My boyfriend and I have been dating for a little over three years and he is the love of my life. It was New Year's Eve of 2003 and we went to a hockey game with about twelve of our closest friends. He told me early in the week that we would be participating in an event that was called body bowling between the 1st and 2nd period.
If you've never heard of body bowling like I had never had, you sit on an inner tube and the have a huge sling shot that shoots you down the ice into huge bowling pins. Of course you have on stuff to protect yourself.
Well, all during the first period, he sat in his seat a total of about ten out of 20 minutes. He would say he needed to go to the bathroom or get something to drink. He came back to his seat when there was about four minutes left of the first period. So it was time for body bowling (or so I thought). We went down by the ice and waited for them to tell us what to do. The lady that was helping get things ready for the body bowling said for us to go ahead and walk out on the ice and wait a few minutes while she set up. So were standing there and she told us that she was going to let two smaller children go first and then it would be our turn. I was so nervous because there were about a thousand or more eyes on us. So all of a sudden I see my boyfriend take a cordless microphone out of the pocket on his pullover. I just looked at him like what in the world are doing. I had a pretty good idea. This is how it began....
He said "Can everybody hear me?" "My name is Travis and this is my girlfriend, Jennifer. I know Christmas is over, but I have one more gift". Once he said that I covered my mouth and started crying.
The mascot which is a catfish, skates across the ice holding a wrapped box with a bow on it and opens it up and hands my boyfriend the ring box inside. He got down on one knee and the whole crowd went crazy! Then he asked me "Will you marry me?" All I could do was cry, smile and shake my head yes. It was perfect, but he was so nervous that he put the ring on my right hand!
As we walked off the ice they played the Wedding March. It was the best New Year's of my life!
J. B., Huntsville, Alabama
My boyfriend took me to a beautiful (and very expensive) restaurant that had just won a nation-wide television competition for our anniversary. usually it takes 2-3 hours to get in, but he arranged it so we could walk straight in and be seated.
He was stroking my hand, while we were waiting for dinner, and I said, that maybe something will happen with that hand. He said 'How about tonight?' and got down on one knee and told the restaurant how much he loved me and wanted to spend his life with me.
I started crying my eyes out, and said yes, and the entire restaurant got up and cheered for us.
The restaurant was filled with celebrities, and it was televised nationally!!! It was the most amazing night of my life!!!!
R. vdL., Perth, Western Australia
Todd and I met on line, we currently live 1000 miles away from each other, so each time we see each other it is full of romance and excitement. We have been together for over a year now, and we see each other averaging on once every 3 weeks for about a week or so, which forces us to spend countless hours on the phone. Need less to say we have conquered the communication department, there is nothing we haven't said to each other
When it came time for the big day, I was visiting in Todd's city. He took me to a restaurant that we had been to before, and I thought for sure he was going to propose there. We finished dinner, declined desert, so we could get home. heh heh, When we arrived at Todd's home I went down to our bedroom to get changed in to something more comfortable. I think I actually lost my breath, as I stood looking in to our bed room that was filled with 9 vases of my favorite colored roses, rose petals on the bed, a bucket 2 glasses and champagne on the bed 43 (I counted) candles lit all different sizes, and shapes and a fir going in our fireplace. When I hugged him I wasn't sure who's heart was beating faster, his or mine, I couldn't tell through our shirts. Todd then went on to tell me how much he loved me and slowly dropped to one knee and proposed.
It was almost unreal, I think I actually had an out of body experience, as I was so shocked.
T. C., Blue Springs, Missouri
My girlfriend (now fiance) Heather and I have been dating for about 2 years and 8 months and on Feb. 28th 2003 is when I proposed to her and here is the story.
On Feb 28th I took the day off work and prayed that this night went perfect. I had been planning and arranging this night for over a month. My girlfriend goes to school at Rose Hulman in Terre Haute, Indiana and she is in a sorority there. Her sorority was having a conclave in Cincinnati, Ohio starting on her birthday, Feb. 28th. I had called Heather's sorority president about a month in advance to see if I could get her out of her meetings on the night of her birthday. Her sorority president was able to get here out and she also had told Heather that she had to dress up in black dresses for that Friday night's meetings.
Heather and her sorority sisters showed up at about 6:00 at their hotel. At 6:45 pm I had the front desk call call Heather and say that she had someone waiting for her, which she told me later she though was odd but did not think much about it. So her and her sorority members went down to the lobby and as she turned the corner she saw me standing there with a rose in a suit and tie. She was shocked to see me and said "what are you doing here!!" "I told her I am here to take you out to dinner for your birthday."
Her sorority sisters took her meeting stuff and we left the hotel. I took her to La Maisonette restaurant and had a great dinner. After dinner I had arranged for a horse drawn carriage to pick us up outside the restaurant. Luckily it was a warm night for February—41 degrees. We rode through downtown Cincinnati for a while and then took a bridge across the Ohio river into Covington, KY. We road through some older historic houses and then came to a walk beside the Ohio river with Cincinnati in horizon on the other side of the river, it was beautiful.
The lady driving the horse drawn carriage stopped to let us walk for a minute (I had it already pre-planned out with her). We walked down this walk and talked till we came to a turn in the path and a small tree. There I stopped told her I really really loved her and wanted her in my life forever, got on one knee and asked her to marry me. She was so shocked and so happy all at once. She said Yes, I put the ring on her hand and she cried and hugged me. The ring sparkled on her hand, even in the dead of night. It was perfect!
We then walked back, got in the carriage and went back to the restaurant. We called everyone we could. It was a great night!
T. L., West Lafayette, Indiana
We were staying in Gatlinburgh, Tennessee, with my now husband's parents and nephew. It was my first time there so I was very excited to see and do everything. We had talked about marriage and even a wedding date the weeks prior to our trip so I was sure he would "pop the question" on our long weekend.
Our first day there we went to museums and shops, no ring.
The second day we were scheduled to go up into the Smoky Mountains for some sight seeing and I was SURE he would ask me there. Yet again, NOTHING!
I had given up on the whole idea that he was going to propose that weekend and so, we planned on going to dinner our final night there without his parents and nephew. Feeling disappointed I got ready for the evening and we set out walking down the strip in Gatlinburgh. We were walking towards the restaurant we had chosen to eat at that night when my husband grabbed me and said he wanted to go up in this space needle that overlooked the town. I am a little afraid of heights but I love to see all of the beautiful city lights at night so we went. We got up to the observation deck and I am looking over the balcony feeling so peaceful and loving every minute of the fabulous view when I heard a "psst.. psst.."
I didn't pay much attention at first and continued to talk away and look at the city when the psst... got louder and louder. A little annoyed and thinking my husband was right behind me looking over the balcony as well, I turned to see who was making the noise. When I turned around there was my husband, down on one knee holding the engagement ring I had looked at a million times and loved. He was crying and I began to cry.
I don't remember everything he said, something about how I have made his life whole and how I am the most wonderful woman he has ever met and so on. (I was crying so hard I couldn't make out half of what he said) I grabbed him and we held each other for what felt like eternity. He placed the ring on my hand and we went on with our evening.
The funny thing is, later on that night at dinner he stopped in the middle of eating and said "You never said yes!". I must have looked at him like he had a third eye or something because he said it again, "You never told me yes, that you would marry me!" In all of the emotion of the moment when he proposed, I had forgotten to actually tell him yes!
From that moment and I think for the entire week after, every time he looked me in the eyes I would tell him "Yes".
J. B., Corydon, Indiana
