The Proposal

The Proposal

Nope, not talking about the movie with Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock! I’m thinking about what makes a proposal epic. You know, the engagement story that makes women swoon and say, “Aww!” Even guys will have to take their hats off to their buddy who makes the memorable proposal. Or heck, they may even be in on it! Like the friends and family who helped Isaac pull off the coolest Lip Dub proposal:

 

While we’re at it, I’d love to share how my husband proposed. Maybe because of Valentine’s Day last week. Love must be in the air. So I thought I might share our story and a few tips on what can make your proposal a tad bit more romantic than the one from the movie The Proposal. Remember that scene where they were making up their engagement story as they went? It was funny and painful.

 

Here’s Our Engagement Story:

My husband Clay blew me away 22 years ago when he proposed. My family had planned a Christmas vacation to Jamaica-a first for us. Little did any of us know that Clay was going to show up at our resort! He arrived in Jamaica and took a cab ride from hell to his hotel (during which the cab driver stopped at a house to pick up a “delivery”). The cabbie also drove like a maniac, so Clay was thankful to have made to his hotel safely. Clay had tried to book a room at our resort but was told it was full. So he checked into the nearest hotel, threw his bag down, and then WALKED at night in Jamaica pitch black a mile from his hotel to our resort with the ring in his shoe. He also had a bottle of wine I brought back from France that we said we would have when we got engaged. Wine bottle and ring, check.

Of course, our all-inclusive resort wouldn’t let him to come in because he wasn’t a guest. They paged my parents, who arrived at the front desk and were shocked! Then the manager of the resort asked how much time Clay needed to propose (he clearly lacked a romantic soul). Since Clay and I first met at the neighborhood swimming pool, my family diverted me to the resort pool. Suddenly, Clay jumped out. My first reaction? “What are you doing here?” After shedding the light on his purpose by asking me to marry him, I squealed yes. While my Dad arranged for Clay to get a room at our resort (funny how one came open when he plunked down a credit card), Clay went back to his hotel to get his bag. You won’t believe what was on the floor-animal manure! Gives new meaning to the term “roach motel.”

It’s a miracle he made it to our resort safely that night, and his determination and desire to make our proposal so unique is something I will always cherish.

Thanks for indulging me. Now on to you…What does your proposal need to be?

Here are the main components to a great proposal:

About The Two of  You

If you guys are adventurers who love scuba or skydiving, then maybe an undersea proposal on dry erase board or shouted during your tandem dive is just the ticket. For the uber romantic, maybe that looks like flowers, music, and an exotic location. Maybe it’s the place where it all began, where you first met or your first date or on your family property. The most important part is to make it about you as a couple.We met at a pool, so it was fitting that he popped the question beside the resort pool. I’m thankful we didn’t end up IN the pool!

And don’t let family or friends butt in and interfere with your idea of what your proposal needs to be. That goes even more so when planning your wedding! So you might as well start now putting the boundaries up when you get engaged.

P.S. It’s OK if you turn a few heads while you are proposing!

Be In the Moment

Yes, you want to document the special occasion. But don’t become immediately glued to your phones afterwards. Social media can wait. Back in the day, we didn’t have all that, so it wasn’t a distraction. And as you can see, there’s also a really poor quality photo and that’s about it. So use the technology that is available now to capture your moment and then share it as you see fit. But it doesn’t have to be live streaming either. Enjoy the moment.

Make It Memorable

No, you don’t have to go to Jamaica or even travel (gasp!) to make your proposal out of this world. Yes, I said that. But do make a memory that you will cherish. Put some thought into it. Plan. But not so much that you become a nervous wreck. See, it’s so much easier to say all this now that I’m on the other side! Ladies, if you are envisioning what you want for in a proposal, then hopefully you are also talking about it with your soon to be fiance. Need some help? How He Asked is a website dedicated to featuring proposals, proposal planning, and ring shopping.

You may make it so memorable that it gets shared all over the Internet. Hey, people love when you have an animal assistant!

Think About the Future Story You Will Tell

Imagine the future story you’ll share when people ask you, “How did you two get engaged?” You know that phrase, “Begin with the end in mind”? Exactly.

And then the fun starts…planning a wedding! I’ll have to do a separate post on that later!