How Were You Proposed To?

Now happily married 16 years, my proposal was AWESOME. We were at a friend's party, and in the middle of the living room floor fileld with jovial friends, he gets down on one knee, calls me over and proposes! We sing, so the entire room started singing in four-party harmony... WILL NEVER FORGET IT.

My boyfriend of four years and I were going to Fort Bragg in Northern California for a weekend getaway. We would stop at a friend's for a brief visit, but other than that we had no plans. Just chill out, enjoy the quaint town and celebrate my birthday! We found our friend's place and after a glass of wine, she invited us to stay for dinner. Much to my surprise my boyfriend said no. He has never turned down a free meal. So he takes me to a local pub where we have a light meal and watch the World Series. We're both huge baseball fans so this is perfectly acceptable. After the game we retire to our hotel room and he fires up the in-room jacuzzi. I don't have the heart to tell him I'm pooped so I join him. He gives me two or three nice gifts (a sweater and a small travel case, yawn) then says there's just one more. When he handed me the wooden box, I thought maybe a bracelet or necklace. When I opened the box he said, "I'm gonna make an honest woman out of you." I still laugh at that line.

My, now, fiance proposed last July. His family is from the island of Kaua'i and so I had brought my mom out to meet his family. He planned a fun catamaran ride for the three of us along the Na Pali coast. At lunch time the boat anchored and allowed the passengers to grab some scuba gear and jump in the water. My mom and I were just about to jump in the water when my, then, boyfriend got down on one knee and proposed. I was so excited I blurted out, "yes!" before he even finished asking the question. The boat captain was very excited for us, he said that he'd never had a marriage proposal on his boat before. Call me old fashioned but nothing out does a proposal on bended knee!

After almost 40 years, I was a widow and decided to look him up on Facebook. I found him, successful and looking happy, but I sent a brief email - 'Hi Remember me?". I received an almost immediate response: "Remember you? How could I forget you." We wrote for days; finally talked and re-met for New Year's Eve in 2010. It was as if the 40 years had never passed. We were older, wiser, a lot less skittish. I felt more confortable with him than I've ever felt with anyone in my life. Then, at a lovely dinner in a an absolutely wonderful restaurant on Valentine's Day in 2011, he asked me to marry him again. After almost a year together, he again placed a ring on my finger (this time a sapphire and diamond) on January 5th. We're headed to Tuscany in April and the rest of the saga will begin ...

This comment has been DELETED on January 24, 2012

We had plans to go to the grand opening of the new international airport terminal with some friends. And, right as we were about to start getting ready, he began acting strangely. He said that he had a gift for me in his car. He came in with a huge bouquet of red roses. I was so happy, but didn't expect anything else. Right as I put them in a vase, he said "babe, look over here." He pointed to the TV in our living room. He had put together a video consisting of photos of us from the time we first met until now. There was a great song that went along with it. At the very end, a slide came up that said "Suzanne, will you marry me?" I was in complete shock! He got down on one knee with a beautiful sparking ring and said "so, will you marry me?" After a few moments, my mind cleared and I said "YES!!!" My knees were shaking and I couldn't believe it just happened. We debated skipping out on the party and going to dinner (with a bottle of bubbly). But, we decided to go and had a blast!

In 1968 when my long-time boyfriend returned from a year overseas (Viet Nam era), we felt we were ready for marriage. He was well employed; I, a student. He arranged for me to pick an absolutely stunning diamond stone and setting from the Diamond district of NY. We picked the finished ring up on a Sunday and drove home is his convertible. As we sped down a thoroughfare in our neighborhood, he placed the ring on my finger. We were engaged! I was 19; he 21. We married shortly thereafter (January '69), but unfortunately, it lasted only 3 tumultuous years. Nothing was really known about PTSD and Viet Nam vets at that time. He was hurting; we were both young; and neither of us knew what to do. The divorce/annulment was devastating. Aside from one brief subsequent encounter when he offered to rescue me from what I felt was an untenable situation within that year (I declined); we never saw each other again. But - and a very big BUT - (see below ...)

My Engagement story was called "The 7 Day Surprise". One day I was told by my boss to finish as much work as I could as I was not going to be at work for a few days. That night when I arrived home I found my first of several letters I would receive over the next week. It told me the weather forecast for the next 7 days & what to pack including my passport. Someone would arrive the next day with my next note (it wasn't my BF that arrived-he had already left for the first destination). The next 7 days took us from our home in Regina, Saskatchewan Canada to Toronto, Niagara Falls, New Jersey & NYC! We did many of our favourite things including Game 3 of the World Series, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Concert, TLC Cake Boss, shopping, Central Park, Gordon Ramsay restaurants and the J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets! The highlight of the trip of course was the proposal video in Time Square on Halloween (the anniversary of our first date). We got married at home in Saskatchewan in 2010!

Well I lived about 1000 miles away at the time, so just after Christmas we decided to take a short vacation to spend some quality time. We went to an island, and after dunking a hydrophobic me into the sea on one of those adventure rides, he suggested a romantic dinner. After dinner, we were watching the harbour lights from the terrace on our room, and then he just asks! The setting was so beautiful, that 2 and a half years later I still find it amazing to recall that it happened to me! :)

This comment has been DELETED on January 16, 2012