How did YOU propose/get proposed to?

I've never understood this in my meager 20 years, how exactly does it work to agree and talk about marriage without being engaged first?

In reply to fritzsch:

It is a kind of bizarre reverse psychology that women seem to be genetically engrained with the ability to unleash on us.

Toyman01 wrote:

gamby wrote:

Toyman01 wrote: Ours was simple. Me, "You want to get married and blow this town?" Her, "Absolutely!"

Wow. She sounds fun.

We met in high school. Dated for 5 weeks, dropped out and eloped. Probably one of the smartest things I've ever done.

which ? the dropping out ? or the eloping ?

Not my proposal....

We met at a Halloween party. I was dressed as a court jester, INCLUDING the stupid hat with the 2 jingle bells hanging each way, the funny shoes with the curled up toes and jingle bells, the purple and yellow checkerboard tunic, AND the tights with one leg purple, the other yellow. Complete with little heart painted on my cheek.

She thought I was gay, but told her roommate that same night she was going to marry me. (not sure how that works...)

I was at the party because I had the hots for the hostess. Turns out SHE was gay.

I didn't have a ring, just a good idea. I suggested we go shopping for a ring but she said "Nah, it's going to be scooping baby E36 M3 and doing dishes; take me to dinner and we'll call it even."

Done !

wbjones wrote:

Toyman01 wrote:

gamby wrote:

Toyman01 wrote: Ours was simple. Me, "You want to get married and blow this town?" Her, "Absolutely!"

Wow. She sounds fun.

We met in high school. Dated for 5 weeks, dropped out and eloped. Probably one of the smartest things I've ever done.

which ? the dropping out ? or the eloping ?

Actually, both.

First question is do you want to totally surprise her, or do something where she's going to get suspicious and know what's going on before you actually ask (i.e. doing something waaay outside of what you'd normally do that's just too perfectly set up).

I proposed on the 4th of July. We were going to leave for vacation the next morning, and she was thoroughly convinced I was going to ask her on vacation. We were at the local fireworks display and I pulled the ring out during the grand finale. Been married 14 years now.

We'd had a long-distance relationship for several years while she was going to grad school in DC and I was flying charters out of a Podunk town in eastern NC. We had talked about marriage and were already making wedding plans, even though there hadn't been an official "Will you marry me." It just felt right for us to be together. She thought I couldn't afford a ring on a charter pilot's pay, which I couldn't, but I picked up all the extra flying I could to save the $$ for a ring. Then the rear seal on my 78 MGB, my only means of transportation, went out at 70 mph of I-95 south of DC, so I had to take the ring $$ she didn't know about to buy a new rear end for the damn car. Picked up more extra flying, saved more $$, bought her a ring, and surprised her with an "official" proposal while we were out for a walk on Roosevelt Island on the Potomac in DC. Our 24th anniversary is next week.

Put together a cheap California vacation. Spent the day at Laguna Seca checking out the races with the then girlfriend. Went to Monterey for dinner, proposed on the rocks overlooking the water, and then watched Roadhouse, dubbed in Spanish, at a bar and had a beer with the new fiancé.

First wife- " Why don't we get married ?"
Second wife. She says. "Are we going to get married or what ? "

Puppy in a (large) gift box

She was so enamored with the puppy it took her 10 minutes to notice the ring I tied around it's neck.

My wife has a daughter from a previous relationship. We hit it off pretty well and she became my little buddy and my little partner during the whole thing. I had a ring custom made for her and showed it to the daughter. I told her to keep quiet. She did for about 2 weeks. I was impressed. Anyway, we planned a nice evening out where we'd stop by Mt. Bonnell in Austin and watch the sunset, and Kelcie (daughter) would have a camera to take pix. I KNEW she'd say yes, but was super nervous anyway. We sat down and hung out for a bit. People were everywhere and I wanted them all to leave for just a second. Finally they left and I knew it was now or never. I said, "I got something for you..." and pulled the ring out. April immediately started crying and said, "Well are you gonna ask me or not?" I asked, she said yes. Kelcie took lots of grainy blurry pix and none came out. LOL Fun anyway.

After college when I had a "real" job in SC, instead of part time at the local golf course and part time at Lowes mixing paint. I bought two things, her engagement and the 911. We had talked about the future but nothing was set yet. I thought it would be cool to drive away from my wedding in a classic, and figured if I got it before we got married maybe I could keep it forever. So far that has worked...

If any of you guys know Beech Mtn NC there is a gazebo on top of the mtn that has a beautiful view. This is where I had planned to purpose. Maybe it was my driving too fast on those mtn roads, but she got miserable sick. We tried to go up to the gazebo and she got sick right there on the sidewalk.

I spent the weekend taking care of her, making soup and all that stuff you do for someone when they are really sick. Which to be honest I'd probably never done for anybody before and just confirmed how important she really was to me. Sunday afternoon when we needed to head home she wanted to see the gazebo. Sweet. We go back up and we are looking around and I just got down on one knee, said "Well I guess you know what's coming?" and asked her. Thankfully she said yes. 11 years and going strong.

Bought ring and went camping on the beach in Corpus Christi.

Lost my job the day before

She still said "yes".

Good times.

SVreX wrote: Not my proposal.... We met at a Halloween party. I was dressed as a court jester, INCLUDING the stupid hat with the 2 jingle bells hanging each way, the funny shoes with the curled up toes and jingle bells, the purple and yellow checkerboard tunic, AND the tights with one leg purple, the other yellow. Complete with little heart painted on my cheek. She thought I was gay, but told her roommate that same night she was going to marry me. (not sure how that works...) I was at the party because I had the hots for the hostess. Turns out SHE was gay.

Got pics?

My now wife and I had talked about getting married before the actual proposal, so I already knew what the answer would be. The setting when the moment came wasn't anything super over the top; we were on the balcony at the top story of the Michael C. Carlos Museum. I did the traditional get down on one knee thing, and asked in the form of a poem I'd written that ended in, "So, will you marry me?"

Conquest351 wrote: My wife has a daughter from a previous relationship.

At first I read that as "My wife WAS a daughter from a previous relationship."

iceracer wrote: First wife- " Why don't we get married ?" Second wife. She says. "Are we going to get married or what ? "

This is pretty much how mine went. Of course by that time we owned a house together etc. I always did put the cart before the horse...

scardeal wrote:

Conquest351 wrote: My wife has a daughter from a previous relationship.

At first I read that as "My wife WAS a daughter from a previous relationship."

HAHAHA!!

Lesley wrote:

SVreX wrote: Not my proposal.... We met at a Halloween party. I was dressed as a court jester, INCLUDING the stupid hat with the 2 jingle bells hanging each way, the funny shoes with the curled up toes and jingle bells, the purple and yellow checkerboard tunic, AND the tights with one leg purple, the other yellow. Complete with little heart painted on my cheek. She thought I was gay, but told her roommate that same night she was going to marry me. (not sure how that works...) I was at the party because I had the hots for the hostess. Turns out SHE was gay.

Got pics?

Umm... (cough, cough)... as a matter of fact I do.

Hey, wait a minute... You're not gay, are you?

Why, are you really a girl?

Not me man, don't mean a thang if it ain't got that schwing...

Missed it by THAT much...

I secretly bought the ring. Got the correct size by stealing one of her other rings from her bedroom. It's our one year dating anniversary (my logic: if she hasn't pissed me off in a year, she's a keeper). I want to whip the ring out and flip open the velvety box for best effect, but the box makes a very apparent bulge in my pants pocket so I hide it in the glovebox of my Mk1 Fiesta and we go out to dinner. Without realizing it, I had booked it during a 'medieval feast' that a restaurant puts on occasionally with actors dressed up in period garb and the whole thing. The actors pick on everyone, and when it comes out that we are there on our 1 year anniversary the abuse really picks up. The entire time I sit there and think about the ring locked away in the car...what a bombshell if I'd been able to pull it out at dinner in front of all those people.

So we finish our dinner, and go back to her parents' house, and I propose on one knee in her kitchen. Still gets the desired result. Her folks add additional memorable hilarity when they are showed the ring on her finger.

Mom's response: "Nuh-uh. Really?"

Dad's response: "Oh. That's nice."

22 years this coming March.

My wife and I made a choice to get married when we found out she was pregnant. We were already married for all intents and purposes, we just decided to get the paper to smooth the path through life.

The good story is how we met in the first place. She fell over, I caught her and kept her from busting her ass. I'd never said a word to her before that, but we started talking and hit it off.

10 years married, 15 years together.