My proposal came in the garage while my then boyfriend, now husband and myself where underneath my old 1965 Mercedes – me cleaning, him repairing. Not the storybook proposal I realize and few girls dream of having the one they love pop the question while under a car, covered in grease but for me, it was ideal.
We met because of that old car and even though the proposal was not as romantic as some girls would like, he was my knight in shining armor that day and every day since. Two years later, when I asked him to hand me a flathead screwdriver so I could scrape some 40 plus year old grease off of the disc brake housing, he was still that knight when there was a glistening diamond ring around the driver.
Not every girl likes to work on cars but I am sure with a little imagination, you can come up with an equally that has significance to both you and your girlfriend.
As nice as the romantic dinner proposal can be, it is a little humdrum. Watch a few movies and you see it done a million times, probably better then you would do it yourself.
First, think about what type of woman she is – does she enjoy big scenes, is she close with family and friends, or is she a private person? This can go a long ways to helping narrow down your ideas, as a private person may not want her proposal to come on a billboard along the freeway she takes home from work. Someone who enjoys sharing special moments with family and friends may think a surprise ‘marry me’ party surrounded by everyone important in her life is the perfect proposal.
What did you do on your first date? Can you recreate the moment or, if not the first date then the ‘ta-da’ moment where you both knew you had finally met ‘the one’? Think hard, was there a significant moment where you looked into each other’s eyes and at the same time knew you would be together forever? Mine was at a cheesy Mexican restaurant an hour after we met and I was so bewildered by what was going through my head that I walked straight into a stone pillar on the way to the door. I am glad my husband chose to propose the way he did rather then take me back to that embarrassing scene.
My cousin met her now husband at a NHL hockey game – they just happened to be sitting beside each other and started chatting. When he wanted to propose a year later, he had the proposal put over the screen on the scoreboard during a break in the first period. Not only was it incredible to be proposed to in front of everyone in the arena and all the hockey fans watching at home, he had told friends and family what he was doing so everyone was watching too! The sports announcer even drew everyone’s attention to the board and then the lights and cameras all shot straight to my cousin. It was easy to organize, relatively inexpensive and a memorable way to propose!
My neighbors are in their fifties, both were previously married with grown children. They are also quite well off and spend much of their time traveling. Her proposal came in the most delayed way possible. In her Christmas card were two tickets to fly to Greece for the fifth anniversary of their first date. When they arrived in Greece, they got into a limo at the airport with all their bags and gear. A short ways before they reached the hotel, he asked the driver to pull over so they could walk the rest of the way to ‘stretch their legs after a long flight’. After a few hundred feet, they came across an arch covered in white toile and flowers, a Justice of the Peace, a man in a tuxedo holding champagne, her sister, his brother and sister in law and one of her adult children. Right then he got down on one knee, asked her to marry him and ten minutes later, it was done.
A friend of mine loves to hike, she is a true outdoor enthusiast. Her fiancée organized with a friend to have a champagne picnic waiting for them just off the trail. The had reconnoitered the spot beforehand and when he asked her to follow him off the beaten path, she almost said no and he had to think fast for a reason that she should come with him (have a reason already figured out!). When they came across the picnic, he sat down and started pouring the champagne (the friend was nowhere to be found, previously arranged of course). She had a fit thinking he was muscling in on someone’s private picnic and was ready to march off, furious with him! It wasn’t until he pulled out the ring that she realized that this was indeed for them and he knew what he was doing! Every year on the anniversary of that infamous day, they take a bottle of wine and relive that picnic proposal.
The point I am trying to make is there are a million ways to ask the love of your life to marry you but there is only one way to do it right. With a little thought and preparation, you can find that perfect way and it will be a story that you will tell your grandchildren.