Just my two cents:

Be cautious on comparing your situation to any one else's situation. Everyone is different. No two situations are the same. Though "general advice" might SOUND nice, it really is quite pointless. Even if Person A is coming from Country A & Person B is coming from Country B, and they speak with C & D who did the exact same thing 3 years ago, the conditions of visas, the quantity of available visas, the history of the relationship, the evidence of the relationship, and the person in the gov't doing the check are all factors that most likely will be different... as will the time & place in space (i.e. the year), etc. My point is: each & every situation is different.

If you are THAT concerned, and you are putting all of your eggs in the basket, and there is no hope of anything but this ONE & ONLY visa, I would suggest seeking out professional, legal advice of someone in the country you are attempting to enter. Why? Because they know best how to navigate the system there, and what you need. In EVERY, and I literally mean EVERY system, there are ways to "better your odds"-- either different ways to fill out the paperwork, things to incl. with the paperwork (extra copies of pictures, more verification of x or y or z, etc) and a legal professional in that country that does that sort of work on a day-to-day basis would have that knowledge.

I can already tell you-- people who THINK they know about visas, and have "ideas" about how they are going to navigate the visa system & change from this visa to that visa, or "game the system" & get in & out on this one & that one... will be sorely disappointed. In the US in particular, and in many other countries, the system is sloooow... and frowns on such "visa hopping." Also, what you THINK you know may not be the actual truth... no matter HOW much you read up on things. Trust me: the law is a confusing mess--esp. when it comes to immigration.

"Oh but delia, I don't have that kind of money to get an attorney or even get legal advice!" But then... is this really the time for you to be moving across the universe? This sort of move is HUGE & obviously shouldn't be taken lightly... but if it's THAT important to you, you should game your odds in ANY way possible. If that means waiting an extra 6 months so you can raise money to hire a great lawyer to even look over your paperwork, then do it. Love will wait--good legal advice is critical.

You can talk to whoever you want--people on this board, people on any other internet board, people in your life, people in support groups, your family, your friends, whoever... but the bottom line is this: the best people to seek advice from are those who know the laws.