So, after some time now, I do believe I’ve found my (hopefully soon to be) Mrs. Right! It’s been a long hard slog…but after years and years of searching (and finding just about every possible Mrs. WRONG in the state I do believe) I’m ready to pop the question!
We’re taking a trip back East in November to be with family for Thanksgiving, and I was wanting to do it then. There’s a great little lighthouse in northern Maryland at Concord Point. Our family has a bit of a history with it’s upkeep and continued operation so that’s a special place to me. It’s absolutely beautiful there as well so I thought that the location would be a really great place to do it.
One thought was to get the key to the place and take the ring to the top, and place it up near the light itself. Then to take her up at night…and propose there - just the two of us.
But, I wanted to get some other thoughts as well. Any of you have some amazing proposal stories you’d like to share? Any advice? Anything I need to watch out for??
I like the lighthouse…lovely, not too over-the-top. Note of course, that Mr. Emm and I picked out a ring together, which he later went and picked up. Then he gave it to me in his pickup truck as we were parked next to the dumpster behind his hardware store. So, you can see how important presentation is to me (not ) We’ve been married 25 years.
Make sure to write a letter to her parents asking for permission. She helped pick the ring…right?
I popped the question in our favorite restaurant in Madison, got a free dinner out of it plus dessert and champagne, don’t knock it we were still grad students with debt. She picked the ring (a whole new dimension of debt).
After we had been living together for 9 months, I proposed to my wife while we were sitting around the kitchen table. After a few tears of joy and lots of hugs, she was busy on the telephone, telling her friends and family that “There’s gonna be a wedding”.
I just asked her out of the blue one evening after a glass or two. I had no idea I was going to do it. Sheer impulse. The ring had to wait. But we’re 33 years in and going strong! I sincerely hope, in the light of this thread, that yours is not a member of C & F…
It’s a tiny lighthouse. But there are big spiders in it sometimes. I used to have to clean them out of it when I was a kid. hehe And yes, before anyone asks - I’ll make sure all arachnid residents are moved out before the proposal night.
Leave the spiders in. Be seen to be executing their fearless and masterly removal on the night, just before the big moment. You’ll look like a hero, mate. Refusal will then be entirely out of the question.
We were even less romantic. We were dating long distance (for a whole six weeks) when her car broke down. We were talking and I said something to the effect that I wasn’t comfortable with her driving 250 miles every weekend or two. She asked, “Are you talking about tying the knot?” and I said, “Yeah, I guess so.” We also shopped for a ring together. And our wedding was equally romantic, a courthouse ceremony with one guest (we really tried to offend everyone equally, but circumstances didn’t allow) and chocolate-chip cookies.
It’s “only” been 14 years for us, but a blissful 14 years.
Man, how could you beat a lighthouse proposal? It’s literally brilliant. Somewhere in your speil to her, you might refer to her as the light of your life…
I don’t think I ever proposed to Charlene as such. We met online (ebay auction!) and started long distance email and IM communication, later by phone. In a VERY short time it was simply understood by both of us that we would be married and live happily ever after. Next week it’ll be 10 years since I first laid eyes on my lady.
If I killed an arachnid in front of my wife now she’d freak. We had a female argiope build a web by the front door several weeks ago. My wife carefully inspected her work and prey everyday, then she laid an egg case and died, my wife hasn’t recovered yet. Not all girls hate spiders, many are enlightened.
I’m not too sure Gwen will care how said residents are evicted: Paper cup to the outside? Broom to web and maker? Huge blowtorch? She doesn’t mind spiders as such…but not intimately involved in her proposal night I’m guessing. hehe
Thanksgiving can’t quite seem to come soon enough!
Here’s how I got married.
I had a sabbatical so my girlfriend
and I went to Tucson AZ to study
in the philosophy department.
I was 46, she was 23, and
it was going to look really
weird unless we were married–
in which case it might look
cute (or anyhow less weird).
So we went down to Tucson City Hall
to inquire about marriage
licenses, just wanted to
get some info, you see.
‘We’ll give you one right
now!’ they said, slapping
it on the counter. ‘And if
you go across the hall,
we’ll marry you, too.’
So we went across the hall.
There was a line of people,
mostly Hispanic,
waiting to see the justice
of the peace. We filled
out the license, but we needed
a witness. I asked the young
woman behind us if she would
be our witness.
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘But let me
get married first, so I can
sign my married name.’
So we let her and her boyfriend
go first. Then we went in.
The justice of the peace
was a nice little man who appeared
to be having a great time marrying
people. He said some sensible things, and we were
married, Yolanda (the Hispanic
lady) signed the license.
KO and I were in flip-flops
and shorts, it was utterly
painless.
That was 18 years
ago, and I would recommend it.
Seems to have worked fine.
The only problem is that
I married Yolanda. She signed
her name on the wrong place
on the license, you see.
That makes Yolanda a polyandrist,
I believe. Occasionally I
call KO ‘Yolanda,’ just
so nobody will give us
any trouble.
When she cries and hugs you and says this is the happiest day of her life, please, PLEASE don’t reply, “Yeah, the folks down at the Chiff & Fipple thought you’d like it.” We want a wedding, not a funeral.
A friend of mine spent two hours in the Bay in Maryland in early December 1993 when the boat he was on sank. A most unpleasant experience. The water was quite cold.
Well - after talking with my Aunt this afternoon who volunteers at the light regularly, it seems that in the winter months, it’s just too cold and they usually close the place up rather tight. So it will likely have to be on the grounds and not up in the light itself (what says love more than a huge light bulb and a wicked cool round double inverted Fresnel prism to focus it?!)
Ah well…
Plan B may not have quite the “illumination” of the original…but I think she’ll be equally thrilled.
) We’ve been married 25 years.
I used to have to clean them out of it when I was a kid. hehe And yes, before anyone asks - I’ll make sure all arachnid residents are moved out before the proposal night. 