This is from our Company Manager Dawn’s fiance:

The Proposal
part 1: preparations
Summer was on its way and I knew Dawn and I were only getting closer and that this was the real thing. I could not deny it that we were most obviously meant for each other and that the next logical step would be to propose.
Luckily, a trip to Hawaii was already on the calendar. This was two months away and would afford plenty of time to prepare. I would need a ring and I would need her father’s blessing. I figured everything else would fall into place naturally.
There is an artisan jeweler near my work that I walk past daily on my way to pick up lunch. Usually, I glance at their window display and lately, had been keeping an eye on a stunning ring I knew would be ideal for the proposal – essentially three diamonds in a crooked line on a plain, silver band.
I knew walking through that door was the first true action to legitimize my plan. It was exciting. Saying to the jeweler I was looking for an engagement ring was strange and felt like such an adult thing to say. I was proud and felt confident. She showed me the ring as I described Dawn and her delicate, graceful hands. However, the jeweler did not completely agree with my choice and showed me something else. This ring had much more design and character and less diamond power. I worried that it was not the typical “big rock” engagement ring but she quickly assuaged my concern by reminding me what I said about Dawn’s taste for delicate, vintage looking jewelry.
I bought the ring and hid it for two months under a false stair in the basement. There it waited until we left for Hawaii. On the morning of our trip, I carefully hid the ring inside my headphones case where she would never look and off we went.
part 2: beach blanket bingo
Now that we were in Hawaii, I was feeling the weight of the proposal upon me. Dawn was none the wiser and enjoying the vacation as usual. We hiked and dined and kicked sand on the beach. For her it was the same relaxing getaway we had planned and had done before. But for me, I was turning over the proposal in my head again and again. How would I do it? When? What would I say?
I don’t know why I thought it would be so easy. I guess like the first kiss, I figured it would just happen when the moment was right. But the moment wasn’t coming. It might’ve had something to do with the circumstances considering my family was around and we didn’t have a lot of romantic, alone time. But, I kept waiting. And I kept waiting, and waiting.
Flashback to asking her dad’s permission: A few days before we left for Hawaii, we took my dog down to Dawn’s parents’ so they could watch him while we were gone. I took this opportunity to pull her dad aside and let him know my plans. He seemed very happy and gave his approval. I asked him to not to tell Dawn so I could surprise her with the proposal. He agreed. Now keep this in mind as I continue the story that her parents are super excited and awaiting a phone call from us from Hawaii with the good news.
Back in Hawaii, things are becoming dire for me. Our trip is nearing the end and I still haven’t popped the question. I certainly couldn’t return to Portland without doing it, that was not an option. Now, I can see how you might think my case of nerves were due to uncertainty. That, however, was not the issue at all. I was certain about my decision to propose, I was just so wrapped up in getting that perfectly timed, yet seemingly spontaneous moment.
Then, a plan came to me. On the last weekend of our trip, we planned to fly to Maui and finish our trip there, together and without the family. We had a ziplining excursion reserved and I decided that it would be fun and equally cheesy to ask her right before she zips across a ravine (yes, I know this is lame and luckily for me, this never would happen).
With the plan in place and out of the way, I let my mind wander away from the task and enjoyed our remaining days with my family on Oahu. However, on the last day there, the night before we left for Maui, Dawn and I got in a fight. It wasn’t a huge fight, more a grumpy frustration with one another. And because we were not allowed to sleep together per my mom’s “rules of the house,” we sadly went to bed without making up.
After Dawn was in her room, I decided to go take a walk on the beach. Once out there, and once I was seated, I thought about our little fight and how silly it was. I thought about how lucky I am to have Dawn and wished we hadn’t fought. And as I sat there, my eyes closed, listening to the sounds of the surf, I felt the tension and frustrations float away. It was quite moving and I wished she were there next to me so I could apologize.
Moments later I saw a silhouette far off down the beach. It approached and came towards me. Now, as you might know, my vision is not exactly hawk-like. Bat-like if anything. But the silhouette came close enough for me to realize it was Dawn and she plopped down next to me. We did not speak for several minutes. (Be prepared reader, this gets unbearably sugary sweet.) Then she apologized for our little fight and I did as well. And we hugged. I made some comment about how nice the sound of the ocean was. Then I said, “Dawn, stand up.” My voice was laced with nervousness. She stood and I got on my knee and looked up at her in the dark, the ocean breaking nearby, and, yes, moonlight and all that. I know.
“Dawn, will you marry me?” Simple and to the point… seriously at this point, I was surprised I was doing this. I was completely breaking with my plan and didn’t even have the ring on me. You see, it was back at the house in my freaking headphone case and I was cursing myself for not having it.
“Ryan, you know I will.” Oh man, this is going to be hard without the ring. I needed the bling to legitimize my proposal and here I was in the dark just asking her, what she took as random questions.
“No I mean, Dawn, will YOU marry ME?” Maybe I stressed “marry” I don’t remember… but I was trying my damnedest and it wasn’t sinking in.
“What do you mean? Of course I will, we’ve already talked about this.” She said this with a look of confusion on her face even I could see in the dark.
“No, Dawn, this is the proposal. I am asking you to marry me. The ring is back at the house.” You couldn’t mistake that, right? And she didn’t. She got it when I mentioned the ring. Her eyes opened up like two, white dinner plates. And with that, she jumped on me. She literally lunged at me like a cheetah and we fell back into the sand. She was giggling saying “yes” over and over. It was great. I was elated and all the planning and scheming to get to this point was unnecessary because, in the end, it was spontaneous and exactly what we both wanted.
Back at the house, she finally saw the ring and slipped it on. And she smiled.
So there it is. That would close this little chapter and begin the next. I could go on and tell you about the trip to Maui and how we kept the proposal secret from both our parents until we got home (much to the frustrations of her parents who, sitting by the phone, were waiting to confirm I, in fact, did the deed) but I think the story can end happily here.

Not for the contest, of course, but just for the fun of it:

http://www.counton2.com/cbd/news/national/article/a_new_mexico_couple_has_more_than_a_simple_proposal_wedding_proposal_ruined/21454/

Bob and I had been together for several years and had been talking about marriage but not getting any closer. Early in the summer I suggested we get married at Christmas time. Ever the logical one, he gave me more than a few very good reasons why getting married at Christmas time was a bad idea. I reluctantly agreed and we decided to bring it up again for summer. I waited and waited for a proposal that wasn’t coming so, finally in May, I brought it up again that we had agreed to be married that summer. He looked at me with a totally straight face and said, “How about Christmas?” I marched straight to the kitchen, ripped the calender off the wall and threw it at him and told him to pick a day in August. We were married August 13 1994.

Ah, romance. Just a few months into our relationship, J and I had gone to happy hour with several of his co-workers. As we stood around making idle chit-chat and waiting our turn to settle up the bill, the conversation turned to our wayward individual finances. We were both a bit lax in this area and J remarked, “Wow. When we’re married, our finances will be a mess.” Without missing a beat, I responded, “Yeah, but when we’re married, we’ll have two incomes and only one housing expense.” At about this moment, we both realize what we’ve said and hastily changed the subject. Twenty to thirty minutes later, while driving home–and after we’ve nervously flitted from one inconsequential topic to another–J turns to me and asks, “So, are we getting married?” I replied, “Apparently.” And the rest, they say, is history.

Peter and I had been together for 7 years and I had told him that he would never be able to surprise me with a proposal, that I was always expecting it. Every trip we took, every romantic moment, I was waiting.

Boy was I wrong!

We spent a typical HOT Saturday in the summer building a raised plant bed in our back yard. This included unloading a yard of dirt and bark dust, planting a bunch of plants, and stacking paving bricks in the hot sun all day. We were exhausted but had already committed to having a few friends over to watch an outdoor movie in that same back yard. We have a projector and would occasionally have movie nights when it was warm enough outside. I considered canceling it, due to sheer exhaustion, but he was determined and assured me I wouldn’t have to lift a finger.

I forgot about renting a movie and at the last minute, he recommended we just watch one of our favorites, “When Harry Met Sally”. Everyone loves it and since we usually all talk through the whole movie, it’s always good to watch something we’ve all seen.

As he started the movie, an old fashioned VHS version, it wasn’t quite working. I once again suggested a change to the evening by watching a different movie and again, he was determined to watch this one!

Surprisingly, all our friends were fine with the fact that the audio and video weren’t synced up and that the picture would occasionally go blank.

Suddenly, Peter asked if I need anything and disappeared into the house. Within minutes his face flashed up on the screen and then the screen went blank again. I thought I imagined it! I turned to my friends and said, “was that Peter?” and they all looked as astonished as me. Then he walked out of the house wearing the same suit that he had on in the video, which was again up on the screen. He walked over to me and got on one knee as the video played.

Through out that movie, there are short sequences where couples tell their stories; how they met, fell in love, got married, etc. Peter had taped himself starting out telling our story. It went something like this:

“Lisa and I had been together for a long time. So long in fact that some people thought I was never going to propose. I knew it had to be special and unexpected….”

He went on to tell of some ways he had considered proposing. Some of the usual things like slipping a ring into a plate of pasta. Then he said, “Lisa why don’t you tell them how I proposed.”

Then he turned to me and asked me to marry him in front of all of our best friends. He had selected a truly unusual ring from Twist that I LOVE with all my heart to this day!. No one knew the proposal was coming. Least of all me!

I, of course, said yes and we were married a year later. At our wedding, the video was shown and by that time had been completed with MY telling of THIS story.

The amount of plotting and planning he had to do to accomplish this was only revealed to me later. He had called in sick to work one day to get this all done before I came home from a business trip. The previous Wednesday night he picked me up from the airport in his work uniform as if he had just gotten off work. The truth is, moments earlier he had put his uniform on to come and get me after he just finished the video, taken down the equipment and backdrop he had used, and hid the videotape just in time to get me at the airport. I didn’t suspect a thing!

There is a video of each of our hilarious out takes still that makes for good laughs on each anniversary.

Thanks, guys, for those wonderful, warm stories. Mine pales by comparison. I merely took Dee into the county clerk’s office, purportedly to pay our property tax. When the clerk told us we were at the wrong office, I said, “Well, as long as we’re here, let’s get a marriage license.” Dee had such a look of surprise and shock on her face that the clerk asked her, “Is this OK with you?” We were married two weeks later. Best move I ever made.