Mary Lissy and Tim Jensen
Our Proposal
My boyfriend Tim had casually asked me if I wanted to go on a picnic about a week and a half before he proposed. He knows I love them, so I immediately said yes! We had decided that we would get take-out from the Q, our favorite local chinese restuarant. We got to the park, by his house (where we had our first date) with our food, and sat down on a bench to eat. Tim scarfed his down in about 2 minutes!! He kept asking me, “are you done yet?” and I was getting annoyed! I was thinking, “geez, just let me eat!”
After we finished eating, I asked Tim if he wanted to push me on the swings; he agreed. He was pushing me higher and higher, then all of a sudden, he grabbed the swing and stopped me. I was thinking to myself “what the heck are you doing, keep pushing silly!” He came around me and said “you know I love you right?” not thinking anything proposal, I said “yeah, I love you too” (still wondering why he wasn’t pushing me!) He then got down on one knee and I started almost hyperventilating “oh my god, oh my god!” he said some very sweet things to be and then opened the ring box. Before even thinking, I yelled “ITS HUGE!!!” and started jumping up and down! About a minute later, after jumping and crying some more, I screamed yes!!
I cannot wait for our wedding on October 1, 2011. We picked this date because we started dating on October 1, 2004, so the day we get married it will be our 7th dating anniversary!!
Hope you enjoyed reading my proposal story, and thank you for your time!
Rachel and Lee
Before you read this story, you must know a little about our history. Lee, my fiance, and I are high school sweethearts and have been with each other since May 2004. What was at first a high school summer romance turned into something much more. Now, over 6 years later, we love each other more than ever. Lee graduated in 2008. I will be finishing my last semester of college this Spring. We had decided to both finish school before getting married. Through college and jobs, we have endured times when we were long distances apart, but it has only made our relationship stronger. We are excited to share the rest of their lives together and we each feel that we are so lucky to be marrying our best friend.
Wedding Date: January 11, 2012-
Destination: St.Thomas, USVI
My Grand Proposal:
My fiance, Lee, had every detail planned out for the proposal, so the story is very detailed as well. He is a great planner. 
My birthday is March 8th, so Lee had given me a gift card to La Grande Salon & Day Spa in Forest Lake for a Day of Bliss. He told me that he wanted to schedule my Day of Bliss for me for the next weekend while he was on a work trip, but that they were booked, so he had scheduled it for March 20th.
The day arrived and I went to enjoy my Day of Bliss at the spa. I had an hour massage, facial, manicure, pedicure, makeup application and hairstyle. After 7 hours at the spa, I went home to get ready so that Lee and I could go out for dinner. (Of course we had to with my cute hair and makeup!) The week before Lee made me think that he was not very excited about this dinner out.
After getting ready, I became a little worried because I was waiting for Lee to arrive at my house to pick me up. This usually doesn’t happen and it is usually Lee waiting for me. I called him and he told me he would be there soon.
When he walked in to my house to pick me up I gave him a hug and kiss. Then I looked out the window. There was an stretch SUV limo outside of my house. “WHAT IS THAT,” I said. I was so excited about the limo that I didn’t even stop to think about what it might mean. I just proceeded to take pictures and enjoy the experience.
On our way to the restaurant, I noticed we were going the wrong way, but Lee assured me not to worry and that we were just taking a different way there. Ha! Then we eventually pulled up to the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis. We got out of the limo, and began to walk down the bridge, enjoying the view of the city and the river.
We stopped when we arrived at the middle of the bridge and Lee hugged me to keep me warm. (He almost gave me his jacket and I understood later why he didn’t- the ring was in the pocket!) We kissed and we told each other “I love you.” It was so romantic!
Then all of a sudden Lee began to get down on one knee. It was kind of a blur from there. He took out the ring, opened the box, and asked me to marry him… and I said “Yes!”
Bethany, owner of Sparrows Eye Photography, was waiting on the bridge to take pictures of the whole proposal. This was also a wonderful surprise and we are so thankful to have the amazing pictures to remember this special day!
We then had a wonderful dinner at Ruth Chris with a bottle of champagne chilled and waiting for us. (Compliments of one of Lee’s clients from work- which was even a surprise for him!)
Just when I thought the night was over and couldn’t get any better, pulled up in front of Chino Latino (my favorite restaurant). We got inside and both of our families were there waiting for us! Including my grandma, who had come from North Dakota to be there, which made it even more special!
To end the night, we went to a suite at Graves 601 in Minneapolis, where he had champagne and rose petals leading into the room for me.
Later I found out that many of my friends and family knew it was going to happen.. but I had no clue! In the words of my friend Beth, who was working at the salon that day I was “adorably clueless.”
Kristin and Andrew
Andrew had just flown almost five thousand miles to visit me in Florence, Italy where I was studying abroad. He looked very happy to see me but also very on edge. I just assumed it was because he had never flown that far or that long before. We took a bus into the heart of Florence and then had to walk almost a mile to my apartment. He had one large suitcase and a carry-on bag slung over his shoulder. I asked him if I could carry the small bag and he just kept saying ‘no, no, let’s just get to your apartment.’ I shrugged and kept on walking. When we got to my apartment, he carried both bags up 59 narrow and uneven stairs, still refusing to let me help him. We got to my room and I began opening the luggage to unpack and to see the presents and cards my family had sent me for my birthday. Andrew was pacing up and down my hallway. Again, I chalked his nervousness up to being in a foreign country for the first time. Then, very suddenly, as I reached into the carry on bag, Andrew came into the room, grabbed some cards out of the suitcase and threw them at me. He said, ‘Here! Read these.’ I didn’t think much of it; I opened the cards to read them. One card in particular really made me tear up. I missed my family and their messages were so sweet. Then I heard Andrew behind me say, ‘I have something that’s going to make you cry a lot more.’ I turned around and he grabbed my hand. He pointed to his carry on luggage and told me to look in there. I couldn’t! I was frozen and told him to look. Then he knelt down and brought out a ring box. When he opened it, it took my breath away. It was a beautiful blue sapphire. Andrew finally asked the question I had been waiting for. ‘Kristin, I love you so much. Will you marry me?’ I managed to squeak out a ‘yes!’ between the tears. It wasn’t until later that I realized that Andrew had been so nervous because I had gotten so close to it when I was opening the luggage. He realized that he had to propose right then and there before I found it. Even though it wasn’t the ‘grand’ gesture Andrew had hoped for, I thought it was perfect for us.
The attached photo is from later that night. Andrew took me to La Giostra, my favorite Italian restaurant, to celebrate our engagement.
Jenny and Ryan
Jenny and I had been dating for a year and a half before we became engaged. We had already spoken about marriage; it was just a matter of getting permission from her father. After we finished finals for fall semester, Jenny left for China to spend Christmas with her family, as they have lived and worked over there for the past three years.
Several weeks later I also flew over to China in order to spend a few weeks with her family, getting to know them better. I talked with her father, and he gave me permission to propose to Jenny. We talked further and both decided that the Great Wall would be the most romantic location for the proposal.
A week later we found ourselves in Beijing visiting some friends who drove us out to a remote location of the wall. It was a beautiful day, and there was even a clear blue sky. We got onto the Wall itself when our friends announced that they were tired and just wanted to sit on the Wall, but we were free to explore. I selected a tower further down the Wall as the best location, and we proceeded in that direction. Just before we reached the tower the Wall became too steep to safely continue, so we had to turn around.
As we approached our friends, I had to motion that I had not asked her yet so that they would not say anything to give the upcoming question away. We decided to go to the tower in the opposite direction, but after a few minutes of walking, again found ourselves unable to reach the tower. We walked back to a flat spot on the Wall and stopped to talk.
We talked about our relationship for a few minutes, and I reminded her of how much she meant to me. At that point I said to her,
“Jenny, I know we’ve talked about marriage before, but I want to officially ask you,” as I reached into my pocket and pulled out the ring while getting down on one knee.
Her face lit up, and huge smile spread across her face, and she immediately said “Yes.”
We were able to call her family right away, but had to wait several hours to get a hold of people back in the States so we would not wake anyone up in the middle of the night as there was a long time difference between the two countries. As it was, we still woke several people up, but they did not mind once they heard the news.
Lisa Ourada and Brian McCoy
Brian proposed to me while he was in Iraq. I was at a family gathering and my brother walked over to me and told me Brian wanted to talk to me. Brian told me he needed to ask me a question, and i told him he was on speaker phone, and my whole family could hear him. He replied that is fine. He asks me, Will you marry me….and I replied yes. A few of my female cousins just started screaming in excited, and they wanted Brian to ask me again so they could take pictures and video tape him asking me over the phone. So, everybody went quiet and Brian asked me again, Lisa will you marry me, and again I said yes. My mom had a box in her hand and Brian told me to open it. It was a moment I will never forget and I was very surprised.
David Guillen and Kate Hickey
David and I had been dating long distance for about three years. He was from trendy Los Angeles and I was a laid back, barefoot kind of girl from flyover country. We would see each other as much as possible, often with me flying out to the O.C. several times a year. The expense of this was mounting and we both knew that something more permanent would have to come soon.
The last weekend in August I got a call from David that he would be coming soon for a surprise visit. He had found an incredible deal on a ticket and would be coming out in just two days for the state fair. I suspected nothing, not what David had in mind, nor that his plans were already falling apart. He had planned a big, dramatic proposal because he wanted it to be the sort of proposal that made old romance movies into classics. He had planned for a private admittance to the Japanese gardens at the Como zoo to be reserved. We would sneak in at twilight with its waterfalls, lighted trees, and night blooming Jasmine. He had even brought his portable sound system to provide the romantic theme music that this dramatized scene required. But David is not a local and planning at a distance is not one of his many skills.
The State fair was on and its heavy traffic kept us from ever reaching the zoo in time. I had recently moved to Bloomington from St Paul so he was in unfamiliar territory. He had even forgotten to put batteries in his portable stereo. With his last day in Minnesota fading and the ring burning a hole in his pocket David was getting increasingly frustrated with the situation. As the evening wore on and the option of restaurants or lounges were closing for the night. And I was getting frustrated with David as I had no idea why he was spending his last night in town spazzing out about something he refused to talk about with me. It almost ended in a fight.
In the end, we ended up taking a moonlight walk to our favorite park bench on the edge of the woods. This had become our favorite spot since we would be there often when he would visit and it was the exact spot where David had first said “I love you”. After some moments together, he said he had something he wanted me to have. He handed me a box. I looked at the box, confused. He said it’d been in the family for years and hoped I would make it apart of me. I opened it up to see that it contained only a piece of paper with one word written on it, his last name. Confused, I looked up to see David down on one knee. He explained what I meant to him and asked “Will you marry me?” After a brief moment of self composure, I was able to say “Yes”.
All in all, proposals don’t have to be perfect, it just has to be the perfect man. All I could see when he was down on one knee was my David, and I’m so happy my David will be the first thing I see every morning and the last thing I see every night.
Alyssa and Cory
Love and fate had a funny way of bringing Alyssa and Cory together. Involved in the crazy journey they have had so far include a pool, fire hydrant, food, and a ring.
First off, the pool. Despite being involved in swimming and hailing from bordering towns, they didn’t know each other until meeting in Green Bay, WI as members of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay swim teams. Cory was a Junior Captain of the Men’s team when Alyssa started her career as a student athlete. They both had their eyes on each other from the start but Cory was convinced he had to stay away from dating women swimmers and Alyssa was too intimidated to express her feelings to the upper classman. But, being swimmers, they had no choice but to spend time with each other and eventually love found its way to them and they couldn’t avoid it anymore.
Then there’s the fire hydrant. What does a fire hydrant have to do with a couple getting married? Well, in this case, everything. Even people reading this for the first time don’t know this whole story. Within the first few months of dating, Alyssa was leaving for a week to visit family. She decided to stop at Cory’s to say goodbye. Before leaving, Cory said the words he couldn’t take back, ever. “I love you.” Alyssa left Cory’s after this and, one minute later, was calling Cory. Let’s take a minute to give the setting. It’s a beautiful summer day with the sun shining high in the sky. Fire hydrants are set about 2-3 feet in from the street blocked by a curb in the neighborhood. Somehow, Alyssa hit one of these elusive fire hydrants with her car at the end of the street. Was she on the phone at the time? No. How could this have happened? Still, no one knows. Apparently Cory’s words were too much for Alyssa and took over most of her brain and she forgot she was driving. That is the only explanation. This incident was scary at first but ended up bringing their relationship closer as they viewed it as a sign they were meant to be together. They must be nuts.
Mmmmm, food. It turns out Alyssa loves to cook. Cory loves her. That is all.
Finally, the ring. Talk about marriage had been in conversation for at least a year at this point. They knew they were going to be together forever. The only obstacle was that Alyssa was two years younger and planned to get her Master’s degree right after her undergrad. Cory had already graduated trying to figure out his life, which included Alyssa. After moving back to MN after graduating, he couldn’t be that far away from her. At the time, Alyssa was interning for a company. A job opened up there and Cory jumped on the opportunity to move back to Green Bay to be with her. Talks about marriage continued but nothing was being done about it. Or so Alyssa thought. Cory had been talking with a great family friend who happens to be a jeweler. The jeweler laid out options for Cory, and despite the heavy price tag, Cory was in awe of one in particular. With the help of his family friend, Cory was able to get the ring and a diamond at great price. It was perfect for her. Despite the fact that Cory already had a THE ring for her, she hinted trying to get him to go with her to look at rings so he could get an idea of what she wants. This went on for a couple months until Thanksgiving. Cory planned on popping the question earlier but waited. He finally decided the day after Thanksgiving gave him that opportunity. Alyssa was out shopping on this black Friday and asked if Cory wanted to join. Of course, he didn’t want to shop, but he viewed this as an opportunity. During the shopping, Alyssa still hinted at checking out rings by acknowledging all the “shiny things” they were seeing. Cory decided to tell her that her friend and her mom (which she knows) was working at their jewelry store today and expected to see Cory to look at gifts for his sister. Alyssa exclaimed that she would love to go look at rings and was ecstatic that Cory finally had the courage to go with her. Little did she know as they pulled into the parking lot, with Cory complaining that he was afraid to go in to find her the perfect ring, that Cory actually had the perfect ring in his pocket. Perfect ring, perfect opportunity. After she said “Yes” and the tears stopped, they were calling all their friends and family, who had no idea. Everyone is very excited for the wedding, which promises to be an unforgettable day, for everyone.
Sarah Kestner and Michael Rytman
A Groom’s Tale
People often say, “I knew she was the one from the minute I laid eyes on her.” How could that statement actually be true? How can one be so overcome by emotion that in a very instant, they know that the woman before them is their soul mate and eventual wife? These quandaries were solved when my life came into focus, when I met my soul mate, Sarah.
I have known for a long time that Sarah is the woman that I would eventually marry. We had discussed getting married and starting a family many times over the past five plus years but those talks never amounted to anything more than that, just talks. When I finally decided it was time to ask Sarah to be my wife, another quandary arose. How could I ask her in a way that was creative, had an element of surprise and focused on the most important part of our relationship, our love? I decided that the next several months of planning would be easier if I related it to something more familiar, football. As in any football game there are four quarters. The next four quarters of my life would resonate for years to come.
First Quarter
This past summer while getting ready for work I suggested that we go look at rings over the up-coming weekend. Sarah was taken aback but at the same time her face exhibited excitement. Our tastes vary greatly and while I knew that I wanted the actual ring and act of asking her to marry me to remain a surprise, I needed her input to narrow down the vast selection. After an afternoon of looking at bands and diamonds, thousands became hundreds and hundreds became ten. Ten bands each uniquely different in their own way. First quarter down, looking good, three more to go.
Second Quarter
Time to purchase the ring. Narrowing down ten rings to one was not an issue. I did not waiver and knew that I was going to buy the one that she loved the most. The question was how to purchase the ring inconspicuously? Poker. I let my friend Scott know that I needed to have a “poker night.” While I was playing “poker,” the meticulous process of diamond selection was well underway. I did not want the biggest, gaudiest ring money could buy. I wanted a stone so brilliant, so scintillating that it would literally take her breath away. Second quarter completed no problem. Halftime, time to get psyched for the second half.
Third Quarter
Ring in hand; it was time to put my creativity to the test. How could I express all of my love in one single act? I decided to take photographs of places/signs throughout the Twin Cities that have meaning to Sarah and I, spelling out “Will U Marry Me?” After a blustery winter morning, trudging through the snow, the photos were taken and I dropped them off to get framed. Creativity? Check. Heartfelt? Check. Element of surprise? December the 22nd. The 22nd is my birthday and I had no doubt that she would never expect me to propose on that day. Third quarter over. The fourth quarter was right around the corner. All the planning was about to pay off.
Fourth Quarter
I made a hotel reservation at the St. Paul Hotel for the two of us for the night of the 22nd. I left work a little early that evening and drove to the hotel to drop off our overnight bag, the picture frame and the ring. Everything was in place, thankfully.
Two weeks prior to the 22nd, Sarah had a “girl’s day” planned. I took full advantage of the opportunity and packed an overnight bag for us. This was a little more complicated than I originally had anticipated. I had to pack clothes that she would not notice were missing and at the same time feel comfortable wearing the next day. As I was putting clothing into the bag, I realized that Sarah has a nightly routine that includes but is not limited to; washing her face, brushing her teeth, removing her eye makeup. Making a trip to Target for travel size accessories, thank you very much! The aforementioned eye makeup remover almost proved to be fatal after I had packed it into the overnight bag. I attempted to cover my tracks by ensuring there was a backup bottle left in the closet. A few days later Sarah asked me if I had moved or thrown out said eye makeup remover. I said the first thing that came to mind, “Seriously, why would I move or use that?” She was none the wise and the crisis was averted.
The morning of my birthday, I was going through my daily routine and was forced to call an emergency audible. I happened to see that there was a product in the waste basket that only appears in the waste basket once a month. I panicked. Deep breaths, c’mon Michael get it together, focus. While Sarah was in the shower I opened the bathroom drawer where these “once a month” products are stored. This turned out to be an education. I learned that morning that there are numerous varietals of this product which seemed to be overflowing from our bathroom drawer. The solution was simple, I grabbed one of each.
The night of my birthday, I asked Sarah to drive us home from dinner. I took out the GPS, entered the address of the hotel and told Sarah that we should go to this address for a drink. As we pulled up to the hotel, Sarah said, “Hey, the St. Paul Grill, we have been here for dinner.”
The valet opened the door, “No bags tonight sir?”
“No sir, they are already in our room.”
Sarah’s look of confusion was priceless. We headed up to the room where I had been just a few hours earlier. She walked in and saw a bottle of wine, a vase full of flowers, the overnight bag and the eye makeup remover.
“This is amazing, why did you do all of this?” “By the way I thought I was going crazy and had misplaced my eye makeup remover” Sarah said.
“No reason, I just wanted to start Christmas off on the right foot.”
We decided to go downstairs for a drink. I did not feel nervous but my actions must have seemed that I was. I polished off my glass of wine while Sarah had only taken a sip or two of hers.
“Thirsty?” she inquired.
“Apparently,” I replied.
I proceeded to finish off Sarah’s glass of wine as well. Back at the room I informed her that I had an early Christmas present for her.
“Michael, seriously, this is your birthday!”
“I know but I really want you to have just this one present now.”
I grabbed the hidden frame and presented it to Sarah. She opened it and it took her a minute to read what the frame said as I grabbed the ring from the safe.
“Are you kidding me right now?” she said.
Game over. It was perfect. April 21st 2012 will be the First Quarter of the rest of our lives together. It will also be seven years to the day that we met. It has been and will continue to be our anniversary.
Mara Gould and Shawn Brown
LOVESICK in CANCUN
My fiancé, Shawn & I were lucky enough to be able to use his brother’s timeshare for a week in Cancun, Mexico. After 2 years of dating, we had never traveled anywhere together (just the 2 of us), so we were both extremely excited to go. A month or so before we left, Shawn did some “research” on trip adviser and booked us a few day trips, one of which was snorkeling on Monday afternoon.
When we arrived on Saturday, after almost 12 hours of travel, we were exhausted, but the site of our room and our resort made it all worthwhile; it was amazing. We had a fabulous view and the place couldn’t have been better. The following day, Sunday, was rather windy at the beach, but we took advantage of the ocean, our pools, and the sun. When we awoke on Monday, however, it was much windier. Shawn had been in contact with Jorge, our dive guide, and things for snorkeling were a bit “up in the air,” due to the wind, as the port wasn’t even open yet.
Finally, the port opened at noon, and by 12:30 we were on our way to the docks. In our group were 2 other girls that we had actually sat at a table next to the night before at dinner down the street—small world! We finally all arrived at the dock, got our gear together, and climbed into the small boat. Due to the extreme wind, the waves were huge and it was a very rough ride out to our dive spot. We all made it, though we were all a bit nauseous. The “expert divers’” advice was to all just get in the water as quickly as possible and we would all feel better. I took a look at where we were supposedly going snorkeling and got a bit nervous. It was rough! The girls and 2 other divers jumped in, as they were going down scuba diving, and then Shawn, myself, and Ben got in the water. It definitely was rough, but after a few minutes I felt fine. Shawn on the other hand, wasn’t doing so well. We’d only been in the water but 5 minutes, when Shawn “got sick.” Yes, he puked, right there where the 3 of us were floating. I have never seen fish move so fast in my life. Within seconds there were hundreds of fish at his side enjoying Shawn’s lunch. We continued to float for a bit, as Shawn said he was ok, when Ben told me to look over to my left. I put my face in the water and turned to my left to see the scuba divers down below us holding out a huge sign that said, “MARA WILL YOU MARRY ME?” I was speechless, and even laughed a bit, as I was completely and utterly surprised. It was totally unexpected. I put my head in the water once more to take another look to make sure it said what I thought it said. I gave the divers a “thumbs up” and with that, we headed back to the boat! We climbed up on the boat, wrapped ourselves in our towels and tried to warm up a bit. Shawn was still not feeling completely himself. The scuba divers handed Ben the sign and he asked us if we wanted to see it again. Just as he was about to unroll the sign, Shawn leaned over the side of the boat and got sick again. Ben then asked him if it really was the water that was making him sick or what was printed on the sign!
The rest of the crew joined us shortly back on the boat, and they revealed a large cooler filled with a bottle of champagne and beer. So we popped the cork, shared some bubbly, and discussed the past progression of events. Everyone wanted to know what my answer was, and of course it was YES! As we sped back to the dock, I learned more and more how the plan had all unfolded. Turns out the 2 girls were in on the planning all along, as they were friends with the dive guides. There was even a “plan B” prepared, in case the port never opened and we weren’t able to get out of the lagoon!
When we finally reached the dock, and were back on dry land, Shawn got down on one knee, repeated the question I had seen on the sign, and opened a ring box to reveal a gorgeous engagement ring! I couldn’t believe it! He had set all of this up and managed to keep all of this a secret for months! Impressive! He had envisioned it going a bit differently, though… in his swim trunk’s pocket he had a heart, roses, and “engagement ring” which were expandable underwater “toys” that he had planned to have floating in the CALM water as we snorkeled and came upon the sign. He was then going to propose with the “fake” ring while in the water, and then pull out the “real” ring once we were back on the boat.
Even though things didn’t quite go “as smoothly as planned,” it was a perfect day! I couldn’t have asked for a better man or a better day. We celebrated that evening with dinner at a fabulous Thai restaurant with our own private “cabaña,” and even got to release our own two small fish into the lagoon, representing “wishes” we made for our future. It was a fabulous ending to an amazing day, and the start of what will be a wonderful life together.
Jennifer Simonelli
It was Christmas eve we just got home from my grandpas house and we exchanged are gifts. Mike had me open up my gift and when I opened it up it was a humidifier which I thought was the weirdest. Then we watched a little bit of tv and then off to bed we went. Then when I woke up the next morning on Christmas day I came down stairs and there was a big box wrapped up with stuff animal bear on it an then mike came down and said Santa came to your house aren’t you going to open it said I didn’t know it was for me and I wasn’t going to go wake you up at all. So then I went and opened it up and it was my Keurig coffee maker I have been begging for and then he said come here and got down on one knee in our living room and said will you marry be and of course I said YES! And not mention we were in are PJ’s still!
Lauren Moeger and Brandon
“A Sunny Surprise”
My family and I were visiting my grandparents in Bradenton, Florida last March. I was disappointed that my boyfriend, Brandon, whom I had been seeing for over two years could not come along because of his work schedule. Another reason why we went down to Florida was because my Mom was planning my Grandpa’s 80th Birthday Bash so my sister, my Dad and I all went to the beach to relax while my Mom and Grandpa went to look at venues. On the beach my sister and I did what we always do (sunbathe) and my Dad went off somewhere else. Everything seemed so casual and ordinary and then I hear my sister exclaim, “Brandon? What are you doing here?!” I thought she was joking and was about to get mad, but then I opened my eyes and there he was about a foot away from my face! I just started bawling, I don’t even know why, I was just so overwhelmed and happy to see him! I stood up and we hugged and then my Dad comes over “So what is your answer, Lauren?” Everyone looked at my Dad in shock and my Mom gave him a rough punch to the arm. Brandon sighed, “I had a big long speech that I worked on on the plane ride down here, but I can’t remember a word of it…” He got down on one knee there on the beach, “Will you marry me?” Of course, I said yes through the tears that were still spilling down my face. I could not believe that they had all planned this without my knowing anything, and my Dad almost spoiling the moment was hilarious! It was truly the best surprise, best vacation, and best day of my life…until my wedding day of course!
[this attached photo was taken on the beach shortly after Brandon proposed to me]
Crystal Palmer and Brandon
It was Sunday, May 23, 2010. We had spent the morning taking BART from San Francisco over to Oakland for the A’s/Giant’s game with my Daddy. While it rained almost every day we were in California, we happened to be blessed with a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Brandon and I enjoyed the baseball game with Dad, then headed back to San Francisco on BART to meet up with our travel companions, Alycia (Brandon’s best friend) and Brandon (her husband).
We arrived back at the beautiful Hotel Majestic and began to get ready for our dinner/dance cruise on the Bay. As usual, we were running a little behind and I was pushing Brandon to get ready in a hurry. The plan was to leave the hotel at 6:00 p.m. and miraculously, we were just about ready on time. At about 5:55 p.m. we received a text from Alycia explaining that there was some sort of crisis and she and Brandon were running about 20 minutes late. We decided we’d need to take a cab rather than a bus to make it to the dock on time.
At about 6:15 p.m. I received a frantic call from Alycia. She asked if my Brandon had an extra pair of dress pants with him. Brandon checked his bag and sure enough found a recently purchased pair that still had the tags on them. We were instructed to bring them up to their room immediately. I was irritated that I couldn’t fit everything into my purse and ended up leaving my cell phone behind in the hotel room.
Brandon and I got up to their room and it was clear Alycia and Brandon were stressed. She tossed her Brandon the pants and told us to go down and call for a cab. They would meet us down in the lobby in a few minutes. I asked what happened and Brandon confessed he had melted his pants with the iron. I laughed, told them to relax, and assured them that everything would be fine. This did not seem to calm anyone’s nerves though. They were afraid we were going to miss the boat.
The cab arrived in literally less than five minutes. We all jumped in. I didn’t find it odd at the time, but my Brandon opted to sit up front rather than in the back next to me. I instructed the cabbie to get us to the pier as quickly as possible and he complied giving us the ride of a lifetime!
We arrived at Pier 3 and began the epic quest to find the correct boat. Luckily, the third time was the charm! We boarded the Hornblower and had our picture taken. It was adorable!!! The city sparkled in the background and it appeared that the rain would stay away for our adventure on the Bay. We got to the dining room and arranged to have our two tables moved together.
We began our meal with a lovely tropical cocktail, then Brandon and I ordered a bottle of a favorite champagne (Domaine Chandon Rose). Our dinner was excellent! I had the Chicken Cordon Bleu and he enjoyed the Halibut. There was a man and woman playing live music on board. As our dessert arrived, the band played a song that I wanted to dance to and Brandon took me out onto the floor. Sadly, I cannot remember the song, which makes me sad. When the song ended, he kissed me and I told him I loved him. As usual, he responded with “You do?” and I said “Of course I do!”. Then he asked if he could have some quality alone time with me and we went up to the outside deck to check out the City lights.
The outdoor deck had people milling about so Brandon suggested we go around a corner by the Captain’s helm was located. We were more secluded there and he kissed me. Shortly thereafter, we were interrupted by a group of women who looked as though they had been enjoying a few cocktails inside. They laughed and apologized for the intrusion. I laughed as it always seems that we get interrupted during moments of this nature. (On our first date, we were busted by a hotel security guard making out in the parking lot of the hotel he was staying at.)
I laughed thinking the disturbance was par for the course, but Brandon seemed to get a little twitchy. The boat had turned and we were now floating parallel to the Golden Gate Bridge. It was amazing! Looking so glamorously lit up against the night sky. Brandon began telling me how much he loves me and how he’s never been happier in his life. This is not an atypical conversation for us, so I didn’t really think much of it, until he put his hand in his pocket.
My heart began to race as he dropped to one knee. My eyes filled with tears and I could see he was trembling too. He took out the box from his pocket and told me he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. He took out the ring and then he asked me to marry him. Tears fell from his eyes and I shook my head and tried to squeeze “YES” out of my throat, but the words didn’t come easily. I pulled him up from his knee and hugged him as hard as I could. We were both crying and laughing at the same time. Then he said, “You did say yes, didn’t you?” and I answered “OF COURSE I DID! I love you more than anything in the world!” He kissed me and we continued to laugh and cry. Then he asked again, “You did say yes, right?” I grabbed him and kissed him. Then I asked if I could see the ring now as I really hadn’t been paying attention to it thus far. He placed it on my finger and it was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. It sparkled in the moonlight and I couldn’t stop smiling!
I asked him if Alycia and Brandon knew already and he told me that they did. Alycia had helped him with the ring shopping and the reason Brandon was so stressed about his pants was that he was afraid that he would ruin Brandon’s plan to propose. We started walking back down to the dining room and I asked if we could have a little fun with them, he said he would follow my lead.
We walked down the stairs and I carefully kept my left hand hidden. We took our seats back at the table not saying a word. Alycia kept staring at me and then my Brandon. She was so confused! A song came on that she wanted to dance to and she and her Brandon got up. I suggested we dance to and offered my hand to my Brandon. They saw the ring and the screaming began! She said I was mean for my trick and then we danced. After the song, Alycia, the Brandons, and I had a champagne toast. Afterwards, I demanded Brandon’s phone to call the only person who’s phone number I can recall from memory. Rachel was dead asleep but managed to make herself coherent enough to say “I’m so happy for you!” and while I was making this call, Alycia informed the band of our engagement.
The band announced our engagement and played “Always and Forever” which happens to be my parent’s song. After our dance, everyone on the boat began coming up to us and offering congratulations. The women who had interrupted us were very apologetic and asked to see the ring. I had no problem showing off my pretty sparkler! The boat docked and we headed out to celebrate anywhere and everywhere we could do so! Since I didn’t have my cell phone and therefore couldn’t call or text anyone with my big news, I was literally stopping strangers on the street to share it with them. We received more than one drink on the house that night and when we returned to the hotel room, I immediately called Megan and Melissa to share the news with them!
Then we went to sleep The end.
Victoria Hoover Engagement Story
It was Wednesday, April 22, 2009 around 10p.m. when two strangers came in contact with each other and now are becoming one. It was like yesterday; a nice cool/warm night, with a little rain coming down.We meet on this chat line called Live Links.My name was Angel, and his name was Jay. It was a trend at the time to meet people on line, so we both gave it a shot. We exchanged all the who, what, when, where, why and how information and called it a night. A few weeks passed, we didn’t hear from one another. Jay at the time was getting out of a relationship and i was single, so we both wasn’t looking for nothing too serious at the time anyway. Jay called me and asked me to go out on a date with him, i agreed.We did finally revealed our true names to one another. From that moment, we were with each other all the time.
As time went on we built a stronger bond, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. In October 2009, I finally got to meet his son Dallas, who is very handsome, outspoken, but also shy. Beside being a good man,I will always have the highest most up respect for him for being a good father and dad to his son.
Then a year passed and we were was still going strong. We talked a lot about the future and what we have plan and wanted to do such as careers, and such ideas we had. We then officially moved in together in August 2010 in Bloomington, MN, which is where we currently reside. Then finally on Friday, September 24, 2010 at 11:30p.m. he asked me one of the most important question in my life. It was a surprise to me, and i didn’t even see it coming. The most beautiful thing was he didn’t even have a ring, it was the true words that came from his heart he spoke. There was no way i could have said no to someone that is so sweet, beautiful, and wanted to share his life with me forever and eternity.
Erin Elmore and Bryan Breen
To make a really long story short, Bryan kept insisting that we go, finally getting really frustrated with me; and eventually having his mom call me to “discreetly” find out if I planned on going or not.
Well, at that point, I figured out what was going on and got really mad at myself. I texted Bryan telling him that I had ruined everything and that I didn’t deserve him anyways… I felt completely horrible.
When he got home from work later that evening, I was still reeling with guilt and disappointment, and I assumed that he was mad at me anyways for ruining his big moment… so I was in the spare bedroom copying files for taxes and then it all began…
“Erin, you can’t get married until you oppose.” – HUH?
“Daddy said you can’t get married til you oppose.”At that point Bryan walked in the room and said “she’s trying to tell you that you can’t get married until you propose.” – OH. YEAH… I KNOW THAT….
- OH I SEE… YEAH HONEY THAT IS TRUE. YOU HAVE TO GET PROPOSED TO BEFORE YOU CAN GET MARRIED.
“And Amelia, do you know how you ask someone to marry you? Like the prince’s and stuff?”
“Um, I think so daddy.” So she goes and gets her Cabbage Patch Doll, starts messing around with it, gets frusterated and says, “hang on a second, I’ll be right back.”
“To make sure his heart is still beeping!”
- OH, I SEE! **giggling** So I continue my copying and barely pay attention to the rest of the conversation, only stopping here and there to see what else Amelia was doing with the doll.
“That’s pretty close Amelia. But here, let me show you what you do.— You get down on one knee…” as he gets down on one knee, Amelia poses the doll in the same way.
-BUT HONEY, SHE DOESN’T HAVE A HAND TO HOLD…”Just humor me, I’m trying to show her.” So I give him my right hand.
“Then you say, I love you very much- Will you marry me?” And just as he does this, he pulls the ring out from behind his back and looks up at me with tears in his eyes.
Oh my gosh, is this really happening???
Amelia squeals with excitement…. So, what did I do?
I didn’t even give him a chance to put the ring on my finger! I wrapped my arms around him, started bawling, and kept asking him stupid questions like:
“WHY TODAY? BUT… I WAS SO CRABBY TODAY!!! I’M SO SORRY!”
I was shaking so badly and so shocked at this point that I can’t remember exactly what all was said and done, but I do remember him asking me, “Is that a no then?”
- OF COURSE IT’S NOT A NO; IT’S A YES! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!
Amelia comes running over and gives me a great big hug, jumping up and down uncontrollably! -WERE YOU IN ON THIS?? (Bryan says that she didn’t have a clue, because he wanted it to be special and to be a surprise. So he tried to include her in a way where he wouldn’t have to try to get her to keep a secret…)
Then he goes on to tell me that he was gonna wait until the next day when we were at the top of the Ferris Wheel in Nickelodeon Universe, but that #1- I found out, so it wouldn’t be a surprise, and #2- then he wouldn’t have known how to get Amelia somehow involved; so he just decided to do it this way instead…
“So did I do good?”
(Are you fricken kidding me??!?) – YOU DID PERFECT HONEY! THAT WAS SUCH A SURPRISE AND SOOOOO SWEET!
Amanda Draeger and Dan Orchard
My proposal story….
I was working on Jan 8, 2011 and I got home around 10:30pm. We live in a split level house. I got home and opened the door to the house and found the house completely filled with candles! There was a ribbon across the stairs going upstairs with a note saying to put on my slippers and follow the red ribbon. There were heart lights hanging on the banister, and rose petals leading the way with the ribbon. At the top of the stairs, there was a single rose. On our ledge between the kitchen and living room and on the tv stand there were rose petals and candles lit. The rose petals on the floor and the ribbonled to our bedroom door. There was another note on the door telling me to say hi to the dogs, who were gated in our spare room,and open the door when you are ready. So I opened the door (still dark with candles all over our room and rose petals on the floor and bed) and he was kneeling in the middle of the floor with the ring box. I don’t exactly remember what I did or said. He started to say “Will you..” And then I screamed “Yes!!!” Tears were coming down my face. He said he had stuff to say but didn’t get a chance to get it out.
