popping the question, how did you do it?

[CreamyGoodness]

Nothing could be a better example of what an incurable yutz I am.

We had been living together for three years, and for his retirement, my f-i-l took the family on a cruise to the Bahamas. My plan was to corner him with a cigar and ask permission (as is the family tradition) on the balcony, before coming into the cabin and saying "Guess what!?"

In order to make this plan work, I needed 4 simple things. 1) two cigars, 2) an ashtray 3) her father to actually want to smoke a cigar and 4) SWMBO to be in the cabin.

Long story short, I couldnt find an ashtray and wound up yelling at a porter for ignoring me and saying he "wasnt on juty", her father was feeling too under the weather for a cigar and SWMBO found me pacing around the ship muttering to myself, looking white as a sheet with nerves. "Not on juty, I'll give you not on juty you moose-knuckle bah!" is what I apparently was saying to no one in particular.

Finally I wound up confiding in her sister, who made sure everyone was in one place at one time... the next morning right before we disembarked. She was excited and of course said yes, but she asked "ok, but who was Judy?"

 

[Joker]

In the shower, it was kinda of touch and go actually, I thought I was going to drown while down on one knee with the shower hitting me in the face. Apparently I am tough to hear with water hitting me as well but she eventually got the idea and said yes.

 

[Sir Humpsalot]

I didn't do it. I packed up my stuff, moved out, bought a new motorcycle, some new brew gear, took a couple years off of dating before deciding to give the polyamory thing a try.

Life is good.

 

[cheezydemon3]

She asked me!!!!


Worst mistake ever!!!!!!!


yaaayyyy!!

 

[Spraentart]

SWMBO and I went to the Great Forest Park Balloon Race on the evening that I proposed. We'd been dating for about 3 years at this point so I created a video of our three years together paired with some of our favorite songs. At the end of the video, I said some little speech that I can't remember anymore and asked her to marry me.

 

[Chap]

Started dating our first day of our senior year in high school. I had already sign a contract to join the Corps, was just waiting to graduate HS. In boot camp you get one phone call, I called my girlfriend and basically said "when I pick up Cpl (E-4) will you marry me?" Little did I know I would be pinning on Cpl 8 months after boot camp

There was a little more romantic version a few months later, but that's our secret. 23 years later we still like each other!

 

[Schecter]

I just asked last night...I made her walk a mile on the beach until we were alone and then we sat and watched the clouds over the ocean as the sun was setting behind us. I told her I loved her and blah blah she likes diamonds
Good luck

 

[Frankiesurf]

I had to drag her, hungover ( Christmas party margaritas) and on the edge of throwing up to the Long Island Railroad. After two aborted attempts I finally got her on the train. When we got NYC I took her to the Museum of Natural History. They were having a butterfly exhibit in a room that was hot as a jungle but with butterflies flying and landing everywhere. She loves butterflies and was having a great time.

I was sweating my ass off. Some from nerves but mostly from the 100 degree heat and high humidity. I waited until there was a lull in the crowd and got down on one knee.

She said yes and we spent the rest of the night wandering around the city which was all decked out in Christmas decorations.

Still happy after 8 years.

 

[the_bird]

Spend a weekend up in Burlington, VT, hanging out. Couple days after Valentine's Day. Went to our favorite restaurant. After dinner, I pulled out the ring and asked her "Are we going to do this thing?" She accepted, we paid, and went across the street to go watch George Carlin. Ain't I romantic?

 

[Lagz0r]

Well I'm back from the usa now. We went to Niagara falls, and at the very bottom of the American falls (on the cave of winds thing) I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me. She said yes and everything is awesone. Thanks everyone for sharing your stories. It's been awesome.

 

[stevereigh]

How much did you guys pay for their ring? You don't have to tell me dollar amounts, I've just always heard "you're supposed to pay 3-paychecks worth" or "3 months salary." etc etc. I've been contemplating at least starting to save for a ring as a year or two down the road it might be a possibility, and ****, 3 months salary is almost 5 figures...

 

[the_bird]

How much did you guys pay for their ring? You don't have to tell me dollar amounts, I've just always heard "you're supposed to pay 3-paychecks worth" or "3 months salary." etc etc. I've been contemplating at least starting to save for a ring as a year or two down the road it might be a possibility, and ****, 3 months salary is almost 5 figures...

You know who tells you that ****? ****ing diamond merchants. I spent a couple grand on the ring (maybe $3K?) back ~10 years ago, although it was appraised at more like $5K. Good chunk of money for me at the time, no idea what it was in relation to my salary but it burned a material chunk of my savings.

If your future wife is going to be disappointed if you don't buy her a $10k or $15K ring... honestly, I'd be thinking about whether that was the woman I wanted to marry!

 

[The_Dog_42]

SWMBO put a $300 cap on her ring and said "ABSOLUTELY NO DIAMONDS!" I spent $500 and got in trouble. :rockin:

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Got you all beat. Her father gave me her grandmother's ring, and she was over the moon.

I'd have spent anything on her, and gotten her anything she wanted whether I could afford it or not, but the diamond industry is in the top 5 biggest con jobs in the world.

 

[krenshaw]

my (then future) mother-in-law gave me her mothers engagement diamond, for which i only had to get a setting custom made to fit the diamond.. since i didn't have to pay for the rock i got a custom platinum setting at about a third of the total appraisal value

for our engagement i suggested we would go out to one of our favorite picnic spots and pick up some chinese food on the way.. i had a wrangler back then so i had the doors and top off so she didn't mind waiting i the car while i went in to pick it up.. the previous week i had printed up some fortunes to place inside of fortune cookies that said "you will become engaged today" .. figured out how to remove the original fortune in the cookies and slide my new one in after breaking half a dozen.. i made 3 of them and had them in my pocket when i went inside for the chinese food and swapped them out while i was still in there.. that way i knew whichever she got it would be the right one.. the rest went just about as well as it could have gone..

 

[stevereigh]

You know who tells you that ****? ****ing diamond merchants. I spent a couple grand on the ring (maybe $3K?) back ~10 years ago, although it was appraised at more like $5K. Good chunk of money for me at the time, no idea what it was in relation to my salary but it burned a material chunk of my savings.

If your future wife is going to be disappointed if you don't buy her a $10k or $15K ring... honestly, I'd be thinking about whether that was the woman I wanted to marry!

That's kind of what I was thinking, $10k is a hell of a lot of money to spend (I'd rather take the left over money and throw it at the wedding or a down payment on a house or car...). I'd rather spend $3-5k... I bought her a pair of $150 earrings for our 1yr anniversary and I'm pretty sure it's the most expensive piece of jewelry she owns, so she'll be just fine with $3-5k.

 

[the_bird]

FWIW, I bought her ring on Blue Nile (online) before all the cool kids were doing it. It's the only one I've ever bought, but its nice!

 

[david_42]

The first time my wife proposed, I told her than A. I wasn't perfect and she had to admit that, 2. my lack of health insurance wasn't a good enough reason. She proposed the second time after she had a huge benign tumor removed and a partial hysterectomy. I had brought her and her dogs out to my place while she recovered, as her family are a bunch of flakes and felons (yes, really). She decided that I was, "The best boyfriend ever." She proposed the Sunday before she went back to work and we got married that Friday.

Two years now and I haven't used the health insurance, except for routine exams, either.

 

[stevereigh]

FWIW, I bought her ring on Blue Nile (online) before all the cool kids were doing it. It's the only one I've ever bought, but its nice!

Very informative webpage, thanks for that!

 

[RoughandReadyRanch]

So I went on a long hike and came back with a fiancee. Crazy right. We left into Sequoia Kings National park on a 9 day hike ending on the other side of mt Whitney. I knew if I could tolerate her for that whole experience I should probably marry the woman. About halfway through it I channeled my inner boyscout and fashioned a pathetic looking ring out of army green parachute cord. I held onto it for a few days in my pocket. Upon summiting Whitney on the last day we were one of the first few people to the top. I dropped to my knee freezing, might I add (why I was shaking), and asked her to marry me. She amazingly said yes and we have now been married 7 years as of August 19th. People behind us arriving at the summit were in shock and gave us there congrats and took our picture together. About 1/2 hour later a group of two guys had caught up to us. They asked if I had actually proposed up there to which I said yes. They said I was crazy and asked what would have happened if she had said no? It was an 11+ mile hike down to the solo vehicle that would result in about an 8 hour drive back home after that. I had never given the thought of her saying no a chance and in retrospect that would have sucked. Luckily high altitude and unclear heads prevailed and we have a beautiful daughter and a son on the way. I guess I would say if you are going to propose in the middle of nowhere, make sure you have the keys to the car that is waiting for you. Good luck man!