Tonight we went through one of those drive-thru Christmas light displays. As we pulled past a large lighted castle, we saw a man down on one knee in front of a woman, holding her hand and a small box. He was her prince, asking her to marry him in front of a castle. How romantic is that?! We invaded their privacy by staring at them long enough to see that she did accept.
That sparked the conversation about how Mike & I got engaged. Annie wanted to know all about it.
It was October 31, 1992. We were going to Mike's fraternity dance (yes, we were YOUNG, though I had graduated from college the previous spring) on the north side of Indianapolis. However, he insisted that we go to dinner downtown - not remotely near where the dance was being held.
So I had a sense that this might be THE night because Monument Circle in Indianapolis is our spot -- it's where we had our make-up kiss when we got back together after having been broken up for bit the first year we dated. It's where he gave me his fraternity lavaliere. And sure enough, it's where he asked me to marry him.
I don't remember exactly what he said. But I, obviously, said yes. Then we went to the dance and I told a friend of mine that we'd gotten engaged and she made an announcement to the whole dance. Mike and I were circled by the fraternity guys who serenaded us with "The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi."
I wish I could dig up a picture from that -- I was wearing a matronly floral dress with a lace, pilgrimish collar. Mike was sporting a scruffy beard that refused to come in fully. But we were happy.
We called my parents to tell them the news -- Mike hadn't asked my dad's permission because I had told him previously it wasn't necessary. He (Mike) is still mad at me for that suggestion to this day! And just in case Annie's future husband is reading this -- you better ask her dad or he will be very upset!
Your turn: leave a comment and tell us about how you got engaged -- or how you would like to be asked if it hasn't happened for you yet.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
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11 comments:
Doug and I were visiting each other in Virginia (we were in a long distance relationship, and I was visiting a friend and we decided to meet there since it was halfway between us). He took me to lunch at an Irish pub restaurant and popped the question there. It was very fuss-less, and quite. It was nice.
After that, though, my parents were NOT HAPPY, and doug flew out to talk to my dad. He said he wouldn't give us permission to get married. After 8 months, my parents got to know Doug better and flew up to see him and tell him we could get married. Kind of a big ordeal, but it was worth it in the end.
Amy, I love it whe nyou tell a story and then ask us to share.
Brian proposed to me on Dec 19th, 1998. We were at my sister's for a holiday party. All of my family was there. We had picked out the ring together, so I knew what he was going to do. He wouldn't let m wear the ring before. I still cried; he did too. Such a lovely memory. I love the holidays.
We were married 5 months and 2 days later, 5/22/99. Nate was born 4 years and 1 day later, 12/20/02. We brought him home on Christmas Eve. Did I mention I love Christmas time?!
Sheri in CA
I love engagement stories! Yours sounds like something right out of a movie!
Jeff was really unsure about proposing. He would have loved to have planned something big and romantic but was still lacking confidence in a lot of ways and was too scared of failing or being turned down. We were living together at the time and had our 2 dogs- Sassy and Ginger. They were my babies (I had brought them into the relationship). He got down on one knee, facing them, his back to me, and asked their permission to marry their mom. It was adorable because he asked and they, as if on cue, peeked around him to look at me, to see if I was ok with it! He then turned around to me, held out the ring, stayed on that one knee, and asked. And I said yes!
I promptly lost my engagement ring within 24 hours. But that's a different story!
How sweet! I love your story. :)
I tease my husband because he proposed to me in a cemetery. LOL True, but it was also the first place we held hands, and he took me there for that reason.
It was one of the only nice places to jog (as odd as that sounds) in our college town, so it was a well visited place by students. We had been there on one of our very first dates, so it was sentimental.
He did call ahead and get my father's permission.
He proposed a few days before we graduated college, May 5, 2002. We married 13 months later.
Love the story! And the part about the song...how sweet! I've shared my story a bazillion times...so you probably know it...the most important part--I said YES and that was the smartest decision I ever made!
So sweet! I remember right before Jason proposed I was mad at him b/c we were in the car (actually on the way back from your house - he picked up a video camera, he told me was for a band he was working with) and he was laughing about something, but wouldn't tell what. I was annoyed.
Once we got back to his place he turned on a Ryan Adams CD and had me listen to this one song...then asked me to dance...after about the third turn, he got down on one knee and through the tears managed to say, "Will you marry me, please!"
I love the "please" part - so, so cute! Best of all - he had set up the video camera w/out me knowing and we caught it all on camera.
@partially - Your husband is a patient man. That must have been unnerving to be the guy the 'rents don't like. Glad it worked out in the end.
@Sheri - Seems like you should play the lottery in December!
@Liz - Lost thing ring in 24 hours?! Do tell more...
@Sharon - You were young too. Glad you weren't spooked by the cemetery.
@Momza - I've never heard the story. Think I might have to go search your blog for it.
@Angie - I'd forgotten about the videotaping, but I do remember seeing it and remember Jason crying.
Ahhh.....love!
I love all these stories!
John proposed in front of his four kids, two soon-to-be-stepkids, parents and four siblings (and their spouses and kids) at the family Christmas two years ago. And no one noticed!
He had put the ring inside the left ring finger of a pair of yummy leather gloves. He was acting weird so I was expecting the ring but when I saw the gloves, I was clueless. I put the right glove on and promptly told him that I didn't think the gloves fit. He calmly suggested I try the left one. That's when I found the ring. And suddenly in the middle of all the chaos that only a large Catholic family can make, it became very quiet as he asked me to become a part of that family.
We both figured everyone would have noticed at this point, but other than his sister who was taking pictures at John's request, no one did. He finally held my hand up and told his mom that he got her a new daughter-in-law for Christmas.
Shoot. I love my story too. Thanks Amy for giving me a chance to remember why this time of year is even more special.
Stretch told me he loved me (for the first time) and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. I took that as a proposal and he never corrected me! Later, after we'd picked out a ring together, he formally proposed with the ring. But it was the first, accidental, proposal that I remember.
Brian cringes whenever I bring this up, but he proposed to me at Burger King!
We had gone there for a quick supper after work one day -- he was an RV salesman at the time and I was a fifth grade teacher -- and we were both drained and exhausted from our days, but very happy to be together. Our big plan after the sandwiches and onion rings was to go back to my apartment and watch Seinfeld before he went home to his place.
We were sitting there finishing our Cokes after we were done eating and all of a sudden, he grabbed my hand and said, "You know, I kept thinking I wanted to do this in some romantic way in some romantic place, but I just can't wait any longer. Will you marry me?"
Thank goodness I'd finished eating, or I probably would have choked on my food. It was totally unexpected. Well, I take that back. I'd had a feeling that he was going to pop the question; I just didn't expect it to be then!
We've been married for almost twenty years and he still berates himself for proposing at a fast food restaurant.
Any by the way, since we were both in our mid-twenties, neither of us thought anything about asking my dad. I hadn't lived at home in five years. Well, it turned out that was an important thing after all. My parents were really irritated with both of us. Eeek!
AWWWW! that's soooo cute! =]
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