I have never felt so nervous about something. There was a lot of planning and secrecy that needed to happen to pull off the surprise. What do I say? Where do I say it? When do I say it? This is the story of how I proposed to my wife Becky and the engagement ring buying process.
I had done a lot of research on the 4 C's (cut, color, clarity, and carat) of a diamond. I investigated the pros and cons of the different ring metals available. I read articles about the whole ring shopping experience. What to do and what not to do while you are shopping for a ring. I searched on Google to find the most highly rated jewelers in town. I listened to advice from friends and family that have gone through the same process.
I read articles on whether or not to include Becky during the ring shopping experience. From what I remember most people suggested to not include your spouse because you lose a lot of the surprise factor. I also remember reading somewhere that the choice mostly depends on your personalities. Becky is very easy going and would appreciate any ring I bought her. However, with a purchase this significant I wanted her opinion and decided to include her in the process.
After doing the research and formulating a mental game plan I decided we were ready to go look at rings. We went to the local mall and looked at rings at a couple different jewelry stores. We had a specific jewelry store in mind from a suggestion from friends living in the area. The jewelry store is a big retail chain and have stores in most cities. Which works great for our six month required warranty check-ups and cleanings.
When I was looking at rings online by myself, I liked this 3-stone round diamond ring and I thought this is the ring for Becky. After looking at the other jewelry stores to see what they had to offer. We arrived at our pre-selected jewelry store and started looking at the different rings they had on display. It did not take long before Becky's eyes lit up. Or should I say sparkled? She picked a very nice ring which did not look anything like what I would have chosen for her.
The jeweler did not waste any time and shooed Becky away from the store as quickly as she could to conduct her business. The jeweler had me cornered and she knew it. I bit the bullet, I pulled out my credit card, and bought the ring. There was definitely more to this transaction than what I dramatically just wrote but let's not get caught up in the details.
To conclude on the ring buying part of this post, I am glad Becky was a part of the ring buying process. It worked well for us and Becky got the ring she wanted. To use an old saying, "Happy wife, happy life." Which has incidentally become my new life's motto.
Let's get back to the proposal part of this post. Using information that I have gathered from watching TV over my lifespan, my plan was to propose to Becky on a Lake Coeur d'Alene sunset dinner cruise. The proposal had all of the elements needed for a great TV proposal. The sunset, water, good summer weather, food, adult beverages, and a group of people to celebrate with afterwards. What could go wrong?
Becky and I had been discussing going on one of these cruises since we found out about them. Becky had also just got a new job. The cruise had turned into a sort of congratulations dinner for her new job. She did not know something else was in the workings. I looked on the dinner cruise's website to find the earliest date I could book the cruise. The only day left that would work was on a Sunday and I bought the tickets.
The cruise set sail at 7:30 PM and we were directed to be on the dock ready to go at 7:00 PM. We arrived when we were told and boarded the cruise. Only a few other people were there at the time, so we were able to sit where we wanted to. We sat at table with no occupants and made ourselves comfortable. We took a self-guided tour of the boat and I was able to log a couple of possible proposal locations. I had the ring safe in my pocket. I had practiced pulling out the ring in the ring box the night before. Like an outlaw drawing his pistol during a showdown. I was ready to take a knee and propose in one grand motion.
This was our first dinner cruise. I did not know the layout of the boat, the timing of dinner or the cruise, and I did not know when the best time to propose was. I do this often, I started to overthink things and was getting nervous about the proposal. To provide some liquid encouragement I bought a double whisky water from the bar and I was back on course. While eating dinner I made a promise to myself that I would ask Becky to marry me after dinner. The location of the proposal was going to be in a high traffic area in front of the dinner tables near the chow line.
My first proposal location plan was thwarted by another couple that got engaged the same night we did. I guess, the early bird gets engaged first. My second proposal location was on the upper deck of the boat. After dinner I invited Becky to go check out the upper deck with me. I took her to the stern (backside of the boat - thank you Google) of the boat. I dropped down to one knee (like I practiced) and said, "Becky I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you accept this ring and marry me?" She said, "Yes! I love you too!"
Another couple saw this happening and they came over to congratulate us on our engagement. They took our picture which I have provided below. It was a fun night with a bunch of different emotions, and it went pretty well for everyone involved.
I had done a lot of research on the 4 C's (cut, color, clarity, and carat) of a diamond. I investigated the pros and cons of the different ring metals available. I read articles about the whole ring shopping experience. What to do and what not to do while you are shopping for a ring. I searched on Google to find the most highly rated jewelers in town. I listened to advice from friends and family that have gone through the same process.
I read articles on whether or not to include Becky during the ring shopping experience. From what I remember most people suggested to not include your spouse because you lose a lot of the surprise factor. I also remember reading somewhere that the choice mostly depends on your personalities. Becky is very easy going and would appreciate any ring I bought her. However, with a purchase this significant I wanted her opinion and decided to include her in the process.
After doing the research and formulating a mental game plan I decided we were ready to go look at rings. We went to the local mall and looked at rings at a couple different jewelry stores. We had a specific jewelry store in mind from a suggestion from friends living in the area. The jewelry store is a big retail chain and have stores in most cities. Which works great for our six month required warranty check-ups and cleanings.
When I was looking at rings online by myself, I liked this 3-stone round diamond ring and I thought this is the ring for Becky. After looking at the other jewelry stores to see what they had to offer. We arrived at our pre-selected jewelry store and started looking at the different rings they had on display. It did not take long before Becky's eyes lit up. Or should I say sparkled? She picked a very nice ring which did not look anything like what I would have chosen for her.
The jeweler did not waste any time and shooed Becky away from the store as quickly as she could to conduct her business. The jeweler had me cornered and she knew it. I bit the bullet, I pulled out my credit card, and bought the ring. There was definitely more to this transaction than what I dramatically just wrote but let's not get caught up in the details.
To conclude on the ring buying part of this post, I am glad Becky was a part of the ring buying process. It worked well for us and Becky got the ring she wanted. To use an old saying, "Happy wife, happy life." Which has incidentally become my new life's motto.
Let's get back to the proposal part of this post. Using information that I have gathered from watching TV over my lifespan, my plan was to propose to Becky on a Lake Coeur d'Alene sunset dinner cruise. The proposal had all of the elements needed for a great TV proposal. The sunset, water, good summer weather, food, adult beverages, and a group of people to celebrate with afterwards. What could go wrong?
Becky and I had been discussing going on one of these cruises since we found out about them. Becky had also just got a new job. The cruise had turned into a sort of congratulations dinner for her new job. She did not know something else was in the workings. I looked on the dinner cruise's website to find the earliest date I could book the cruise. The only day left that would work was on a Sunday and I bought the tickets.
The cruise set sail at 7:30 PM and we were directed to be on the dock ready to go at 7:00 PM. We arrived when we were told and boarded the cruise. Only a few other people were there at the time, so we were able to sit where we wanted to. We sat at table with no occupants and made ourselves comfortable. We took a self-guided tour of the boat and I was able to log a couple of possible proposal locations. I had the ring safe in my pocket. I had practiced pulling out the ring in the ring box the night before. Like an outlaw drawing his pistol during a showdown. I was ready to take a knee and propose in one grand motion.
This was our first dinner cruise. I did not know the layout of the boat, the timing of dinner or the cruise, and I did not know when the best time to propose was. I do this often, I started to overthink things and was getting nervous about the proposal. To provide some liquid encouragement I bought a double whisky water from the bar and I was back on course. While eating dinner I made a promise to myself that I would ask Becky to marry me after dinner. The location of the proposal was going to be in a high traffic area in front of the dinner tables near the chow line.
My first proposal location plan was thwarted by another couple that got engaged the same night we did. I guess, the early bird gets engaged first. My second proposal location was on the upper deck of the boat. After dinner I invited Becky to go check out the upper deck with me. I took her to the stern (backside of the boat - thank you Google) of the boat. I dropped down to one knee (like I practiced) and said, "Becky I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you accept this ring and marry me?" She said, "Yes! I love you too!"
Another couple saw this happening and they came over to congratulate us on our engagement. They took our picture which I have provided below. It was a fun night with a bunch of different emotions, and it went pretty well for everyone involved.
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