The hardest part is done, you’ve found the one with whom you want to spend the rest of your life, now you’re ready to take the next step and get engaged. It’s an important life milestone and you want your proposal to reflect the love that you feel for each other as well as the uniqueness of your relationship. Every couple has their own proposal story. Some are destination proposals, others are sweetly made at home. We’ve collected some proposal stories from friends and family and with their permission (all names have been changed) we’re sharing some of them to help you get started with your own proposal ideas.
Susan and Francesco — Long Island
Francesco asked me to meet him in Times Square after work. When I got there he pointed and told me to look up at the Joe Boxer ticker in the building next to the one where the ball drops on New Year’s Eve. I started reading a message that said Dear Susan Martin, You’re my best friend, lover and partner. Will you marry me? Sincerely, Francesco. It took me a full five seconds to realize that was me, I also couldn’t believe he signed it sincerely.
Charlotte and Joe — Yonkers
We were vacationing in Japan when Joe proposed in Kyoto. He knew that I wanted the proposal to be private and just between the two of us, so he kept looking for opportunities to propose during our trip. I knew that he was going to propose because we had been to a jeweler and designed a ring together. He had the ring with him. A few days into the trip, he reserved a private room in a very traditional Japanese restaurant. We had already been together for eight years so I could read him really well. I sensed that he was nervous on our way to the restaurant so I had a feeling he would propose then. When we got to the restaurant they took our coats and led us to our room. Joe had put the ring in his coat pocket so he had to come up with an excuse to go get it. Of course, I had a feeling something was up and when he came back in we just looked at each other and laughed. He then proposed and I said yes. It wasn’t a glamorous proposal, but it was very “us”.
Sharon and Aaron — Boulder
I asked Sharon to go watch the sunset in Red Rocks Park in Boulder. We went to a spot there called Settler’s Park. It’s a lovely spot to watch the sunset, it gets a beautiful Alpenglow and I wanted to capture that. I had the ring in a safe spot in my pocket since when we rode bikes to the mountain. From there we hiked to the top of craggy, spiky rock growths. I was really nervous. When we got to the top of spike, I told her how much I love her. I was reaching for the ring and started fumbling and it dropped out of my hand. Luckily I was able to catch it before it went down one of the huge cracks in the terrain, or I would have been back with a sledge hammer. As the ring was falling I blurted out “will you marry me?” She said yes, we drank some champagne and she wore her vintage diamond and sapphire engagement ring out of the park.
Natalie and Paul — Seattle
We were living together during the pandemic and it was our one year anniversary from when we first started dating. To celebrate we decided to have a picnic. It started to rain, so we moved the picnic into the living room instead. We got set up and I reached into the basket to start getting the food ready and I pulled out a box with a ring in it. Paul proposed, I said yes and then he played “All I Ask of You” from Phantom of the Opera on the cello, which became our song. I had to wait to get my ring sized because everything was closed during the pandemic.
The Conversation
Sometimes a proposal just comes up organically in conversation and while it may not be the grandiose gesture of movies and television, it is deeply personal. One friend got engaged while coat shopping, another was out doing errands and yet another was at home just talking. Most friends and family reported similar engagement stories about how they were just talking and the conversation turned to marriage, shifting an ordinary moment into an extraordinary life changing milestone, crystallized in time with a diamond engagement ring. Sometimes the ring was already purchased, other times couples shopped for a ring together. However you decide to propose, it will be a perfect part of your shared story for years to come.
Top of Page: Photo Scott Webb, courtesy UnSplash.
Radiant cut 2.29-carat diamond in platinum engagement ring setting with diamond accents; Fancy brownish-orange 2.01-carat marquise diamond, white diamond and 18-karat gold engagement ring; Old mine diamond approximately 1.15-carats, sapphire and platinum engagement ring, circa 1960s; Victorian cushion shape old mine 1.53-carat diamond and 18-karat gold engagement ring; Art Deco engagement ring with .50 center diamond set in platinum.
Authored by Amber Michelle