Question #1: The campus of Cranbrook Academy of Art. At the foot of the reflecting pools; but it was late winter/early spring, so not exactly as picturesque as I may have liked.
I proposed to my wife at a Steeler game at Three Rivers Stadium. I hired an airplane to fly over the stadium trailing a banner at the start of the 3rd quarter that said "WILL YOU MARRY ME SUSIE?".
The people in our section of the stadium soon caught on that we were the couple that the banner was meant for when they saw me drop to one knee and pull the ring out. Needless to say, my wife was absolutely stunned with joy. I guess word of mouth spread very quickly from fan to fan as about more than a quarter of the stadium started chanting "Kiss her !!! Kiss her !!!", followed by very loud roaring applause when I did.
We never got to see the rest of the game after that because people continually left their seat from all over our side of the stadium to shake hands or pat us on the back to congratulate us and were wanting to see the ring and ask questions about how I was able to get the plane, etc etc.
Also I ended up being very relieved that the Steelers beat Jacksonville that day. I was kinda worried (and very superstitious) that if they had lost it would have been a very bad sign for our upcoming marriage (like rain on your wedding day).
Her father had passed away before I had met her, but I did ask her mom. Later Susie would tell me that what shocked her even more than the banner proposal was the fact that almost every single person in both of our families and alot of our friends knew this was gonna go down at least a month in advance without her ever finding out the least tiny bit about it.
(edited by Kevintripod on 10.7.07 0458) "F*cking Chuck Norris."
# 1 - On Dollar Mountain overlooking Sun Valley, Idaho. I figured that if she said no, I could throw her off the side and no one would be the wiser. She did throw monkey wrench after monkey wrench in my plans all day long and I had to quickly try to think of different romantic optiions because it had to be that day. We were flying home the next morning. Ironically, Dollar was where I had planned to ask her from the start. We just took the long way getting there.
# 2 - Nope. I knew her parents approved and hoped I would ask but neither one could keep a secret and Mrs. Dunk's mother would have slipped. I know it.
I'm Blind Jimmy Winthrop, Blues singer for the Rich.
I had thought the tradition went out a long time ago, but apparently a lot of people still do talk with the girl's parents before talking to her. It sounds like a very polite and respectful thing to do, but it's honestly not something that would even cross my mind if I were in the situation. Maybe it's just the similar upbringings my girlfriend and I both had.
Lloyd: When I met Mary, I got that old fashioned romantic feeling, where I'd do anything to bone her. Harry: That's a special feeling.
Oddly enough, my wife and I were just talking about this the other day. The truth of the matter is, neither of us recall an actual proposal. We do, however, recall exactly why we got married when we did.
I had moved in with her, but her parents couldn't know as her father would have flipped. This went well enough until her mother decided to visit. My wife waited until the night before her mother got on the plane to tell her I was living there. I will also note that I asked her daily if she'd told her mother yet. So when her mother came, it wasn't that big of a deal, though I did have to sleep on the futon in my computer room that week. Her mom said she wouldn't tell the father, but if he specifically asked, she wouldn't lie about it, either. So we decided to get married to avoid any future problems. We just went to the courthouse and did it.
Question 1: On one knee at our favorite restaurant.
Question 2: My wife's relationship with her family has been...strained...for a while. On top of that, her father has Alzheimers, so it was an occasion where everyone was talking to each other for a change. I told him (probably two months prior to the engagement) that I had intended to marry her.
He asked "Do you love her?" and I replied "Yes, sir."
He said "Well, that's good!" and smiled.
He doesn't recognize me anymore, although he still occasionally recognizes her. So while I didn't specifically ask his permission, I did declare my intentions, and he seemed happy for us. I'm glad I had told him.
First time was in our kitchen. We were already living together, but I had a ring to make it official. I was going to propose at a later date, but our conversation was headed into that realm of future plans and love. It was too good a chance to pass up. I left the room, grabbed the ring, and came back to propose.
I called her mom a few months before to get her blessing.
The second proposal was much the same way. I picked up the ring from the jeweler on a Monday and driven to her parents' house to get their blessing and make sure everyone knew about the first marriage, and more important, why it ended. I got their blessing and planned to propose on Friday, her birthday. But we got an answer early on a house, and suddenly found ourselves with a house. In this small town, we couldn't move in unless we were married; the scandal would hurt her career. So we had to start talking about a wedding. I grabbed the ring and asked her officially in my apartment living room, and we got married two weeks later, an hour after singing the papers for the house.
"To be the man, you gotta beat demands." -- The Lovely Mrs. Tracker
#1 - Since we had met online (Compuserve chat, for you old timers), I told her to go online, and I proposed to her there. Of course, we were were already living together, but she still thought it was cool.
#2 - No, I hadn't even met her parents at the time.
#1 - Made her a nice supper, and got a giant Oreo cake and put it in the bottom shelf of the fridge. It was really awkward to take out, so I asked her for some help, and when she came I had the ring ready (it was stashed behind the cake).
#2 - Yup. He looked me straight in the eye and said "no". Then he laughed his ass off and said "sure".
Postscript: she later broke up with me 5 months before the wedding. They can't all be happy stories. :)
(edited by hansen9j on 10.7.07 1248) Proud member of the Dwight Army of Champions.
I proposed in her parents' kitchen in front of her parents and grandmother about 10 minutes after asking permission from her parents. After I asked permission, her dad called her at work and told* her to come home. So, she came to the house and asked me what the hell I was doing there. Her dad then presented her with the ring and also with a note that I had gotten translated for my in-laws-to-be.
I hope that is as convoluted and confusing as the engagement was!
*Actually, her parents don't speak English so I have no clue what he told her.
"Teach children that they have great potential because they are human." -Warrior
I have a feeling this thread was started because Guru found out I just got engaged.
Our first date was to a Doc Walker concert, so when I figured they'd be coming back to town for the Calgary Stampede, I thought that might be a good place to propose.
Only problem - the show they were giving was for a radio station's 25th anniversary, and you had to win to get in. My solution? I joined their fan club, amassed points, and got 604 entries into the competition. So I won tickets last Tuesday, finalized the ring that night, and the concert was on Thursday.
During one of the final songs of the performance, "Rocket Girl", I told Tiffany that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her, took off my cowboy hat, and dropped to one knee while drunk girls around us screamed and pointed. I asked, she said yes, and these drunk strangers congratulated us.
We met the band after the show, and they seemed a little shocked that someone would propose during their concert.