Popping The Question With Style
12 Comments Published by Alex February 6th, 2007 in Romance. Share This
There’s something terribly romantic and over the rainbow about proposing marriage on Valentine’s Day. It’s one of those delicious and foolhardy acts that feel so wonderful to do while being swept away with emotion for that girl you’re in love with. You damn the consequences, you make your move. And the move you make is all about style. Well, it should be anyway.
Used to be, dropping to one knee and popping the question was enchanting enough in and of itself, but somewhere along the way it became a romantic notion to play games with the move. Often it can be pulled off with plenty of class, though just as often it has been terribly trite, cliché. But as long as she answers in the affirmative, that’s all that matters.
Men have written their proposals in the heavens with skywriters, had it displayed on the jumbotron at sports games, staged elaborate scenarios with hired actors. Traveling to Ireland and working up the courage by kissing the stone at Blarney Castle is a classic. My maternal grandfather had the ring frozen into an ice cube and had it placed into my grandmother’s drink when he took her out to dinner at Sardi’s. (Clearly, it worked.)
I’d love to get a forum going on the subject. Maybe you’ve heard a good story worth passing on, or if you’re married and you made a stylish proposal, how did you do it? If you’re thinking about doing it, what options are you considering for freaking her out in the most romantic of ways?
BTW – my wife proposed to me, in S.F. on Halloween, right before a Cramps concert. How could I say no?
On a boat in SF bay on New Year’s Eve, as the fireworks were going off in the background. my main concern was that she put the ring ON before rushing for the romantic kiss and hug – I had a paranoid moment where I saw myself diving into the water after the ring flew from her hand. Fortunately, that didn’t happen.
As an added twist, Alcatraz was in the background of most of the pictures from that evening. Hmmmm…..
The most important requirement to a classy proposal is first asking her parents. It may seem like an antiquated custom, but it goes a long way with them and especially with her.
Better yet, there’s no better way to surprise her when you propose than by involving her parents in the ruse (if they’re close by, that is). When I proposed to my wife, I had her parents lure her away from her house by taking us out to dinner, and while we were out I had all of our friends sneak into the house and hide. When we got back from dinner, I got down on one knee while on a walk, and when we got home there was a surprise party waiting. Haven’t been able to fool or surprise her since.
My husband proposed to me when Jaws popped out of the water on the Universal Studio our in Hollywood (ala Mallrats).
It connected to our first real date which was a pre-screening of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.
It was the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard :-)
Whatever you do, don’t do what I did. I first saw my wife at her workplace. Remember the moment. So I tricked her back into her workplace to ask her to marry me on the spot where I first saw her. How did I do this? “Hon, I think I dropped my social security card in your office. Can we go in there on Saturday and get it?”
“YOU DROPPED YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY CARD?! WE HAVE TO FIND THAT!!!”
Alls well that ends well…
Here are the coles notes on how this puppy went down:
It was weeks in the planning, but came off flawlessly. In the past, I told her I would propose at Zaphod’s (one of our favourite bars).
So I worked out a plan with a band that Kelly really likes. They are called The Weekend, and they happened to be coming into town for part of their CD release tour – This was all about two years ago on February 12th.
First I contacted them a few weeks prior to the show and asked if they would help me rig the proposal. They were stoked and told me they would help in any way they could.
So I began hatching the plan. I got a t-shirt printed by a guy I know here in Ottawa. It had the cover of The Weekend’s new CD on the front and the following in big letters on the back: Marry Me Kelly? (Do it for the love)
Wish I could attach a pic. Anyway, so I worked out with the band, that I would drop off the T-shirt before the show, and during their set they would announce that they would give away a free T. They would tell the crowd that I had the rattiest t-shirt and needed a new one.
So that went down just as planned. The band played a great set, and then stopped about halfway through. They got me on stage with the “Fake T giveaway” and then the fun began. I put it on right there but faced the audience. The band did a “Whoa, what does it say on the back” thing to get the audiences attention, and then I turned around.
A collective “Whhhhaaaaatttttt?” went up as everyone saw the proposal.
We had about 20 friends there and the bar was at near capacity. Nobody knew but two of our crew. Everyone was hit by surprise. Kel most of all I think.
So the band hands me a mike. But I don’t see Kelly, so I just start talking. “Everyone having a good time? Anyone seen Kelly? You lovin the show? Yeah give it up for the Weekend! Oh here she comes, give a hand to Kelly?”
And she looked like she didn’t wanna come up on stage, but I dragged her up anyway, and she was pretty embarrassed. I had the ring ready and asked her, and she said yes.
Then we spent the rest of the night with the crew and hammin’ it up. A lot of drinks were consumed.
So for someone that has not popped the question. What would be the best and almost most original way?
Not married yet, and probably not for a while, but two stories I have heard that are great.
One of my teachers in high school had flown to England to do some vacationing with her family. Unbeknownst to her, her boyfriend flew out after her. He found out from her sister where they were site-seeing that day and set something up with whatever ancient castle she was touring. He dressed as a tour guide, which meant chain mail and a helmet. He gave the tour and then at the end went on about how this castle was where America had sent its greatest treasure. The group got more and more confused until he pulled off his helmet and proposed. Pretty killer
The other story is great because it involves Bruce Campbell. Apparently some guy called him up and they worked out this scenario. His girlfriend was in front of him in line at a book signing. When she handed him her book he wrote, “You should marry that guy behind you.” (not a direct quote, but something like that) She turned back in confusion and her boyfriend was on one knee with the ring.
2 years ago, my girlfriend had just been accepted to law school. A couple of days later, she received notification that she had gotten a hefty scholarship as well.
So I took her to dinner that weekend at her favorite restaurant. It’s a locally-owned Italian place. Great food. And they do that “paper on the table with the crayons” thing. Your server writes his/her name on the paper, yadda-yadda.
We ate, talked for a little while about her recent achievements, then I took the crayon and wrote upside-down on the paper: “will you marry me? yes, no” and handed her the crayon to circle her answer. She smiled and circled “yes” and gave me a big kiss.
Neither of us is into rings; in fact, she is violently opposed to diamonds. As an engagement gift I got her a week in New York with her best friend, and she bought me a Gibson goldtop Les Paul double-cutaway.
We married 6 months later and honeymooned in Puerto Vallarta.
(She kept the paper and crayon from the restaurant.)
I bought a dozen roses, but only had 11 delivered. Because of a friend, she noticed that one was missing, and I said I would get it after work.
After work, I took her to a park. We walked out to a bench next to the pond. I bent down on one need and proposed. I had the ring slid up to the base of the rose.
It was very romantic.
She put the ring on, and just kept staring at it. About 15 minutes later, I said “I assume this is a yes?” since she hadn’t actually said yes. It was, and that was over 9 years ago.
2 years ago, right around Christmas. Me and my wife had been dating for 5 years, and we were seniors at Texas A&M.
It was our 5th dating anniversary, and I told her we needed to go on a short date because I had a final the next day. I told her we’d go eat an early dinner and that would be it.
Little did she know, my little brother was waiting at the airport with a fueled-up Cessna to fly us into Houston to eat at the Galleria.
We ate dinner, then came back and drove through a Christmas light display, which is one of my wife’s favorite places around our college. Afterwards, we went to the “Christmas Town” at the end of the display.
We had our picture taken with Santa, and then he looked at her and asked, “Are you Katie? I think I have a present for you.” Sure enough, there was a diamond ring wrapped in a box underneath his tree. (And the ‘Santa Photographer’ took pictures of the whole process.)
2 days before christmas by the fire after we had driven to my parents house after work while watching some christmas movie on the TV and eating popcorn.
I wrote a whole little thing in her Christmas card and handed it to her with a PS turn around on it. When she did I went down on one knee with the box open.
I know a fellow who arranged to have his proposal baked into a fortune cookie, which was served to his intended while they were out at a Chinese restaurant. Cute, romantic & creative, without being a production.
I think my husband & I knew each other for a little over a month when he started asking me to marry him. He’d ask, I’d laugh and say no, he’d smile knowingly. After a few years of this, the real surprise came when he asked one day – and I said yes. I’m not advocating stalking, but sometimes persistence pays off. We’re coming up on our eighth anniversary soon and most days, I still think yes was the right answer.