Engagement season and the endless squeals of “Yes!” that can be heard around town during this time of year always make us feel like we are living in a Nicholas Sparks movie. We feel the strings on our heart tug for the affection that these men show to their brides as they take a knee. And while some left us crying, and others laughing, they all left us saying, “Awwww”. Indulging in engagements, here are a few stories that readers shared with us from their big moment when they changed, forevermore from “you and me” to “we”.
Quick, Catch!
Melissa is a big tennis player and a very good one. She comes from a family of good tennis players and she won state in high school and played collegiately. So when deciding how I wanted to propose, I wanted to do something unique that would be special to her. I wanted it to be a total surprise as I picked out the ring and made all the plans without her knowing. We went to play tennis on February 15th, the day after an “uneventful” Valentine’s Day, which I’m sure left her mildly disappointed. I had arranged for a friend and a photographer to be on the court next to us to capture the special moment and the word quickly spread amongst the tennis club employees about what was going to happen. We woke up early to get to the tennis courts and after our first game (which she beat me at) I tossed her a tennis ball that I had written “Will You Marry Me?” on. Then I got down on one knee and she said YES!
There was an unexpected moment after she said yes. I was so focused on her, that it seemed like nothing else existed at that moment. And what snapped me back to reality was when I began to hear clapping, better yet cheering. It turns out, they were cheering for us. There was a tennis class of teenage kids on the court next to us and their instructor had told them there might be a proposal happening, so when she said yes, they all started cheering. It was surprising and incredible!
The rest of the day was spent celebrating and bringing both sets of parents together to meet for the first time and have dinner.
It was, next to the wedding day, the best day of my life.
-Michael on proposing to Melissa
Somethings Fishy Here
After eight years together, we decided to get serious about getting married. So, the adventure of designing an engagement ring began. Breanne knew the proposal should be approaching as the ring was coming to an end in its design process. However, after months and months, still no proposal. On the last weekend of the summer, Ryan suggested they go to the Lake of the Ozarks and take the boat out. Breanne thought, “Maybe this would be it!” However, when they arrived at the lake everything that could go wrong, did. Breanne’s dream engagement weekend was fizzling.
On the last morning, before they headed home, Ryan suggested to take the boat out for morning fishing. Breanne reluctantly agreed and sat on the front of the boat with her arms crossed the whole ride. Ryan knew exactly what she was pouting about and had planned to get her to her weakest point in an effort to completely throw her off. Finally, he stopped the boat, cast a line into the water and asked Breanne to go to the tackle box and get him a weight. Breanne went to the tackle box, rolling her eyes the whole way. She opened the box…and there among the fish guts and hooks, was a pink, dream engagement ring. After reflecting on the moment, they laughed together, cried together, and finally, Ryan got down on one knee and asked Breanne if they could spend their lives together.
Video Scavenger Hunt
Caleb’s proposal to Tara was one for the books. It was an all-day extravagant affair, where he led her through a mysterious, and very enjoyable, scavenger hunt!
Her first instructions came in the form of a QR code on a postcard that her coworker handed to her. Tara scanned the QR code, which pulled up a YouTube video on her phone. The video was of Caleb, looking very handsome mind you, telling Tara that it was time to leave work and head to the first location of the evening. The first location was a salon, where Caleb had arranged for Tara to receive a full manicure and pedicure.
From there, she received her second postcard, which had another QR code on it. Upon scanning the second code, another video of Caleb was pulled up. This one told Tara to head to Macy’s down the street and find something beautiful to wear that night. He told her a gift card to cover the cost and her next envelope would be waiting for her at the register. At Macy’s, she found the perfect dress and had her makeup done by the makeup artist. Now she was ready for a night out on the town!
Once Tara had been thoroughly pampered, she received her final instructions telling her to head to Bella Patina, an antique shop in the West Bottoms. It is a gigantic warehouse space that has been converted into one of the most charming spots in the city. Upon entering the building, she saw signs pointing her up to the third floor. Quickly she ascended the stairs, eager to find what awaited her at the top. She finally made it to the third floor, finding signs pointing her to a certain couch where Caleb had a camera set up and rolling. She sat down on the couch, seeing a sign that said “Say whatever you’d like to the camera, then push play!” There was his laptop sitting on the coffee table, with a pre-recorded video pulled up.
After catching her breath, Tara mustered some words from the heart. She was too excited to think! She pushed play on the laptop, held her breath, and listened. It was a video of Caleb sitting there on that very same couch, speaking beautiful things about his love for Tara and the future he saw for them. Once the video ended, Caleb came out from around the corner, got down on one knee, and proposed! She said yes, and the rest is history!
Going Once, Going Twice, Sold!
My dad enjoys auctioneering in his spare time and told us about how he was going to take a new course in Colorado in the fall. Later he told us that in order to get into the school he had to do a “fake” auction to show the school his ability and experience. He told me weeks in advance that he would need an audience for it to look completely real. I suggested inviting as many family members and close friends as we could, as I knew they would be the only ones that would show up to a “fake” auction. We invited 50 of our closest friends and family. James had class that entire day and texted me twenty minutes before the auction started that he would be late if he could even made it at all. The auction started and my dad said he would choose who bid each time to keep it from being chaos. The first item was auctioned off. Then the second item. My dad chose me along with a few others to make bids. I ended up winning the bid and he told me to come to the stage. I thought this was strange but I went ahead and went up there. As I was facing the audience, James came from behind the curtains and got down on one knee. I turned around to see him and was shocked! It felt like an out-of-body experience.
Turned out, there was no need for a “fake” auction but it was the perfect reason to have all of our closest friends and family there to witness the proposal!
-Sami on being proposed to by James
A Picnic Proposal
Jesse and I are big picnickers. It is an inexpensive way to go out on a date while still getting to have meaningful time together. It is also a great way to fuel my unhealthy obsession with collecting vintage picnic baskets. He took me on a picnic to Loose Park one Thursday afternoon under a tree where we had picnic before. He had prepped this picnic, and used my favorite picnic basket and vintage plates. He also surprised me by bringing along these mugs that he bought us when we were 12 years old, which we had dubbed our “friendship mugs.” My mug had broken years ago, but he somehow found a replacement and surprised me by bringing it on our picnic. As we were getting up to leave, he covered my eyes. When I opened my eyes, there were little twinkle lights in the tree and he was down on one knee, holding the most beautiful vintage ring I had ever seen. I cried…a lot… and after about five minutes actually put the ring on. He even had a photographer hiding behind a tree to capture the whole deal. We were so happy and I was so surprised!
-Janae on being proposed to by Jesse
Running for More Than Time
Ben and I had trained for the Chicago Marathon for months and were excited to run the race and have a little getaway at the same time. Ben was running for a personal best, and I was more about running for completion. After I finished the race, I called to track him down at the finish line. We eventually found each other in the sea of people. Immediately when we connected, Ben grabbed my hand and got down on one knee.
I blacked out, and don’t remember much of what he said. Later, when I asked him what he said, he replied, “Whatever you always dreamed of me saying.” Which was funny, because he definitely did not say that. I later told him that if I knew I was getting a diamond at the end of the race, I would have been keeping up with the Kenyans.
-Cassie on being proposed to by Ben
The Ring in the Window
Chris and I had been dating for over two years when I started bringing up the subject of ‘taking the next step’. I would drag him to go ring shopping, changing my mind at every store we went in. Then I found it. He knew it. I knew it. About a month later, and several constant weekends of ring shopping around the city, we went back to look at the ring we both loved.
It was gone! I started crying and asked the jeweler if they could get another one. But of course not, only one of a kind rings sold here. I was devastated.
Fast forward two months. We were getting ready for the great Valentine’s Day holiday. I was finishing getting ready in the bathroom and Chris was persistent about leaving. As I walked out to the living room, he was standing there waiting all dolled up for dinner. We were going through our checklist of everything then he grabbed my hands and got down on one knee. He pulled out a box with the most gorgeous ring I’d seen. It was the one we had both fallen in love with. Turns out he had gone back the day after we first saw the ring to purchase it. He even told the staff that I was going to drag him back there, and to play it cool. I was so elated and couldn’t stop crying.
It was a beautiful moment in our home that was so special.
-Jennifer on be proposed to by Chris
Please, No Questions
Jared and I were flying to Dallas to celebrate his birthday. A week before we were to leave, Jared asked that I let him make all the plans. He asked that I not ask any questions about where we were going or what we would be doing, as he wanted to surprise me. Since it was his birthday, I did not ask the million questions I normally do.
Jared said that we would be going to Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck. A town car picked us up from the hotel and as he dropped us off I heard Jared let him know we would be ready about 6:45 pm. I thought it was odd, started to ask a question then just went along with it. Jared walked me straight to a circular table where a red rose was waiting for me. He ordered glasses of wine while we enjoyed the amazing view. A waitress came by and asked if she could take our photo. She quickly stated she worked for the restaurant and they love to get photos of their traveling visitors. I thought it was really peculiar but obviously didn’t think much of it. She took our photo and we got our check shortly after. Jared had made dinner reservations at a steakhouse. I got back into the town car, where I found another rose waiting for me. After dining at the steakhouse, I was beginning to wonder what was wrong with Jared because he kept looking around anxiously, and even more strange was that he had to go to the bathroom every five minutes. Literally. I kept asking if he was ok, and all he could say was that he was great and just had a little stomach issue.
When we left the steakhouse, I expected to see the town car again… but instead found a white horse drawn carriage waiting for us! A bottle of wine and chocolate covered strawberries were waiting for us inside. We rode around and ended at the Rosewood Mansion. As we entered, I heard music coming from the patio, it was one of my favorite songs (he asked them to have it playing when we entered). They had big beautiful trees adorned with lights, little fireplaces and cozy tables set up. As we sat down, another rose was waiting for me at a table with two glasses of wine. A bartender came to our table and handed a card to me. I was so confused. Jared sat beside me as I opened the envelope and began to read the sweetest card. I finished reading it, and he asked me to turn it over. As I did, he got down on one knee. He had secured the most beautiful ring to the back, and written, “Will you marry me?” He proceeded to say some things that I literally cannot remember. I just stared crying and said yes.
Turns out, he had two friends photographing us all night and delivering the roses, wine, and other little surprises. Which is why he kept having to leave for the bathroom, to tell them where we were and to make sure they were ready.
– Julie on being proposed to by Jared
A Surprise of a Horse’s Size
It was a sunny day in May when Brock surprised me to take me riding horses.
We were having a blast as we laughed and enjoyed each others company while riding. We stopped at an opening of a field by a lake. All of a sudden, Brock jumped off his horse and came over to me with a blindfold. He said, “Put this on, there is a surprise for you.” Now at this point, I am thinking, “What the heck is going on?”
I was completely convinced Brock had gotten me a horse because I had made comments about having one of my own many times. Brock starts leading my horse, and I am hoping and praying I don’t fall off this animal before I get my surprise!
Brock comes over to my horse and pulls me off like a princess. He sets me on my feet and leads me through the field. Then he grabs my hands and tells me how much he loves me and has enjoyed our years together. Then he took off my blindfold. He said, “Look around”. I look to my left and there are both of our families. By the time I looked back at Brock he was on one knee. My surprise is not a horse. Brock was proposing! He asked the big question, “Will you marry me?” I stumbled back thinking that this had to be a dream. I felt like I was about to faint and at a complete loss for words. My sweet niece, Lexi, runs up with a sign that says “Say Yes Aunt B”. Then the tears start to hysterically burst out as Brock asks again, anxiously still waiting for my answer, “Will you be my wife?” I finally blurted out the words “Yes of course” and basically strangled him with a hug.
-Brooke on be proposed to by Brock
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