Hey girls. Today is two years since DH and I got engaged. I am taking him out to dinner to celebrate to a restaurant we have always wanted to go to that was near our townhouse and we never went. We needed a date night/something new to do and this seemed like a good time. I thought it would be fun if we retold our engagement stories. I am sure we told them on theknot but now we know each other better (names, faces, and screen names!)
Mine was two years ago today. DH told me he wanted to walk in a well known park we had walked in before. It was a Fri night.
We walked around the park and fed the geese. We were near a water lily pond and another walker was showing us a banana tree across the pond. I thought DH was kind of being rude and not talking to him. (He was nervous and trying to find a private and secluded spot with no one around so it would just be us.) DH stopped and got down on one knee and I put one knee on the ground (b.c. he did) and it was wet from dew. He said look at this and pointed to the ground and then said, "Give me your hand." I said, "No!" because I thought he was going to put a worm or something in it. He said, "Give me your hand" again and I said no and then I saw a ring box between his legs at that time. My first thought was he is not doing this here now, no way. (We had looked at rings and I had picked out the band and he was going to pick out the stone with my preferences but he had said we would probably get engaged in Nov. or Dec. and I figured around Christmas. He also said he needed more time to save/use money for the ring...he was throwing me off though. So I was caught totally off guard and it was the most surprising moment/day in my whole life!!!) He asked..I don't remember exactly what he said but of course I said yes. Then, he said that my mom didn't really have a meeting that Monday night but that he met with her and showed her the ring and asked her if he could ask me. (My dad died in 2004.) DH and my mom said it was hard for them to keep it a secret from me all week! I called my mom, friends, and family then and asked a friend and a cousin to be in the wedding that night, in the park. We sat on a bench while I made all these calls!!! We went to dinner nearby and then met my mom for dessert so she could see the ring. She had seen it when he showed it to her but as I told DH not on my finger!! This is when I said we should have took pics but I didn't have a camera but he had his in the car!!! He had planned well. The next night was a friend from work's party so I got to show it off to everyone. We had put it on FB Fri night but some people had not seen it. Also, when we woke up Sat. morning we both had so many FB comments!! When we woke up (I stayed at his apt that night) he was like let's go check our FB and see if people commented. It was cute of him. I think I already had over 20 comments which were so fun to read!! I was so excited, happy, surprised, and shocked all weekend. I have never been that surprised in my life!!! I worked on insuring the ring and started wedding planning that week!!!
Re: Engagement stories (mine is from 2 years ago today!)
Congrats on your engagement anniversary!! I always call my sister on hers!
Two years ago right now DH & I were barely talking! We were at least talking a little & starting to talk more. In mid-October of 2009 I had a conference in Chicago for work, we saw each other, talked and we started dating again!
So the proposal- we got engaged the day before my birthday. I knew he wasn't going to propose ON my birthday, and I really didn't think it was going to happen that weekend at all b/c he had me go get "sized" for a ring just the week before! And I didn't think he had talked to my dad yet, either. And I knew it as going to be before Christmas b/c we knew we needed to get married summer of 2010 & we needed the six months for the church.
I was living in Columbus at the time & had our work holiday party that morning. I got up extra early and died my hair (I've had lots of gray since I was 18 or so) and for the first time ever it turned out bad!! I had gotten my haircut the night before, and I think the dye reacted with whatever product they put in my hair to style it. So... I had bright orange roots. Instead of "dark chocolate brown." As soon as the party ended, I drove to Chicago. And of course the visitor spots in the condo lot were taken, so I had to park on the street (after I found a spot) and then that meant we had to unpack everything (brought all Christmas presents that weekend) in the back seat & it was raining. So... my hair was even more of a mess. We finally get upstairs & I start to change b/c we had plans to meet a bunch of friends out. DH was in a huge hurry to leave and kept rushing me. I decided NOT to straighten my hair b/c it was wet/rainy/sleet/snow nastiness outside... and was ready fairly quickly. I asked him if he had a camera and he replied "I'm one step ahead of you" and I said "oh, cool." And then I walked into the kitchen & he said "i'm one step ahead of you on something else, too" and I turned & looked and he was on one knee & I said yes before he even asked!!
We then went to the bar to meet our friends, and on the way there made all the calls. We got to the bar & told our friends & the night was really fun. Our eventual wedding band was playing & they knew & played the song we had our first dance to
We first met at one of their "real" shows (the real band has 6 people, but 3 of the 6 play acoustic shows once or twice a month). He thought of waiting til we were at the bar to ask & getting the ban involved, but couldn't wait. Two of my nieces had their dresses picked out that night!
So I was living in Columbus, family in Cleveland, DH in Chicago. He came to visit a couple weeks before the engagement, and decided to drive to Cleveland "on the way home" to see my parents. I come from a big family- and any given day there could be 20 people at my parents house. He was afraid to walk into EVERYONE so he tried calling my dad's cell phone. Which he didn't answer. So DH just drove up there & hoped for the best. My parents were home, everyone had left about 20 min before! And they talked. And my mom & dad both kept the secret for the next TWO weeks!
Your stories are cute! I don't love mine, nor the circumstances that led to it, but it is mine.
DH and I had been dating for more than 4.5 years at this point, and I was done. I felt like it was never going to happen. My BFF had already gotten engaged, my younger cousin had gotten engaged, it felt like everyone around me was getting engaged. We had a month to month lease on our apt at the time and I told him that if he wasn't serious and if it didn't happen by my b-day, I was leaving. I felt like I had been strung along for more than a year and it hurt. I know you're not supposed to compare relationships but sometimes you can't help it.
My b-day is 5-5. April rolls around and there's NOTHING - and I'm starting to lose it completely. I start researching apartments and figuring out how to ask my mom if I can move back home, because I'm heartbroken. I figure it's never going to happen.
So it's Friday, April 17th, and a few months earlier I had messed up my knee learning to ski. I was going to PT 2-3 times a week. DH had taken the day off of work, so the one thing I had asked him to do was to get the grocery shopping done, so we didn't have to do it that weekend because we had plans Saturday. He says sure. After school, I run a rehearsal and go to PT, and I need to swing by the bank on the way home. I call DH to let him know I'm running late, but there's no answer at the house or on his cell. So I keep driving home. I pull up to our apartment and park and open the gate (it's like 6:45 at this point) and he bursts out of the house with his dry cleaning and says, "I totally forgot to go to the cleaners and they close in 15 minutes and we don't have time tomorrow the groceries are on the floor in the kitchen can you put them away k thanks bye." And walks away.
Bastard.
I go inside, throw down my stuff, haul a chair over to the fridge because my knee still hurts, and start putting stuff away. About a minute later he comes back inside, apologizes, says he'll figure out a way to make it happen tomorrow, and starts helping me unpack the groceries. We talk about the groceries and their cost and blah blah blah, and we get down to the last bag. Apples, yogurt, asparagus..and a box that I don't recognize. He's very deadpan as he says each item. So I ask, "what's that?" and he says, "engagement ring." The next thing I know he's down on one knee and looking at me - I didn't even hear him say "Will you marry me?," but he must have because he was looking at me expectantly and was starting to freak out when I didn't reply! I said yes and he starts bursting into details about the ring.
The other side of the story is that he went food shopping because he'd been planning to hide the ring in the bag, but he beat me home and messed up his plans. He left the ring in the car and then I got home as he'd started to unpack and he panicked and had to somehow get the ring from the car. He had asked both of my parents at passover (they're divorced), and my mom had asked when he was planning to do it and he said my birthday, She told him to do it sooner and I'm glad she did - I'm glad that they're two separate dates, because they're two separate occasions! I'm also really glad he did it before my birthday because about a week after he proposed I left on a 4-day work trip and it was nice to leave with a smile.
RIP Dr. Irving Fishman - 10/1/19-7/25/10 - thank you for holding on for me.
You made my wedding day complete.
Our engagement story has a bit of a back story as well. In July of 2008, I moved to VA (from CA) with DH. Before we moved, he had asked my parents for their blessing. I knew a proposal was coming, just not when it was going to happen. As soon as we moved, I began teasing DH about getting engaged. Right after we moved he also told me that he had gone with his mom to their family jeweler to start a design. When we talked about getting engaged, my one request was that it wouldn't happen on a cliche holiday.
At the beginning of October I got an evite from a friend in CA asking us to attend her birthday party on November 1st. I was really bummed about missing it, because we're really good friends and by this point I was SUPER homesick for CA. So, DH and I decided that we'd make a plan to surprise her and tell her fiance about our plan. Well, my friend's fiance and DH had a plan of their own.
We flew out on Halloween night (I was basically in PJ's that were Halloween themed, because of a school spirit day) and DH was acting really antsy the whole flight. I figured it was just because he was tired. After we got our rental car, he (pretended) to call my friend's fiance to make sure they were home. He told me they weren't, and suggested us making a stop at Treasure Island.
We got out to Treasure Island and were just hugging and looking at the Bay bridge. DH says all this stuff about how he couldn't love me more and how forever sounds so great. Then at one point, he lets go of me and says. "Lets make it official." He then says my whole name and asks to marry him. I of course say yes, we hug for about ten minutes. At one point he even asks if I want to see the ring..haha. I finally have the ring on my finger and on the way to our friend's house I call all the necessary people. At our friend's house they had chilled champagne waiting and her fiance did an excellent job keeping everything a surprise. My friend screamed and screamed to see us....Then she noticed the ring on my finger. It was a great night! I now call our story Trick or Treat :-) It was definitely a treat.
Oh, it is fun to read these!
I love my story. It is actually two parts.
At the end of January 2010, DH was over and I was making dinner. We were drinking wine and waiting for the food to be ready and he said, "Baby, when do you want to marry me?"
I immediately answered, with an emphatic slap of my hand on my thigh, " First weekend in August!"
He thought that sounded great and I didn't believe a word he said. For ages he had joked about getting married when we had know each other for 10 years, which would be in 2013. But then he got all serious and said all the sweet things. I knew he was serious when he asked, "So do you want to go ring shopping tomorrow?"
Um, yes! So we went and picked out my e-ring and wedding band. When we left he said the ring would not be ready for 2-3 months and that we should start planning our wedding, but not tell anyone till we had the ring. I was concerned that no one would know because we needed to get dresses and how could I keep this from everyone. We ended up telling our parents.
On February 12, DH was again over for dinner. We were playing scrabble and drinking red bull and vodka. He asked me to get him water which he never drinks. I thought he might have a headache and peeked out of the kitchen and asked if he needed tylenol. He quickly shooed me away.
I came in with the water and he was kind of kneeling on the ground. Apparently I pour water too fast. He was not in position yet. He pointed to the board and it said "Marry Me" in scrabble tiles. I said, "Baby, of course I will marry you we are planning a wedding" and went to sit down.
He said, "Did you see?"
I looked at the board more closely and now he was on one knee. He's grinning at me and I noticed my ring next to the tiles. My clever response..."Holy cr@p, is that my ring?"
He actually proposed then and I jumped on him, of course saying yes. He then showed me the new scrabble rules that he had printed. His version includes how many points you get for a 7 letter word when you play a ring!
Now the letters, rules, and pictures of the scrabble board are in a shadow box hanging in our family room.
RIP Dr. Irving Fishman - 10/1/19-7/25/10 - thank you for holding on for me.
You made my wedding day complete.
aww I love reading these-Mel your scrabble story is too cute!
Mine started in Fall of 2008-DH was talking seriously about buying a house. I told him that I didn't want to buy a house together unless we were engaged, because it was too big of an investment. He kept brushing it off and talking about it (he already had plans to propose on our 2 year anniversary in late November) and I started to get kind of mad. I told him again very firmly that there is no way I was putting all that money down and paying half the mortgage, buying furniture, etc. if we weren't engaged, so he ended up just blurting out that he was planning on proposing on our two year anniversary!" He also told me that he was thinking about telling me anyways because he wanted me to help pick out the ring.
For our two year anniversary he booked a hot tub suite at a really nice hotel for the weekend. We went to dinner and then went back to the hotel, and I gave him a scrapbook I had made for him. He was acting so nervous and funny and was trying to turn the air conditioning on in the room (it was December!!!!). He asked if I wanted my present and I said sure and he came over to me and got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Of course I said yes! The next night was my work Christmas party so we got to show off my new ring! It was a wonderful weekend.
We bought a house that May :-)
We got engaged on Dec. 5, 2008, and our baby is due Dec. 5th, 2011!!!!!
Right after DH's sister got married in January 2007, DH and I started talking about getting married and what not. We had only been together for a few months at this point. In early 2008 I picked a date that I wanted to get married on. My mom made him promise that he'd give her 2 years between engagement and wedding. I had picked July 31, 2010. As the time is starting to get closer I kept telling him that he had better hurry up b/c time was ticking and I wasn't changing my date.
I knew when he went to get my ring b/c I wasn't allowed to look at our credit card statement that month. I was told that the ring was a special order and it wouldn't be in for a few months (this was mid-June)
Back in May 2008, I had fallen down the stairs and was waiting to hear if I needed to have surgery. DH took me to the doctor on Monday June, 23, the doctor said I needed surgery ASAP. The next morning they called and said that Surgery was Wednesday morning. DH and I had plans for Saturday to go to Niagara Falls for his birthday and now I was upset that I probably couldn't go. Surgery came and went and that Friday DH was trying very hard to convince me to at least still go to dinner b/c it was for his birthday. My mom was painting my toes that night and I said to her, I think he's up to something that he's pushing so badly to go still.
Saturday arrives and Dh and I head to the falls (Canadian side). He pushed me around all afternoon in my wheelchair. We went to dinner at the Skylon tower and checked out Clifton Hill (not recommended while in a wheelchair LOL). I was getting tired and we were heading home. DH decided that when we crossed the border he wanted to go to the American Side. I himmed and Hawed and eventually gave in. He pushed me all the way down to the bridal veil falls. He said he was going to have someone take our picture. he went over and asked someone (little did I know it was taking so long b/c he told them what he was up to and the one lady didn't want to do it in fear that the pictures wold turn out bad) When he walked back over instead of getting beside me, he got in front of me, got down on one knee and said "This is the real reason we came here today. Amy, Will you marry me?" I was bawling my eyes out b/c I was so surprised (I despise surprises) and happy. On our way back to the car I had to ask him if this had really just happened b/c I was do doped up from the pain meds, I thought i might of been dreaming. LOL
I found out after that DH was so nervous all day trying to pick the right place and moment and nothing felt right all day and that he had been carrying the ring around in his pocket all day. I never noticed.
**DH's original plan was to take me back to the place that we had first met (line dancing) but he couldn't b/c I couldn't dance b/c of the knee surgery. I also had to ask him where he had been hiding the ring b/c I had no idea he had gotten it. he said that it was in the front hall on the top shelf, in his ski boot b/c he knew I couldn't reach up there at the time. LOL**
You Grew in My Heart instead of My Tummy
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This post made me realize that DH and I started dating 7 years ago today! We never celebrated that anniversary or anything, so it's not one I really remember.
His proposal was not super romantic or anything. It was the first week in August 2009. I had been giving not-so-subtle hints that it was long past time. He originally planned to go to a fancy restaurant we had been wanting to try and propose there. Unfortunately, he got a stomach bug and spent the day throwing up instead! So the next day, we went to a local park and were walking around in the gardens when he proposed. It was simple but sweet.
It's so fun to read everyone's stories again!
A little back story on our story: DH and I had been dating for just under a year and decided to move from Atlanta to MA. I was going to move with him no matter what but would have loved to know that I was making this huge move with a formal commitment of sorts from him. I didn't pressure him or anything, I actually only just mentioned it in passing once. We planned a trip up here to look for apartments - a week or so before our trip, DH calls his brother to tell him that he wants to propose to me and talk to him about it. Well, his brother decides to tell him that he's engaged - this hurt DH a lot. That his brother would propose to his gf and not even talk to DH about it. Once I heard about it, I just assumed that an engagement before our move wasn't going to happen. I didn't think that DH would propose so soon to finding out about his brother's engagement.
So back in Atlanta, we're preparing for our move and go out to our favorite bar with a bunch of friends as a going away party. We're all standing around about to take a celebratory shot and DH starts to make a speech about how we're going to miss everyone, etc. Then, I look over and I see our friend pull something out of his pocket (DH had given him the ring box to hold so I wouldn't feel it in his pocket) and then the next thing I know he's opening the ring box and getting down on one knee. I'm standing there, in shock - with my shot glass still in my hand! I couldn't tell you what DH said to me, I just remember nodding yes!
The bar gave us a mini bottle of champagne to celebrate - we still have the 2 glasses and the bottle on display in our apartment. The rest of the night was spent making phone calls to my family and friends and just grinning from ear to ear! Later I found out that DH had asked my dad for his permission while the 4 of us were on a trip to Charleston just a few weeks earlier.
This was a great idea! Reading everyone's stories was fun
We got engaged 3 years ago this past August, it was on our 3 year anniversary of dating. Shane had taken me to a local state park on our very first date, so after that we would go out there occasionally, on our anniversaries & stuff. Well on our 3 years of dating we decided to go out there. We started walking on one of the trails, when we came to a little bridge that went across a creek. I was on one side of the bridge looking down over it into the creek, when I heard Shane say my name. I looked up, turned around & there he was down on one knee with the ring asking me to marry him! Of course I said yes, screamed & cried lol! I had no idea it was coming at all. It is definitely a day I will never ever forget.
What fun! I like reading these
I met DH while we were in 2 different colleges in PA in 2005. We stayed friends for a long time (we were both in other relationships at the time), mostly talking online ( we were in schools 5 hours apart) We reconnected via fb in late 2007 (both in grad school, me @ Pitt still, him @ PSU) and started chatting a lot. We started dating in Jan 2008.
Dec 2008 he said he wanted to take me to NYC for Christmas. My parents live very close to the city but we are not an "NYC" family - I'm the only one who really likes going to the city and I rarely have anyone to go with. Christmas in NYC is my favorite, with the tree and window displays and all that magic.
So J said we'd go over the long weekend that winter after Christmas was over. On 12/26 he drove to my parents and from there we went to NYC for 3 days. The first day there, we did a lot of touristy things, like ice skating in Central Park, and walking through FAO Schwartz, etc. That night, we had dinner at ESPN Zone and went back to the hotel. J knows I'm not big on public scenes, so he waited until after dinner to propose. I was staring out the window at Broadway watching the car zip by, and he asked me to give him a hug and was telling me how much he loved me and how special I was to him and before I knew it, he was on one knee asking me to marry him. Ends up he had been carrying the ring around all day waiting for the right moment. He also wrote down what he said when he proposed b/c I didn't hear half of it, it all flew out of my head as soon as I realized what was going on.
The second day J also took me out to a fancy dinner at The Palm, where I had the best steak of my life....yum! J also took me to see Shrek the musical as a "happy engagement" present where we met the entire cast, including some of my broadway faves, Sutton Foster & John Tartaglia. We got everyone to sign a poster from the show which is hanging in our entryway to our apartment to remind us of our special weekend
That is hysterical!
I have two friends that have great stories that I feel the need to share!
The first... a little backstory is needed. J (the guy) had had asked A's dad when they went to visit a couple months before (A's parents live in Florida). J realized A was getting a little short with him and would get annoyed very quickly and he didnt' understand why. J mentioned it to his mom & she pointed out that A's probably knew he asked & was getting less and less patient waiting for the engagement to actually happen. So J responded by saying "well, I have til next June, I don't know why she is so upset." He thought you had a YEAR from the time you ask for permission to get engaged?? His mom set him straight
So... they had planned to go to FL and there was a hurricane. So they didn't go. J had big plans... and had to think fast to replan. J said "hey, dave at work said there is a boat parade at Navy Pier tonight, why don't you meet me there after work and then we'll grab dinner & go see the parade?" A said sure. She got there and made a few comments about how few people were there if there was really a boat parade happening (this was over Labor Day weekend, so a month or so after Venetian night- an actual boat parade). J said everyone must have gone away for the weekend. A said "great, that means we get better seats!" J had a duffle bag with him, with "a change of clothes in case it gets cold." J played college football and is 6 foot 5 and a big guy. He doesn't get cold. A said "oh, ok". They get to the end of Navy Pier and sit on a bench. It's just about sunset. J takes out champagne & two glasses. A says "wait, open containers aren't allowed!" J says "it's ok, they are allowing it for the parade". A asked when the parade was going to start. J said soon. J stoops down to tie his shoe. A thinks he fell off the bench. Then A realizes he was kneeling & J proposed. Everyone around cheered. They called their families & friends. Then A asked when the boat parade was going to start!! She didn't realize it as a fictional boat parade
The second one... Another guy, also J. Girl is T. J & T had been dating a while. J kept wanting to propose. After a few months, after 6 months, a year, 2 years. T kept saying we are young, we have lots of time, what's the rush. Eventually, T wondered when it was going to happen, for real. They had plans to go to Rome with Js family and she figured it would happen there. Two months before, she gets a call from J saying he has a TON of frequent flier miles that he needs to use ASAP or he's going to lose them. Can she get off work and go to St. Maarten this week? T says no way. I just started this job. J says just ask. You never know. T didnt' know that J had already called her boss and cleared it with him!! So they go to St. Maartens. T was kind of mad that J showed up at the airport totally hungover. She thought he was at a bar a friend of theirs just bought. T found out later that J was really at her parents, asking her dad, and then drinking lots of vodka as good Ukranians do in celebration. So they go to St. Maarten. J is really casual the first couple days and after the first day T decided just to have fun and not expect a proposal. But T kept dancing a little closer, just to see if she could feel a ring. And T kept an eye out for unusual hiding the ring behavior... but again, nothing. They went to a local bar the last night & the owner of the bar ended up driving them back to the hotel b/c the cabs had stopped running. T said it was a really fun night. J has the guy drop them off at the beach. T said it was a beautiful moonlit night, but they had just spent the night drinking & dancing & she was looking forward to sleep. J wanted to take a walk. So they took a short walk. After a little while, J stopped and J said "I don't think we should date any more." T turned around, jaw dropped & realized J was down on one knee. J then said "I think we should get married." I THINK T said "ugh, jerk" and pushed him a little and then said yes
Aw, you guys! All of these stories are making me cry!
I knew DH was going to propose to me since early to mid autumn because we had gone ring shopping together. I just let him pick the where and when. Well, my best friend knew that there was two events at which would have loved to have been proposed to: either Wildlights at the Zoo or during fireworks on the Fourth of July. I'm guessing she told him this when we got serious.
So, I knew he bought a ring, I just didn't know when he got it or where it was hidden. We planned to go to Wildlights the first day it was open (before Thanksgiving even!) and he just seemed in such a hurry to go and go to a nice dinner with me that I thought "this is it!" Then, however, our plans got messed up because he had to work late and I thought," nah...he's not going to propose this time because the night got messed up."
Well, we decided to go to dinner first instead of after the zoo because of DH working late, then we went to the zoo. I was determined to have fun even though I didn't think he was going to propose anymore. Well, he surprised me by taking me to a secluded area by the river and popping the question! It was very sweet, and he got down on one knee and said that I was very special to him. I said yes, then was determined to find someone to take our picture. I also hated wearing a glove after that, even though it was like zero degrees that night (freak Ohio weather!)
Here we are after I found someone to snap a pic!
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