When I decided that I was going to propose to Kendra, I wanted to do it right. I approached her parents, asked for her hand, and calmed any fears of our young ages. It took about two months of planning, but I was SO excited. We go on an annual Christmas date; dinner, a walk through Bronners (the world’s largest Christmas store) and finishing off with a horse-drawn carriage ride through a city filled with Christmas lights. This date was especially special for Kendra and I, as Kendra is an avid horseback rider and I love Christmas more than any child I know. I carefully planned out all of the details of our special night, hoping it would go off without a hitch. We walked through Bronners and then went on our horse-drawn carriage ride. Partway through, I mustered up the courage to pop the question and her face light up into a beautiful smile. When the ride was finished, I escorted her off the carriage and to her surprise (but not to mine, obviously), all of my family and her family were there waiting to congratulate us and celebrate. We all went to dinner together in a private room where our wonderful families lavished us with engagement presents, hugs, and excited wedding plans. Our night was absolutely perfect, and it is one that never of us will ever forget.

- Jay C., Owosso, Michigan

My wife knew it was coming…we had talked about it. She even picked out the ring. She did not, however, know when I was getting it. Luckily I made her believe it would be a month or two longer than I actually did get it.
There is this place we liked to go to- out in the woods a little bit, by a river. There is this really pretty waterfall, and about 1/8th of a mile downstream from the waterfall there was this log that acted as a bridge to get from one side to the other. We went there one night with my two little brothers, had a little campfire down by the waterfall. Later I asked my girlfriend ( now my wife ) to go on a little walk with me. We walked up to the log-bridge and strolled onto the middle of it and sat down. We held hands- and chatted for a bit, then I stood up. I was kind of walking around, balancing on it, and started to “act serious” saying things like, maybe it is time to bring our relationship to the next level, etc. She looked up at me, and knew something was up. She warned me, “you are going to fall off!” “No I wont” I replied with confidence. I then pulled the ring box out of my pocket, here eyes opened up wide. I started to kneel down on one knee, then “accidentally” threw myself off the log, acting as if I had lost my balance.
I let go of the ring box and let it be carried away in the fast moving river and stood soaking wet acting like I was looking around for it. “Over there! I see it! go get it!” She shouted at me from up on the log- then ran to the shore to take off her shoes and jump in to search. I told her not to get in, and suggested we should go back up the path a little bit to pick up the flashlight we had left. She finally agreed, although I could tell she just wanted to be chasing that ring box down the river. When we got up to the flashlight, she grabbed it, and started rushing back to where the log laid over the river. I stayed behind, and pulled out the “real” ring box, and got down on one knee without her realizing. I called her name, and she turned around… ” We are going to loose the ring! Lets go! What are you…… oh…. ” she saw me on one knee and walked back over. I asked her the magic question, ” Will you marry me…” “YES!” she shouted, then we hugged. It appeared she had forgotten the whole thing, when all of the sudden, she started hitting me. “YOU GOOF! You made me think I was never going to get that ring!”

We have been married for a year and a half now, and she still loves to tell the story. We always share a good laugh when it comes up.

- Marcus H., Orem, Utah

My fiance and I were vacationing in Sweden and Germany from right after Christmas until a week after New Years. On December 31 we were in a little town in Southern Sweden named Skanor. Every year on New Years absolutely everyone in the town sets of fireworks at midnight. So right before midnight, him and I took some champagne out to a little hill that was in a field behind a school to watch the fireworks. As the fireworks started going off all around us, he pulled out the ring, told me that this one of the most amazing things he’s ever seen, and that I made him feel that amazing every day, then asked me to marry him. I cried the whole time and said yes, of course.

- Erin V., Calgary, Alberta

My husband and I met at age 15 when we were both vacationing with our families at Patagonia Lake, AZ. When our eyes met for the first time, it was literally love at first sight. We found out we actually lived in the same city and started dating. We were 20 years old on our 5 year dating anniversary and he took me on a trip to the same lake where we met. I did not suspect a proposal, but it was very special being back there with him again. After a nice dinner in the nearby town, we went for a moonlit walk at the lake. We sat on the bridge where we first saw each other and looked up at the stars. It was very magical because there were so many shooting stars that night and we just laid on the bridge looking up at the stars. Finally, he told me to make a wish on a shooting star and after I did, he sat up and pulled out a ring! I didn’t have to think twice about my answer, of course I said YES!!! It was so perfect and it meant so much being at the same place where we first met.

- Jennifer L., Tucson, Arizona

Before I ever met my Fiancé, I remember saving up for the engagement ring. I didn’t meet her yet, but the way I reasoned it, she would come at some point. With that in mind, I started saving for the ring about a year before I ever met her. Then she came into my life, and I quickly snatched her as my girlfriend.

Alas, the love story began. Man meets girl, takes her away from another man, and falls desperately and dedicatedly in love with her. What evidence do I bring groomgroove of my unyielding passion and devotion for the most beautiful and dedicated woman to date? From day one, my overwhelming love for her drove me to start writing a journal…

Within this leather-bound journal, I would continuously write about our adventures, my feelings, and other things in a narrative via my perspective. The journal began to fill up, and next thing I knew, it was time to make that big decision.

With the journal full of over a year’s worth of memories, narratives, confessions, and stories, I decided to propose.

Included is a video of the proposal. The leather bound journal carries all the weight of my love for her, while the ring, which I saved up for two full years to buy, carries the weight of my dedication to her (And if you could see it, and understand I’m a college student, you would be amazed!)

She is a Student Ministries Director, and on the day of her biggest event (3000+ families in attendance; Trunk or Treat Oct. 31), I gathered up all of our family, friends, and church staff. After sneaking them in the reserved sanctuary in church, I ran out, stole her from observing a worship-band, and brought her on stage. The rest of the proposal can be found in the video:

Enjoy and God Bless,

- Leonard G., Florida

Five months after moving from Panama City, FL to Cincinnati, OH for a job, the first weekend in February 2006 had finally come. Little did Stephanie, my courtship of 5 years & future wife to be, know I was on my way down to Panama City to propose to her that weekend. I had been planning the surprise proposal for months and had just about everyone close to us as well as our home church in on the surprise.

It was Sunday the 5th, and immediately following the church service I had our youth pastor announce a “MEETING” to discus a new “Christian film that was coming out.”

Several weeks prior I had produced a “movie” trailer called the Engagement which I had shown during the “MEETING” before I came out from behind the stage, surprised, and then proposed to the beautiful woman who married me!

- Ryan, Altamonte Springs, Florida

Andy told me to keep Easter weekend free as he was planning “something.” The weekend began when he picked me up from work and drove to the airport. I had no idea where we were going but knew it would be for four days. We got as far as the airline counter and he turned and said we are going to Hawaii! I couldn’t believe it. He had packed my bag with all the right items, planned three nights at the Hilton in an oceanfront room, booked a snorkeling trip and knowing I am a bit of foodie had made reservations at three of Honolulu’s best restaurants. On the last day, he rented a car to drive us around Oahu. He had booked our last night at a beach bungalow on the North shore. With a glass of good wine in hand and on a secluded beach at sunset, he asked me to marry him. He had carried the ring around the whole trip waiting for the perfect moment and this scene was Hollywood worthy. As the planner in our family, I still can’t believe what an amazing job he did to surprise me and it bring tears to my eyes to think how lucky I am to marry someone who is so generous, loving and kind. I wish every girl gets to experience what I did just once in their life. I am lucky to know I will have it for the rest of mine.

- Amber R., Vancouver, British Columbia

Beth and I drove up to Lake Tahoe for the weekend. (She thought we were heading up for her birthday, which was also that week.) I had the ring in my backpack in the trunk of the car, and when we arrived at the city of Lake Tahoe we stopped at a department store to pick up some supplies. I needed to switch the ring from the bag to my pocket so I told her that I just wanted to switch from flip-flops to shoes and that I’d be in the store in a second. She responded that she’d “wait with me” and I kept telling her that I’d only be a minute and that I’d be right behind her. She kept insisting to wait with me so finally I gave up, changed into shoes and went into the store with her. After a few moments in the store I had to pretend I needed to check whether I brought shaving cream (or whether I would need to buy more) and so I ran out to the car and finally moved the ring from my bag to my pocket.

After the store we went over the beach of the lake. It was windy and sand was swirling all around in the air but I insisted that we go for a short walk. I kept getting more and more nervous (especially as we would get near other people) and finally I just anxiously pulled out the ring and muttered, “So, you know I really love you right?”

Beth began to tear up, and I became even more nervous, especially as I noticed someone watching us, so I eventually blurted out, “Do you want to move further down the beach?” to which she shouted (half-laughing), “No!”

“So, I really love you,” I repeated.

“And??” she prompted.

“And, here’s your ring,” I stammered

“And??!!”

“Oh yeah! Will you marry me!”

She gave me a huge hug and kiss, her tears falling from her cheeks to my shoulders. Things hadn’t gone exactly as I had planned, but it was still the second best day (after our wedding day) of my life.

- M.J., Santa Monica, California

Seth was studying abroad in London and I went to visit him for my spring break. He flew me to Como, Italy for a weekend trip. Como, Italy is where my dad’s side of the family is originally from and I have never been. The proposal came on day two of our trip. We went on a train ride up the side of a near by mountain. The top of the mountain overlooked lake Como. I was taking pictures and turned around and Seth was down on one knee. He timed it exactly right that the church bells went off right after I said yes. The sweet thing is that he had bought the ring 4 months ahead of time and had asked for permission from my mom before he left for the semester. I guess all of his friends in the states and overseas knew and no one had told me a thing..

- Sabrina P., Merriam, Kansas

Well me and my fiancée have been together for almost 4 years. Valentine’s day was coming up and I knew I wanted to do something special. I found the ring I wanted. I already made reservations to Skates on the Bay in Berkeley, CA. I stopped by my local Build-a-Bear and made a bear. In the voice recorder in the hand I recorded my own voice saying “Nicole, I love you so much, Will you marry me?” So on Valentines day I got off of work early and went to the restaurant and spoke with the manager, and set everything up so he would deliver the bear to the table after dinner, but before desert. At dinner the manager sat us at a special table right by the window overlooking the SF bay, it was pretty nerve-racking because it was V-day and the place was filled to the T. After dinner along with desert the manager brought the bear. While she was trying to listen to what the bear was saying “it was load in there” it gave the perfect distraction to pull out the ring, and get on one knee and ask her myself. She was so shocked the only answer I got was “OMG are you serious???” After that she said “YES” and everyone cheered and clapped. The couple next to us offered to take a picture. So that’s my engagement story. I like to think its romantic and original. Thank you.

- Ilja P., Concord, California