This is the season of the Nuptial Nudge

THERE have been seven leap years since 1983, which is when an acquaintance of mine first discussed the prospect of marriage with her man.

They decided they both wanted to do it, so she began planning a wedding. She has planned at least four so far, but every single time something stops it happening – usually him. But they're still together and she's hanging on in there, mainly because she believes he loves her.

Personally, I can't get my head around the concept of a relationship where both partners are apparently in agreement about the next step to take, yet one of them constantly sabotages it.

Another of my friends is with a man who, again, appears to be happy about the likelihood of getting married – he even buys her bridal magazines – but refuses to formally propose, and is as slippery as an oiled asp when it comes to setting a date.

This just seems pointlessly cruel to me, so I'm urging both these women to use this Friday, 29 February, to bite the bullet and leap.

Granted, there is nothing stopping these would-be brides from leaping any old time they like – let's face it, one of them has wasted at least seven opportunities – but it must be said that 29 February is a date with great power to concentrate the mind.

I'd have had no qualms about using a leap year to propose to my beloved, but when I met my future husband I was looking at a three-year wait, so I decided to use a pre-emptive strategy. Like many women, my problem was that, although the idea of getting married had been agreed in principle, I was keener to get cracking.

So having waited a whole month and not wanting to waste any more time, I asked him: "When are you going to propose?" He looked like the thought had never occurred to him. "Er… OK… now," he said, and began to pop the question in the car park at Kwik Save.

I interrupted to inform him that I would prefer to wait for a prettier location and lo, a day or so later, I got the whole great-story-for-the-grandchildren romantic scenario, we compared diaries and everything was sorted. All the little tinker needed was a gentle nudge.

And that's all 29 February is, isn't it? National Nuptial Nudge Day. You see, I'm not talking about bullying men into getting married if they don't want to. That's just dumb.

The ones who need to be leaped upon are the ones who nod and smile and enthusiastically talk honeymoon locations every time you raise the subject, but who are somehow never quite able to say out loud: "Yes, I appear to be free on 14 June at 2pm. See you in church."

I completely understand why some blokes need to be led slowly, step by step, being fed sugar lumps and with a bag over their head, towards the altar. From now on, in the darkest recesses of any man's mind, there could quite logically lurk the question: "What if one day she turns into Heather Mills?"

But equally, boys, surely it's only fair to be upfront about what you want from your relationship? Constantly waving the marriage card under her nose, then slipping it back up your sleeve isn't fair play, it's mind games.

Sisters, you don't need me to tell you that using 29 February as an excuse to leap isn't going to guarantee that the object of your desires will necessarily turn up on the big day and say: "I will." On the morning of the wedding he may well suddenly realise he has always been destined to join the French Foreign Legion, but that's what I mean about concentrating the mind. At least then everybody will know the score and you can stop all that demure waiting and get on with your life.

Nobody wants to be thought of as desperate, or a potential Bridezilla, but if you know you want to be married and all that's missing is a proper proposal and adequate follow-through, there are worse things than simply doing it yourself (a quarter of a century in limbo springs instantly to mind).

Monica proposed to Chandler in Friends; Sienna Miller has allegedly given boyfriend Rhys Ifans a deadline to propose by, so if that has passed and they're still speaking, maybe she'll leap this Friday. What's for sure is that leaping is the choice of liberated women who know what they want and want it now.

So ask him. Give him a nudge. Have courage. You go, girl! And if he says no, maybe that's your cue to just go, girl.