Stephen and I had been dating for a little over a year and a half. We met at my church almost 4 years ago. On June 30, 2002, after our morning church service was over, we went to the grocery store to get some things. When we got there, he took off his coat jacket, and said that his phone must have fallen out at church. He said we would just run back down and look for it.
Well, when we got there, he pulled up to the door and told me to just go look for it, and he would turn the car around. No one was there, and I went to where we always sit, and his phone was there, but there was also a gift bag sitting right beside it with a card that had my name on it. I thought to myself, 'This is Stephen's handwriting'. I opened the card and he wrote about how it had almost been four years since we met, and that he use to sit further up and to my right. He said, 'Why don't we go up there for old times sake?'. He had also on the other side of the card written a poem to the song "These are a few of my favorite things". He put all of MY favorite things!! When I walked up to where he used to sit there was another bag with another card. I opened the card and it finished the rest of the poem.
There was a Precious Moments figurine in that bag. The last line of the poem said, 'But now I need to ask you something...' I stood up and Stephen walked me back up to where you start to go out of the church. We stopped right before we reached the door. He took my hand, and told me how happy I have made him for the past year and a half. He said that he wanted to make me happy for the rest of his life. He then bent down and opened the ring box and asked me to marry him. It was so romantic.
A. P., Morgantown, West Virginia
He took me to one of our favorite places to walk around — Seaport Village in downtown San Diego. We love to walk around there at night when all the lights in the trees and nearby hotels are on. When you walk around the bay area you see the lights from the boats and Corondo Island reflecting off the water. It is very quiet and peaceful there at night.
We had just finished dinner at a nice resturant and where walking down to the end of the walkway where there is a large gazebo-type structure. When we reached there we sat down and talked and watched the water. I was caught in thought looking deep out across the bay when I felt him take my hand. I thought he was just taking it to hold it. When I glanced over to smile at him I saw he was knelling down besides me with tears starting to form in his eyes.
Ryan has never been a great romantic and very seldom does he express himself in public. But when he asked me I couldn't even say yes I was so suprised and in awe that he would think of doing it this way. All I did was kiss him and cuddle in his arm for what probably seemed like an eternity to him. But after awhile I finally found the words that I was looking for and told him "I would love to spend the rest of my life just loving you."
K.S., San Diego, California
It was the weekend of Halloween in 1999. My boyfriend and I were going to a relative's wedding reception. We took our dogs to a friend's house for the weekend. Since we had been planning this trip for a while, we were going to be carving pumpkins for the holiday.
My designated job for the project was to scoop out the middle of the pumpkins. After placing my hand in the first pumpkin for the third time, I scooped out this little baggie. Inside the baggie was my ring. He asked me to marry him. It came as a complete surprise, I did not know what to think of it.
Of course I said yes. I was thinking what would a ring be doing in the pumpkin. Little did I know, that was the reason I was sent on a little shopping spree before we got down to work. Since then my husband still loves to surprise me.
E.H., Joplin, Missouri
That morning he was sending me 2 dozen roses to work...I called in sick. So that night we went to dinner...the restaurant he took me to had no more reservations. We found another place to eat...2 1/2 hr. wait. Finally, we made it through dinner. After dinner he told me how much I meant to him and gave me a box which I opened and saw the ring.
This was when our waitress came to the table and got all excited and congratulated us. He told her he hadn't asked me yet, so she ran off and he asked me. He was so upset that nothing worked, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
E. R., Des Moines, Iowa
The first thing that I do EVERY night when I get home from work is to take a candle light bath while Shane cooks dinner. On December 15, 1998.....I was walking up the stairs to my apartment when I noticed a note on the door "Knock before entering" and I heard Enigma coming from the stereo. I knew something was up. So, I knocked.......Shane came to the door. I looked in and there was nothing but candle light.
From the door, on each side of the wall on the floor, all the way to my bath tub there was a path of candles. Talk about taking my breath away! He told me he was almost finished with dinner and to go ahead and take my bath. I always make him come talk to me, and so , like usual, I called for him to come chat. He did.......only he decided he wanted to be in the tub with me to chat. *laughs* This was uncommon for us to do. That's our way of forgetting everything and everyone else exists but us.
Anyway, so we get all comfy and cuddly. His arms were behind his head so I reached back with my left hand to pull his arms around me to hold me. As I grabbed his arm to pull it down, he slipped the ring on my finger. I didn't even have time to react it happened so quickly! He told me how much me loved me and how much I mean to him and asked me to marry him. Of course I said yes!!!!
I found out later that the reason there were so many candles was because his original plans were much more elaborate. He had bought 3 cases of candles. Outside of my apartment is Lake Pontchartrain and there is a hillside outside my bedroom window. He was going to spell out "MARRY ME" with the candles lit on the hillside, but the wind was blowing so badly that it didn't work.
Doesn't matter to me though! I've got a beautiful ring, a TERRIFIC fiancé and the life that awaits me is one that I wouldn't trade for the world!!!
A. A., Dothan, Alabama
We had made plans to go and see Harry Connick Jr. in concert for our anniversary. The concert was 10 days after our actual anniversary. We got dressed up and left to make our 1-hour trip to Indiana.
We ate dinner at Ruby Tuesday's and I was completely clueless that anything was going to happen. We finished eating and went to the concert. We had great seats (6th row) and the concert was great as expected! When he started singing "We Are In Love," our favorite song of his, my fiance whispered to me, "This is Almost perfect." I said, "Almost perfect?" And, he answered with, "It would be completely perfect if you would be my wife." And, he put the gorgeous ring on my finger. He had picked out the ring himself and it was my dream ring! I said Yes!
I was completely stunned that he had totally caught me off guard like that. The rest of the concert was a blur through my tear-filled eyes and I had a huge smile the rest of the night.
J. E. Defiance, Ohio
