We like the good ol days, when marriage proposals were charming, and the bride’s 42 best friends weren’t involved in making it a staged production. Here are 10 proposals we love!
“This is my favorite story: Michael told me in August of 1983 that he wanted to marry me, but he was waiting for an ‘act of God’ before he did. We had planned to be married that January while I had a semester break.September passed and he hadn’t asked. I was getting concerned and nervous because I couldn’t seriously start planning until Mike officially proposed.
“On October 2, I was invited to Mike’s father’s birthday party, where I would meet most of his family (we are talking 60 or more people). On the way to the party, Mike asked if I would like to take a walk around the wooded lake where he would spend time fishing and hiking as a boy. We were early and it was a beautiful early fall day, so it sounded like a good idea. As we were walking up this wooded path, Mike saw a green trash bag thrown to the side. I said “Isn’t it terrible that people leave their trash behind like this.” He agreed, and proceeded to open the bag! I said “Eww, don’t do that, you don’t know what’s in there!” He reached in a took out a blanket. Just a few feet away, there was an overlook that looked down across the lake. He laid out the blanket and then took out two champagne glasses.
“Quickly, he ran down to the lake and pulled up on a rope that had a wine bottle knotted to the other end. He ran back up, got down on one knee. Now, I have to interject here that we discussed no ring since we were both dirt poor. We laughed about giving me a beer tab as an engagement ring, and I would be happy. Back then, the tabs pulled off the cans. Mike pulled a beer tab from his pocked with the tab part curled up…he put it on my finger and said, ‘Will you marry me?’ In my elation, I looked down at the beer tab which had slipped sideways and exposed a small sparkling diamond on a gold band at which time I squealed, ‘That’s not a beer tab!’ Of course, I said yes! The next question I asked, ‘What act of God were you waiting for?’ He said, ‘look at the trees.’ The trees that reflected in the lake were starting to take on the reds, golds, and oranges of Fall. He wanted the day to be picture perfect and full of God’s glory. It was the best day of my life (at the point) and is still one of the top two. Sadly, my husband died in a work accident just before our 20th Anniversary, but telling about this day brings him back to me and I feel myself smile.”
Wendy Peppler Koch
“Without a damn ring!”
Butta Fly
“We were in Mexico visiting his family, and all of a sudden during breakfast, he said ‘Hurry! I want to take you somewhere.’ So, off we went to a bakery and bought a tres leches cake beautifully decorated. I got excited thinking about who’s birthday it was and, on the way back, he said, ‘Just one quick stop.’ We stopped at the justice of the peace, and he said ‘Let’s get married!’ and we did! We have no pictures, nothing, but I have the groom and he has the bride 28 years later. I’m very happy and he says he is, too.”
Darlene Chavez Gonzalez
