The Proposal

We found that New American Couples did not tend to succumb to gimmicky ways of popping the question. Quite the opposite. More often than not, neither could remember who or how it was decided that they would marry. Somehow, in context, this was all the more romantic. There are some great stories of very grown-up proposals in The New American Wedding. If you’re a New American Couple, we’d like to hear about your proposal too!

Comments

[Ben]

When I proposed to Laura Beth last week (Hooray!) it was probably somewhere in between a new and old American proposal. We took a walk in the snowy woods of New Hampshire on a path we had taken many times before. We stopped to feel the sun peaking over the hilltop and I asked her to spend her life with me there in the woods and snow.

While we had talked about marrying and had even decided to use a ring which had been worn by her Grandmother for over 50 years of marriage, she was still surprised and I was still nervous.

What was most important to me was that I found a place and a time that fit into our personal histories. Beauty and romance helped as well.

[Krista]

Always a realist, I discussed many times with my beau what I hoped for in a proposal. I was particular in what I wanted but, unlike so many of my girlfriends, was rather insistent not on elaborate gestures but, instead, sincerity and spontaneity. (The latter was especially important to me because we dated for close to 4 years before he asked, and I still wanted the moment to surprise me. This was also the reason I suggested no elaborate schemes, the intentions of which would certainly be quickly detected.) Lastly, I asked that it be someplace significant to us- I was weary of stories of Parisian proposals and sky-diving schemes. I only gave him these simple requests, and left the details to him.

In the end, his proposal was beautiful. He took me to a favorite restaurant for a lovely meal and, just before dessert, got down on one knee to not simply ask "will you marry me?" but also to tell me exactly how much he wanted to spend our lives together. When I accepted, the waiter brought a small bouquet of tulips (a favorite nickname of his for me) to the table.