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Perfect Proposals

Groom 101

Perfect Proposals

Real couples share their stories of how they got engaged

Sarah and Jared

Location: Gatlinburg, TN

"On Valentine’s Day, Jared gave me a locket he designed himself. A few months later we were on a hike when Jared told me he wanted to show me something about the necklace he hadn't before. He took the necklace off and popped out the stone. On the inside was a piece of paper that said in French, ‘I will love you all my life.’ Then he told me to move the paper, and under that, engraved on the bottom of the locket in Jared's handwriting, it said, ‘Will you marry me?’ I had been wearing my own proposal for three months without a clue!" —Sarah

Jennie and Curtis

Location: Franksville, WI

"My fiancé had recently received his pilot's license, and the morning he planned to propose he asked me to go flying. Before we left, he said that we were going to try to fly over his friend’s house to take aerial photos for him. Once we got to the area, he kept telling me to look for their pond. I was scouring the area when he said, ‘There it is—look straight down.’ I saw the words ‘Will You Marry Me?’ in our friend's uncut hayfield below. To my disbelief, I said, ‘Oh how nice. Look what someone did.’ As I looked over at him, he presented the ring." —Jennie

Marcy and Mike

Location: Cozumel, Mexico

"I was scuba diving on vacation with my family in Mexico when I noticed a familiar body on the ocean floor. It was my boyfriend Mike with a sign that read, ‘Will you marry me?’ He got down on one knee, and after almost drowning from shock, I nodded my head yes! Mike was originally supposed to come on vacation with us but told me that his flight had been canceled at the last minute. I was so surprised to find Mike not only in Mexico but at the bottom of the ocean with a ring!" —Marcy

Carolyn and Steve

Location: Chicago, IL

"Our first date was to an art show where we both were introduced to the work of the artist Kevin Lahvic. When Steven decided to propose, he called Kevin and told him about the story of our first date. Kevin was touched and agreed to create a one-of-a-kind painting titled Will You? I had just accepted a new job when Steve told me that he bought me a congratulatory present. He brought me into the bedroom and revealed the painting—an abstract of a man proposing to a woman. I recognized Kevin's work immediately and then quickly realized this was not just a present for my new job but a proposal! While I was still in shock, Steve dropped to one knee and asked me to marry him." —Carolyn

Cassandra and John-Mark

Location: Mission, British Columbia

"My boyfriend and I love solving crossword puzzles. One day after work, he surprised me and suggested that we go to a nearby creek I had frequented with my father as a child. When we arrived, he laid down a blanket and mentioned that he had brought a crossword that he had printed off the Internet earlier that day. After completing the puzzle, he unfolded a flap on the bottom of the page that read: 59D + 67D + 20A + 20D + 33D. After filling in the answers from the puzzle, my secret message read, ‘Will ewe merry me?’" —Cassandra

Katie and John

Location: Nassau, Bahamas

"John and I were on vacation in the Bahamas when we decided to go to dinner at an underground restaurant surrounded by water. He had reserved a table next to the glass and spent the beginning of dinner spotting the different sea life. Suddenly I saw a man in the water coming right toward us. I looked at John confused, but he told me to look back at the diver, who had just pulled out a sign saying, ‘Will you marry him?’ I looked over at John and he was on his knee. Everyone in the restaurant stood up and started cheering. We gave the diver a thumbs-up and a little wave to the crowd." —Katie

Linda and Brad

The location: Chicago, IL

"My fiancé is a Web site designer, and he created a fake online sweepstakes promoting a ‘Ladies’ Night Out in Chicago’ for our proposal. He told my sister to send me the link and encourage me to enter, but I kept ignoring it and saying that I wasn’t going to win. A few weeks later, my sister told me that she had won and she was taking me as her guest. A limo came to pick us up, and the driver gave us gift cards to go shopping and find something to wear for the evening. Then we were whisked away to a salon for hair and makeup. After that, we headed to dinner, and when my sister excused herself to use the bathroom, Brad appeared, got down on one knee and proposed." —Linda

Briana and Joe

Location: Billings, MT

"One day at my job as a firefighter, we received a report of a smoky odor on the roof of one of the buildings in downtown Billings, Montana. When we arrived, we didn’t notice anything unusual, but my captain ordered me to climb up to the top of the building to make sure everything was OK. As I approached the roof, I peeked over the ledge and saw my boyfriend waiting for me. He helped me off the ladder and began singing one of our favorite songs. Then he got down on one knee and told me how much he loved me and how he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me." —Briana

Sarah and Matthew

Location: Bristol, CT

"The day before spring vacation, the principal came into the fourth-grade class that I teach and told us that the Easter bunny was here and wanted to visit our class. After each of the students came up to receive an egg, the bunny handed me a large purple plastic egg. I opened it up and inside was a black jewelry box with my engagement ring. I ran out into the hallway to start looking for my fiancé because I didn’t realize he was the Easter bunny. When I went out there, I saw my family and co-workers smiling and crying. We went back inside the classroom, and I went up to him and asked him to take off his ‘head.’ I gave him a kiss and a hug and said yes!" —Sarah

Melissa and Matthew

Location: Atlantic City, NJ

"My girlfriend and I are avid poker players. We would always joke that I would propose to her when she beat the other players with a pair of queens. The night of the proposal, I planned for all our friends to play cards together. I had told them to fold their cards at 12:30 so it would just be Melissa and me playing one another. They did, and after I was beaten I pushed all my poker chips into the middle of the table along with the ring box. I came to her seat, took the ring from the table and asked her to marry me. She still had the cards in her hand when she hugged me and said yes. Jokingly, I asked how badly I was beaten. With that she showed me her cards—two queens!" —Matthew

Jamie and Dean

Location: Commerce Township, MI

"In sixth grade I had my best friend pass Dean a note that read, ‘Will you go out with me? Check yes or no.’ Ten years later, when Dean was ready to propose, he brought me back to where it all began. Dean told me we were going back to our old school to visit a teacher, but when we arrived he said he just had to make a quick announcement in the lunchroom. Little did I know, Dean had sent up a sixth-grade boy to pass me a note that read ‘Jamie, will you marry me? Check yes or no.’ The entire proposal was wonderful—perfectly coordinated with a song playing in the background. It was completed with the expected check on the yes!" —Jamie

Marie and Markus

Location: Chicago, IL

"The morning of my 28th birthday, I was getting ready for work when Markus told me to close my eyes and hold out my hand to receive my birthday present. He placed his hand in mine, and I could almost sense he was lowering himself onto his knee. My heart raced, and I immediately thought he was proposing. But when I opened my eyes, there was no ring. I looked around the room for a gift and saw nothing either. Finally, I noticed he had removed his shirt and saw the tattoo on his chest, just over his heart, which read, ‘Marie, Marry Me?’ A few weeks later we finally bought the ring I had been looking for."—Marie

Ronnie and Rich

Location: New York, NY

"My fiancé is the caretaker of the organ at Radio City Music Hall, and I am the first full-time female organist there. When he proposed, he brought me to the exact spot on the stage at Radio City where we had meet one year before. He asked me what I loved most about him, and I said how he always surprises me by putting things in the drawer of my organ so I would see it while I was performing onstage. With that, he opened the organ drawer and took out the ring inside. Then he got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. The ring is designed so that when you look at it from the side, you can see the art deco sunburst pattern of the proscenium arch of the stage at Radio City." —Ronnie

Jill and Adam

Location: Chicago, IL

"Every year, Adam and I go in to downtown Chicago to see Santa during Christmastime. When Santa asked us what we wanted for Christmas, Adam said he wanted to just make me happy. I told Santa that what I really wanted for Christmas was something sparkly on my finger! Adam turned to Santa and said that he may need some help because he couldn't afford it right now. Then Santa took a box out of his pocket and gave it to Adam. Adam took it and got on one knee and asked me to marry him." —Jill

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