Please Tell Me About Your Proposals

E

Evolute

Joined
Mar 19, 2001
Messages
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I'd like to hear all the details from all of you about proposing marriage to your wives. How long was it from when you started going out until you proposed? Where were you/what were the circumstances when you proposed? What did you say and ask, when you proposed? Where did you get the ring? How did you pick the ring? How much did it cost? Exactly how did your wife respond? Anything else you care to tell?

Thank you.
 
Girlfriend says, "You think we should get married?"
I say, "May as well."
We had lived together for several years already, owned a home, and even had a dog.

Ring was a family heirloom from Wife's great-grandmother or something. Cost, free.

My intention was a crisp fall morning service, outdoors on top of a nearby mesa. Instead, it was a freakin' blizzard with thick fog and howling winds. Still had it on the mesa, but we 'borrowed' the use of an abandoned church to get out of the wind. Judge sat in his pickup until the very last second, and it was a very short ceremony. :)
 
We had known each other as friends of siblings and got to go with the group. I was a student in Durban and she was working. When the short vacs came I used to hitch (my car was only reliable when rolling down a hill) up and stay with my brother in Mandini, who was getting busy with his lady. So the group dwindled to small beach parties.

My wife moved to Durban and we got to see more of each other and started dating. After a year of dating after my finals we toured around Zimbabwe staying in friends holiday homes. Then I went and did something irresponsible and passed my degree with no repeats and was expected to immediately take the wheel of the family firm (my father having just passed away). Thus I didn't return with her to South Africa, we were both a bit stunned.

She came up (1100mls) to Harare for Easter and at a popular Steak house (over a bottle of oak wine that hit me like a plank) it dawned on me that this was not the time to procrastinate. So I simply asked her and she accepted.

I called a Jewller client of mine and organised for an easter opening of her shop. When we staggered home the short distance my mum was up and when we announced the engagement she already had her grandmother's Kimberly diamond ring waiting on the table. That is what my wife wears 16 years on. Refused anything else.
 
:mad: $!#@@%$&(*b I just spent an hour typing out a response and the login timed out on me and I lost everything. :mad:

My wife and I first "saw" each other at the Good Friday/Easter cantata 2005. After the 2006 cantata a mutual friend got us together and we started "informally" getting together to walk or play tennis or go to movies with her singles group. We started thinking a little more seriously of each other when I helped her get ready for the pagent her church puts on Christmas 2006. I ended up leading the carols and we also got together to walk around my neighborhood and look at the Christmas decorations. I also got to meet her son who was away at college.

We went on our first real date to a fancy restaurant in Canada on 02/13/2007. In May I had a set of salt and pepper shakers made for her and painted in her favorite colors. That led to some serious talks and I knew then that I wanted to ask her to marry me. I knew the timing wasn't right so decided to back off and do a lot of praying and looking inward and asking myself serious questions about what I wanted. (She had been asking exploratory questions all summer 2006 while we walked and I had even read some books she had suggested and we had discussed those - discussing each others backgrounds and finding out what we thought about different stuff, religious beliefs, children, child rearing, etc.)

I started looking at rings at that time. I had wanted to get her a "regard" ring and then while looking at those I found I site with "dearest" rings. That was perfect as I started all my letters to her with "Dearest ______ ." I didn't want to spend that much money on a ring overseas but couldn't find anyone in the U.S. that sold them. I finally found a local jeweler who thought he could make one for around $1200 starting with a basic ring and then adding the stones. I didn't want to wait for my 2007 tax return to get the ring so I started exploring other options. I finally decided to sell my AR-15.

It seemed like something always came up when I wanted to show it to someone or take pictures etc. We had been discussing when we should get serious about getting serious. I think she asked once what was holding me back. I told her I didn't have a ring yet. She told me, "as long as it is from you, baling wire will be fine." (I didn't know it but she had gone on-line and found out how much my AR-15 was worth.) A few weeks later we were walking some of her Dad's property and she found some baling wire and wrapped some around her finger. I cut if off with my Leatherman super-tool and put it in my pocket. I later fashioned it into a ring with the aid of a 3 lb hammer and a Ruger take-off barrel (does this count as forging??? :eek:). I used scotchbright pads to get most of the rust off and a couple coats of clear fingernail polish to try to keep it nice looking.

For her birthday we went back to the same restaurant as Valentine's Day. I gave her some birthday presents and then we ordered dinner. Then some more birthday presents. After dinner we ordered dessert but I asked the waitress "for a few minutes". I had what I wanted to say written out on a card. As I started to read it she realized what was happening and started to hyperventilate and shake with excitement and cry. I finished with, "____ ____ ____, will you marry me?" She managed to squeek out, "yes!" I presented her with the baling wire ring and she didn't take it off until the morning of the wedding.

I never did get the "dearest" ring made. I told her I wanted to be with her for at least the next 45 years so I've lots of time as we aren't quite to our two month anniversary. The AR-15 is now refered to as the "engagement ring."
I couldn't figure out how to get the dearest ring made in a way that would allow it to go with a wedding band (and I wanted to get her a diamond wedding ring.) I finally settled on this anniversary band. She loves it. (Go figure :) .)

I also had a necklace made for her wedding present. It is a yellow gold heart welded to a white gold heart with a white gold bail and white gold chain. Inset into the hearts is an opal and an amethyst (our birthstones.) She loves it but I don't have pictures yet as we haven't got the photographer paid yet (economic stimulus will fix 3/4 of that though.)

What did I say? Well, my wife always likes to hear the "reasons" for whatever. So I simply pointed out her godly qualities and attributes and how I wanted to be her friend, her Jonathan, her Boaz... I'd have to ask for the card to remember everything but she was pleased.

She's recently been talking of getting me a ring she acquired for me (currently I wear my great-great-grandfather's ring which my Dad gave me.) I referred her to a member's website. We'll have to see what happens.
 
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I didn't propose to my wife...I TOLD her that we are getting married. She said "yes, sir!"...That was 23 years ago.
 
I had known the young lady at church for several years. We had been seriously dating for a few months. I asked. She said yes. We got married then moved in together about 10 months later. That was 25 years ago.

I do not remember what the ring cost.
 
My wife and I lived together for a couple of years before we got married. I asked her to marry me when she said, "ask me to marry you" :D She is very strong minded but traditional, so I "had" to ask her not the other way around. We have been married 11 years.

I think the ring cost a couple thousand bucks.
 
My wife proposed to me after we had dated almost two years.

We married a bit over a year later and are about to celebrate anniversary number 23.

We did not live together prior to marriage, and she pretty much planned the entire event with minimal input from me.

We had the big church wedding, with all the hooplah (and the expense!:mad: ) and we paid the bill ourselves.

All in all, it was good. If my wife had waited for me to propose, she'd still be waiting. I wasn't too keen on marriage, kids, ect, and preferred to remain single for several more years at least, but, I did love her and wanted to see her happy.

Now, after almost twenty-three years of marriage, two kids, ect. ect, all I want is some peace and quiet!
 
I didn't really propose, we just came to an understanding. :) That was 2 years ago, we got married last June.

The ring was found when we were walking through an antique mall. $12, and it fits her personality perfectly.
 
Thank you for your answers, so far. The way things are going with my girlfriend, this information may prove helpful.
 
We had been living together for a couple of years and she was pregnant. I was 37, never married, and she was 29, married once for a short time. She was living in my place in Connecticut and I was living and working in California. There was never any formal proposal - she flew out to the west coast and we honeymooned for a week then we flew to Las Vegas and got married by an Elvis Presley impersonator. Then we both flew back to our respective homes. There were no rings until a couple of years after we were married.
 
I'll try not to make this too long or boring...

I was a young, poor enlisted airman in the Air Force. I had been dating my wife (girlfriend back then) for a while. We had met in High School, but didn't go out till after we got out. I was stationed at Griffiss AFB in NY, and she was back home in NH.

I was to be leaving for a TDY (Road trip) to Nebraska the next week, so I was heading home for the weekend to see her, but had a car accident, and never made it home. I spent 2 months in Nebraska, and missed her terribly, so while there, I put an engagement ring on layaway at the BX. The ring was very nice quality, and seemed like alot of money to me at the time, but not what you would consider acceptable by today's standards. I had it paid off by the time I left.

When I got back, I had no car, as I had totaled mine before leaving. So, I arranged for her and my sister to come out for a visit. I put my sis up in a hotel off base, and as my roommate in the dorm was away, she stayed with me.

I proposed to her over Burger King cheesburgers in my dorm room, and lucky for me, she accepted.

It will be our 20th in September. We've had our highs and lows, but she's by far the best thing that ever happened to me.

Thanks for indulging me.

Glenn
 
Mongo said:
I can't talk about the proposal here in Community... we were both nekid!;):D
Click to expand...

Mine is similar. Road trip to Vegas with her newly married best friend and husband, we had our own room. She asked a favor, and I asked her to commit, before I could commit. Then we celebrated! (The "official" story is pretty vague, but most folks accept it.)

We bought a cheap "open your own pearl oyster" ring for $75 in the Casino, and bought a real ring after we returned home ($500 on Layaway) as we were poor college students.

It was 12 years this last March.

DD
 
It was three days before Xmas. We had just finished exams. (The week prior I had snuck home from college and took her parents out for a bite to eat and asked her father for her hand in marriage. He said no..I shanked him in the parking lot and dumped his body in the grease dumpster behind the resturant :D) I had the ring custom made of my design and had hand selected the diamond ( it was about the size of a molecule because we were both in college and broke but it was the thought that counted) We were infront of the xmas tree. I gave her this little gold box with fresh holly on it..

I got on one knee and asked her if she would spend the rest of her life with me. If she would grow old with me and be the mother of my children. That was 21 years ago...Would not change a thing..
 
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