Thursday, June 11, 2009

If at first you don't succeed…

When I was single I always thought that I would be extremely clever and come up with some great proposal to my fiance. To be honest, I think that my attempts make a great story in itself.


When I first got the urge to ask my now wife to marry her we both were attending a friends wedding. We both stepped outside for a walk and before you know it I asked her to marry me. With a fountain misting us as the wind blew that night she did say yes— but I did not have a ring so I felt that I didn't do it properly.

About a month into our engagement, we were at Dave's Rock Shop in Evanston and I bought a really nice ring that she thought was pretty. One day I put on my tuxedo and rode the El to where she worked ring in tow. I then got on one knee and asked again and gave her the ring. Of course, I did feel that I should be buying a diamond ring to be "truly official".

We both spent time at a jeweler giving each other our opinions as to what would be the proper size and shape of an engagement ring. Keeping this in mind, I picked out our wedding bands as well as a diamond ring. Since the engagement ring was a bit out of my price range to get right then and there— I got it on lay away (but I did have a receipt). I got a discount on a lake cruise and since she always wanted to go on a cruise, I bought tickets to the cruise for our anniversary of when we met. So… I put the receipt in a ring box and brought it with on the cruise and proceeded to give her the ring box with the receipt to show her that I was serious enough to get a diamond ring.

By the time Christmas rolled around I had the ring and wrapped it up and gave it to her. By this time the attitude was "Oh, that thing"— all that work for what… so glad that we actually did get married after all that.

So it makes me wonder if anybody has any interesting proposal stories to tell as well— even those that didn't go according to plan.




—CaJoh

To hear what I'm thinking… read my blog:

http://cajoh.blogspot.com

9 comments:

Shelle-BlokThoughts said...

AAAAHHHH that is actually cute. I love that you even made the effort to TRY TRY again!

My guy planned it all behind my back. We hadn't even been ring shopping. He picked it and designed it himself.

Everyone KNEW but me! I mean EVERYONE!

So the day he asked me to marry him was the first day of the RODEO... I remember that specifically for some reason.

He took us to the restaurant we went to on our second date... our favorite date. Then drove me up to my "special" spot. My sacred rock i called it.

Then he set up a drinks and a blanket and brought out a radio.

We were listening to the Rodeo... when all of a sudden the announcer gets on and says, "Shelle's Man, get down on one knee and ask that girl (except he attempted to say my name and totally muffed it up) to marry you already!!!" or something like that!

I was like, "That guy just tried to say my name!!!"

He was on one knee and shaking like a leaf when I looked over! But he said all the right things and presented the ring.

I was young, so I hate to admit this, but the first thing out of my mouth was, "Did my Mom say it was okay?" I know... I still get razzed about that!

I said YES, obviously, and the ring was INCREDIBLE and fit me and my personality perfectly!

It was pretty cool I must admit.

Dawn Parsons Smith said...

I love that story! I love that you really wanted to make it special!

My husband actually turned to me after ordering a ton of food for a picnic at KFC and proposed....yeah....I made him do it over later! lol!

TisforTonya said...

I suppose he first asked me while driving home from a date at the planetarium... but with no ring...

We had EVERYTHING planned, scheduled, and paid for and it was just a week before the actual wedding before we drove up to the canyon and he did the whole get down on one knee thing... and yeah, it was romantic even if belated :)

valerie said...

Oooh I need a do over! We talked about getting married so I knew it was going to happen. He proposed in my kitchen while I was making dinner. THE RAT! Oh I mean, uh, what a darling. lol

Unknown said...

I was at work about 45 mins away and he kept paging me (this was in the pre texting days) and I was chatting with my boss so I ignored him. When I finally called from the car he was really casual like when are you going to be home? When I arrived home he wasn't there so I knew something was up.

Inside at the top of the stairs was a stuffed crab with a note telling me a car would pick me up in an hour. He'd laid out my best black dress and shoes and everything. I knew then what was going on because we'd looked at rings I just hadn't expected it so soon.

The car arrived and took me to this quaint romantic restaurant and he was there and at dinner he held up the ring and asked me. In the car afterwards he had to call his shift (he was a police officer at the time and was supposed to be working that night) to tell them I said yes. Then we each called our parents.
It was a pretty special night, obviously. I still have the note he left for me in our photo album.

Deb said...

this is a funny story(ies). you really dragged out the whole engagement process. i think that's cool!

The Blonde Duck said...

Leave it to me to be the weird one.

Ben blurted out one September night at his apartment he'd been looking at rings for more than a year. It was our senior year of college and I truly had no idea. We started talking about rings and looking at rings. One day, we went to the ring store and picked out my ring. It had to be re-set, so we'd have to come back a year later. The next week, they called. I didn't have to go to work that day, so we wound up going to the ring store together and he asked me in the car outside the ring store.

Considering our first kiss was in a car, I found it quite fitting.

MakingChanges said...

Love it.

Hubby asked my dad first, so I knew he was going to ask me, but he wanted to do it official. So he planned a nice dinner, which he made. He kicked his roommates out for the evening and we ate and talked. Then he busted out his guitar and sang a "Wedding Singer" type song he wrote. Then he pulled out a filler ring (until we picked out the one I wanted) and asked me to marry him. He still swears to this day that he got down on one knee, but he didn't. I am sure it was because he was so nervous and we were sitting at the dining room table, so I can see how he got a little confused. BUT- he totally didn't get down on one knee. It was a great night and fun to remember. Whenever we drive by his old apartment complex I have to smile. That apartment is also where we had our first kiss. Good memories.

Anonymous said...

No fancy proposal. The husband just assumed I would marry him and he assumed right!

WE BELONG