Valentines Day Contest!
February 2nd, 2010
Are you newly engaged? How did he propose? We want to hear the best, the worst and the most unique!
The contest is open to all newly engaged couples in the Raleigh/Durham area. Just leave a comment below on how he popped the question. You can enter until Feb 14th and then we will pick the winner. There will be a prize for the best proposal story, so tell all your friends to come and tell the amazing way that he proposed!
The Prize…
Your choice of engagement session and an 11×14 print or a Boudoir session and an 11×14 print!
Newly Engaged only
Well, I was totally surprised because I really thought my ring would be under the tree. But my future husband had another plan for our engagement. So, we decided to go to New Year Eve service at my church. We had a wonderful time and I was so excited about the New Year and all that is in store for me. So, we were on our way out of the church and I said to Rickey( My soon to be husband) I left my umbrella in church. I wanted him to go back and get it but he said I don’t remember where we were sitting. Of course, I was not happy with that response so I went back in to get it. As we were walking to the car he was talking to me and I was a little unhappy with him. At any rate we got in the car and he pulled out this box and I scream OH NO tell me it’s not true. I was so so so SHOCKED and then he asked me to married him.. He told me I threw the ring I had on my ring off so he could put it on my finger.(OH he told me he had been planning to shock me because he knew I thought I was getting it on Christmas Day) I really don’t remember that because I was in the state of shock.. I could not beleive it was really happening to be on New Year Day in the church parking lot. It was a nice thing to happen to me on the first day of the New Year. I can’t wait to I get married…
Well…it’s kind of a long story so I’ll try to condense it. My mom had told me and my older sister that we were going to Myrtle Beach, SC for a “girls weekend” for all of our Birthdays since they are all around the same time. She told us that we had to get a dress for the first night we got there, but she wouldn’t tell us why. So..we went and bought the dresses and packed our stuff and headed to the beach. On the way there me and my sister kept asking “why are we getting dressed up, what are we doing tonight?” But she just wouldn’t crack. We stopped at wal-mart and got our nails done and arrived at our hotel. We got all prettied up and she still hadn’t given us a clue as to what we were doing. So we all got in the car and we ended up at Margaritaville [which she knows is my favorite place to eat.] So basically we were like, this is the surprise?! But when we walked in she told us that we had to sit right by the stage at the front of the restraunt. So here we are eating when the managers come up and say..”you have to go on stage so everyone can yell happy birthday, but you have to go one at a time!” so my mom pushes me to go first… so im on stage and everyone yells happy birthday and then they say that she has another surprise for me & I have to close my eyes..so I do. The manager then asked “are you ready?” and I said “yeah” and when I opened my eyes I saw my united states sailor down on one knee beside me!!!! I couldnt breathe, I was shaking, crying, I collapsed into his arms, it was the most amazing moment of my life! & the best part is…I thought he was all the way in Mississippi on a mission, but he had driven all night to be with me and ask me to marry him! Even if I dont win this contest, I believe I have the best propsal ever! & I love my sailor. He’s getting deployed soon so I want to have some pictures taken before he goes…
I had planned a surprise birthday party for David’s (my future husband) 30th birthday. His best friend, Joel, was my wing man for this wonderful surprise for him. We had worked on this surprise party for over a month. I had called David’s mom to get his brother’s phone number, had called his friends at their jobs, had hid the decorations in the trunk of my car. I had been super sneaky to get the whole thing pulled off without him knowing what I was up to and David was none the wiser. He thought we were just going to spend a quiet evening alone together. Joel had helped me get David out of the house the day of the party by taking him to get a Christmas tree, since David’s car was far too small for the task, while I came and decorated the house for the party. There were streamers, balloons and banners all over the house. Some of the guest were running a little late and I was freaking out, I didn’t want the whole thing to go sour after all the effort I had put into it, and Joel was having a hard time finding ways to keep stalling David. Finally I let Joel know we were ready. We anxiously awaited their arrival, I more anxious than the others, I knew David did not like surprise parties, but I had wanted to do something to make him feel special on such a milestone of a birthday. They arrived and David was so surprised when he walked in the door and saw all the decorations and his friends. I had managed to pull it off. We ate and had a great time talking and hanging out and he seemed so genuinely happy. He was ready for cake so we all gathered around and sang “happy birthday” he bent down to make a wish before blowing out his candles and i was taking pictures to capture the moment when I heard him say “I wish, I wish you would marry me” I looked out from behind the camera and he was down on one knee with a ring. All I could do was hug him and nod. I was in total shock. What was meant to be a surprise for him turned out to be a surprise for me. Joel had told him about the party as soon as we started planning it. Every guest at the party knew about the proposal except for me. His mom even knew. So all the while I thought I was getting him he was really getting me and I had no idea.
My fiance and I were planning to take a trip with friends to Vegas this past December. This trip was his early “christmas” present to me, so when the day came to pack up and leave, unbeknownst to me, he had another purpose for this trip. We had the absolute worst time trying to get to Las Vegas…inclement weather on the way made us miss our connecting flights and all of then next flights were overbooked. We almost didn’t make it to Vegas that evening, so the trip wasn’t off to a great start. I kept calling my best friend (who knew he was going to propose) and freaking out on the phone about not getting to Vegas and she kept telling me everything would be all right.
We finally made it to our destination, and from there, our wonderful weekend began. At some point during the evening, he had told me that we had something to do the next day. All I could think was, “I hope I still get a chance to shop with the girls!”. The next morning we had brunch before we were going to do “something”. Gavin would keep asking me, “do you have ANY idea of what we are doing? “, and all I could guess was that we were going to see a Cirque de Soleil show. I had told him that I wanted to see one of those when we were planning our trip because we didn’t see one on our last trip to Vegas. He said I was wrong and just had a smile on his face. I had NO clue what was about to transpire that afternoon.
When we got done with brunch, we headed out of the hotel and when we got outside, he led me to a shuttle bus that said Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopter Tours! I was in shock! I had never ridden in a small plane, much less a helicopter! My heart was racing…and STILL no clue!! We headed out and left the Vegas strip and headed out to Boulder City and the whole time, he had this little smirk on his face. When we arrived we got checked in and he excused himself to go to the restroom. He was in grabbing tissues, to prepare for what would happen in the next 45 min. Finally, it was time to take off, and the most beautiful and memorable moments of my life began. I was in awe of getting to see things like the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon from this perspective. The pictures are amazing! I had a smile from ear to ear the entire time and then our pilot threw me for a loop! He announced to us and the group were going to prepare our descend into the bottom of the Canyon!! I am pretty sure my eyes bugged out of my head for a second.
Anyhow, when we landed at the bottom of the Canyon, the pilot let us out to roam for the next 25 min and in the meantime, I went to snap pictures and Gavin went to “chit chat” with our pilot. At that point Gavin had asked him if he would take a picture of us, because he was planning to propose in a few minutes, and the pilot was more than happy to oblige. After I was through taking some pics, I headed over to where Gavin and him were standing and Gavin asked the pilot if he wouldn’t mind snapping a pic of us. We headed over to this edge that overlooked the Colorado River and the pilot took his first shot of us. Then he asked if he could take one more and at that moment Gavin reached in his pocket and handed me some….Tissues! I was dumbfounded!! I just said, “what are these for?” and then he moved away from me and got down on one knee, and all of a sudden I felt like I was in the Matrix or some version of the Twilight Zone. I could not believe that our Proposal was happening! All I could say was “no way, no way, no way!”… and then he asked me to be his wife. it was amazing! I laughed, I cried, I think I did a little happy dance and of course said Yes! I am so glad that our pilot captured those moments on my camera because everything that afternoon was so surreal and it’s nice to be able to look back and see it happening all over again. Vegas, and the Grand Canyon, especially, will always have a special place in our hearts and I look forward to the day when we can return to that same spot at the bottom of the Canyon and relive it all over again:)
How he proposed
Greg and I were matched on E-Harmony in January 2009 and the spark between us was immediate and wonderful. Early on in our relationship, Greg said he had a yearning to visit Rome. I loved the idea and we planned an October trip to coincide with my birthday. In the months preceding our long-awaited vacation overseas, friends, coworkers, and even complete strangers would stir the pot and suggest he was planning something big. It was a wonderful thought, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up. The last thing I wanted was to return empty-handed, and disappointingly explain to everyone that no, it wasn’t time yet.
Last minute packing is the business of all vacations, so I didn’t so much as blink when Greg had to run out to get some more travel items at our local Target. The kittens made a mess while he was gone, so I called him, needing an extra pair of hands for a two-person cleaning job. He said he was going to be another 45 minutes, which was unusual given how close the store was but hardly alarming. He came home, we finished up the chores, and it was off to one of the most beautiful, inspiring, and influental cities on Earth the next morning.
The flight was exhausting, and we landed in the dawning hours of October 13th. After arriving at the lovely hotel Amalia, we all but dove head first into a deep sleep, Greg more so than I. When he woke up I mentioned I had hung his shirts and he acted a little concerned- but he was still quite groggy, so maybe it was jet lag. The following day was our real introduction to Italy, and spent the day touring Pompeii, eating dinner in a cozy restaurant, and getting our hands on 100% authentic Gelato. As touristy days go, it was hard to top. On October 15th, the morning of my birthday, we decided to have our morning meal upstairs in hotel Amalia’s breakfast room. After filling up on pastries of the divine kind, Greg said he wanted to give me my birthday present and told me to close my eyes. When I opened them, he was holding a white gold engagement ring; he smiled in a way that was equal parts nervousness, relief, and confidence. “Marry me?” he asked. “Hell yes!” was my response.
I kissed him and tried on the ring. It was several sizes too big, and I ended up wearing it on a chain around my neck for the rest of the trip. He confessed shortly after that he had been planning the events for some time, had sneakily purchased the ring at Zales the day before we left and had wrapped the ring box in one of his shirts to keep it hidden. We laughed at that, and at how close I came to stumbling upon his surprise. Everything came together the way we both hoped it would, and we look forward to living up to such a great opening chapter.
we had been dating for a year on september 18th and my birthday was september 20th so J.T.(my future husband) decided to have a birthday party for me on the 19th. So he had invited some of my friends and my mom and his family to come to the party. When they said it was time for me to open presents everyone said we should get up and dance first before i open up my presents. So i got up and one of our friends turned on a slow song for us to dance. while we were dancing he spun me around and when i came back around he was down on one knee and proposed to me. I was so shocked and excited that i couldnt speak and started shaking my head yes really fast. Come to find out everybody at tha party already knew that he was going to proposed and they were giving him ideas about how to do it. After i stopped crying i called my dad to tell him the news and he said he already knew also, that J.T. had come to the house and asked for his permission and blessing to marry me. I was so happy and told him that it was tha best birthday ever and tha i will remember it for the rest of my life.
Wilburn, my fiancee, told me a week prior that he wanted me to be available on December 28, 2009. I asked him why and he told me that we were going to hang out with his close friend named Rodney and his wife Kim. I asked him what we were going to do and he just said that we were going to do something different but it would be fun. Wilburn told me that we were going to hang out a week before but I was skeptical as to what exactly we were going to do. I didn’t like it one bit. I called Rodney and asked him what we wee going to do and he explained that we were going to play a game that his mother devised for all four of us to have a good time. I was at ease at that point. Wilburn didn’t explain it well. So, Monday December 28, 2009 Wilburn and I went to Rodney and Kim’s house. When we got there, Rodney’s mother explained the game which was called “Amazing Race”. The object of the game was to figure out the clues that were written in the “Amazing Race” cards. Each clue led to the next location where we should find the clue. The losing team had to buy the winning team lunch. Wilburn and I dashed off before she said go!!!
The first clue said “Go to the place where you can read between the lines and read between the names.” We started thinking about what the lines and names meant. We both thought of Barnes & Nobles. We sped down the highway. Rodney and Kim ended up passing us. I told Wilburn to hurry up! We made it to Barnes & Nobles first. Rodney and Kim made it in shortly after. I had to use the bathroom. Wilburn yelled at me and said that I was messing things up. We had to wait for a person to come to the customer service desk. I came back from using the bathroom and then a woman came to the desk and asked “which team came first?” In unison, we said “We did!!!” The woman gave us our clues and we ran out of the bookstore.
We got in the car an read the next clue. The clue read “Go to the place where Angels send bouquets of love and joy. Order the special.” I was totally confused about this one. Wilburn told me to look for a florist that had the word angel in it. I search for it on my blackberry and found a place called Angel Roses located 5 miles away. We put it in the GPS and went there. Rodney and Kim followed close behind. We got there and they beat us in. The woman began to arrange Rodney’s flowers for Kim. He paid and raced out of there. Wilburn got red roses with baby breath for me. Wilburn paid and then we got the next clue.
At this point, we are behind BIG TIME! The next clue read, “Beyond the border, you must rustle up some grub. Order the Arroz con pollo. I love arroz con pollo!!! I knew that it was a mexican restaurant but I didn’t know which one. We both thought for a while. Wilburn remembered a restaurant called El Rodeo in Brightleaf Square. He said that the restaurant was a the place that Rodney always took his mom whenever she came to town. We drove to the restaurant. When we got in, Rodney and Kim were no where to be found. Wilburn called to see where they were at. Rodney says that he got stuck in traffic and that he was outside. They came inside and Wilburn rubbed our win in their faces. We sat down ate and talked. We had a good time. When it came time to pay, we got another clue! I was surprised because we all thought the game was over (so I thought). The clue read “Now that you are well fed, go to the place where Falls Lake ends.” Wilburn passed my coat to me and we ran out of the restaurant!
I didn’t know where Falls Lake ended. Wilburn said that lakes end at dams. Wilburn yelled “Beaver Dam!” I asked if he was sure. He said yes. So we drove to Beaver Dam. On the way there, We see Rodney and Kim in front of us!!! We could not believe it! They took a shortcut. There are several streets that led to Beaver Dam. Wilburn turned into one of the streets. Rodney and Kim continued on. When we got to Beaver Dam we got out of the car. Wilburn immediately starts looking around for a clue. He told me to go to the car and get the camera. I go back to get it but its dead. I walk back down and Wilburn is walking around in the sand. I meet him there and there was a sand castle and a big smiley face beside it. I asked him if he came last night and did that. He laughed and said no. He asked if I remember when I surprised him and brought him there (Beaver Dam). I said yes and we had a good time just relaxing. We hugged each other and just admired the view for a while. The wind felt great and the sun reflected perfectly of of the lake. Then he says ‘I was nervous last night about how things would go. You were very skeptical about the whole thing up until today but I’m glad that you had a good time. Even in all of my thinking and wondering, one thing was certain and that’s that I love you. Its ironic that we are at Falls Lake. I have fallen for several women in my life but I know that I have fallen for the last time……..’ After that, he fell to his left knee and asked me “WILL YOU MARRY ME?” I was so shocked! I said YES!!! YES!!! I put the ring on and gave him a big hug. Then he told me that he planned everything along with Rodney. His mom had nothing to do with anything. He said that he went to each location to explain what he was doing and he asked for their permission. Wilburn gets flowers for me from Angel Roses. He knew that I love Mexican food and arroz con pollo. Everything tied in so well. Everyone played along. Rodney and Kim played along. I started crying! Everything was so beautiful and I did not see it coming. We walked back up the hill and Rodney and Kim were there. They honked the horn and congratulated us. It was truly “AMAZING.”
2009 was a rough year from me. Cedric and I met this past May. On my birthday to be exact- May 18th. My late sister was diagnosed with cancer in September 2008, she had numerous surgeries, chemo, etc. I had to contact my brother’s group home so that they could explain to him that my sister’s situation was not progressing and she was being transferred to hospice; on my birthday. Cedric is a counselor at my brother’s group home– never had met him or spoken with him before. To make a long story short. That day was the first day we began talking to each other. Cedric was very supportive throughout my sister’s final days, he was there for everything I called on him to do. We began dating on May 24th, and after my sister passed in June; Cedric pretty much announced to everyone in my family that he was going to marry me, not to mention that he hadn’t discussed this with me at all. My 100 year old great-aunt fell into sickness on the day of my sister’s death, and passed shortly afterwards. Cedric stood by her bedside with me each and everyday. After the trauma of loosing my sister/my bestfriend, and my aunt/my mentor; it was finally time for us to discuss this whole marriage idea of his. Beneath the tough skin I was trying to portray, I was truly IN LOVE WITH THIS MAN, and HONESTLY FELT THAT I COULD SPEND THE REST OF MY LIFE WITH HIM. Cedric and I made our engagement official on Christmas Day. No, we haven’t been together long; but I knew I was in love with this man when he stood beside me through the death of my sister and aunt. I never knew love before until I fell in love with him. We are planning our wedding for June 26, 2010. I count down the number of days I have left each and everyday, anticipating that day to quickly come. St. Augustine once said “Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part; because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being “in love” which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is leftover when being in love has burned away and this is both an art and a fortunate accident.” For us, yes it was indeed a fortunate accident. That’s why I now can say that I have roots that grew towards him underground, and when all the pretty blossoms fell from my branches, I found that I was one tree and no longer two. Thank you!
We have chosen a winner please check your email when you get a chance. Thank you to everyone who entered!
My fiance and I were planning to take a trip with friends to Vegas this past December. This trip was his early “christmas” present to me, so when the day came to pack up and leave, unbeknownst to me, he had another purpose for this trip. We had the absolute worst time trying to get to Las Vegas…inclement weather on the way made us miss our connecting flights and all of then next flights were overbooked. We almost didn’t make it to Vegas that evening, so the trip wasn’t off to a great start. I kept calling my best friend (who knew he was going to propose) and freaking out on the phone about not getting to Vegas and she kept telling me everything would be all right.
We finally made it to our destination, and from there, our wonderful weekend began. At some point during the evening, he had told me that we had something to do the next day. All I could think was, “I hope I still get a chance to shop with the girls!”. The next morning we had brunch before we were going to do “something”. Gavin would keep asking me, “do you have ANY idea of what we are doing? “, and all I could guess was that we were going to see a Cirque de Soleil show. I had told him that I wanted to see one of those when we were planning our trip because we didn’t see one on our last trip to Vegas. He said I was wrong and just had a smile on his face. I had NO clue what was about to transpire that afternoon.
When we got done with brunch, we headed out of the hotel and when we got outside, he led me to a shuttle bus that said Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopter Tours! I was in shock! I had never ridden in a small plane, much less a helicopter! My heart was racing…and STILL no clue!! We headed out and left the Vegas strip and headed out to Boulder City and the whole time, he had this little smirk on his face. When we arrived we got checked in and he excused himself to go to the restroom. He was in grabbing tissues, to prepare for what would happen in the next 45 min. Finally, it was time to take off, and the most beautiful and memorable moments of my life began. I was in awe of getting to see things like the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon from this perspective. The pictures are amazing! I had a smile from ear to ear the entire time and then our pilot threw me for a loop! He announced to us and the group were going to prepare our descend into the bottom of the Canyon!! I am pretty sure my eyes bugged out of my head for a second.
Anyhow, when we landed at the bottom of the Canyon, the pilot let us out to roam for the next 25 min and in the meantime, I went to snap pictures and Gavin went to “chit chat” with our pilot. At that point Gavin had asked him if he would take a picture of us, because he was planning to propose in a few minutes, and the pilot was more than happy to oblige. After I was through taking some pics, I headed over to where Gavin and him were standing and Gavin asked the pilot if he wouldn’t mind snapping a pic of us. We headed over to this edge that overlooked the Colorado River and the pilot took his first shot of us. Then he asked if he could take one more and at that moment Gavin reached in his pocket and handed me some….Tissues! I was dumbfounded!! I just said, “what are these for?” and then he moved away from me and got down on one knee, and all of a sudden I felt like I was in the Matrix or some version of the Twilight Zone. I could not believe that our Proposal was happening! All I could say was “no way, no way, no way!”… and then he asked me to be his wife. it was amazing! I laughed, I cried, I think I did a little happy dance and of course said Yes! I am so glad that our pilot captured those moments on my camera because everything that afternoon was so surreal and it’s nice to be able to look back and see it happening all over again. Vegas, and the Grand Canyon, especially, will always have a special place in our hearts and I look forward to the day when we can return to that same spot at the bottom of the Canyon and relive it all over again:)