My relationship is getting serious. When is it time to say "I love you?"

Dear Hopeless Romantic,

Saying "I love you" for the first time is like dropping a nuclear bomb on the nation's capital: It's big. Timing is everything. There is only one problem: There is no right time to say it.

Do not get confused, there is always a wrong time to say "I love you." You can't just drop the love bomb out of the blue or too early on in the relationship. You have to build up to it.

You need to build a strong trust between one another. You have to know nearly everything about them and vice versa. Trust is the key to the whole kit and kaboodle.

Know absolutely in your heart that you are truly in love with the other person. Never force love. It only leads to pain. You need to be able to wake up next to them when they look a total mess and see sunshine and rainbows oozing from their essence. You have to accept them at their worst so you can have them at their absolute best. Your feelings about them should reflect the immortal words of Bruno Mars, "When I see your face there's not a thing that I would change cause you're amazing just the way you are."

Make the moment special. This moment really depends on the nature of who you both are and your relationship.

There is no perfect moment to say "I love you." You have to take a deep breath and dive into the deep end. Put your emotions on your sleeve and bare all. If it feels right then go for it. If it feels rushed, just wait.

-Darin Eaton II

Dear L-Word,

There are few phrases that people obsess over as much as "I love you." It's easy to say it to your dog or to a piece of chocolate cake, but saying it for the first time in a relationship is an entirely different issue.

I think the biggest struggle people face is in knowing if what they're feeling is love or lust. Obviously, if all you want to do is fuck around with this person, you're probably not in love.

But, if you really believe that you love someone, you should tell them, as soon as possible. There's no use in bottling up the emotion, especially if you honestly believe it. Everyone likes to feel loved and the person should be overjoyed to know how you feel. It's not every day people hear that they're loved from someone who isn't their grandma.

If you're afraid of the reaction the three little words will garner, don't be. Even if your beloved doesn't say it back, don't regret telling them how you feel. If they care about you they aren't going to be an asshole, unless you love them because they're an asshole, but that's a different issue. Anyway, if you love them, there's definitely a chance they love you, too. And that's awesome for you. Hooray.

Of course, sometimes we fall in love with people we shouldn't. If they laugh at you and never call you again, you're better off without them. Luckily you have that cake I mentioned earlier, and you can love that delightful cake until your heart is ready to move on.

-Katie Sammons