, try to sort them out instead of saying things like, "Perhaps we should take a little break and think things through".
 Relationship Maker 3: Being able to tickle her funny bone
Ask a bunch of women what they find most irresistible in a man and you're likely to hear this - A great sense of humour. No woman wants to be with a man who takes life way too seriously and doesn't know how to have fun. The perfect combination that women want is a man who takes his responsibilities and commitments seriously, but also has enough of a sense of humour to have fun while doing so!

What to do: Show your woman that you can make her laugh and are also able to laugh at yourself. Be weirdly goofy at times and don't be afraid or embarrassed to act that way. But remember, there is a fine line between being funny and just being plain and simple stupid. So tread that line carefully since no woman wants to be married to Mr. Stupid himself!