What was your proposal like?

[DtPeabodysLoosePants]

I'm sat reading romantic claptrap because I love a bit of escapism and the main character just proposed in a really romantic setting with a bespoke ring to the love of his life blah de blah. Cynical, me?

It got me thinking that no one has ever proposed to me. I proposed to my exH because I was stupid and led to believe I couldn't do better than an abusive twat and I'm now divorced and in my 40s, happily single, and accepting of it being unlikely to happen to me.

The Hollywood ideal type proposal is pushed into our psyches from such a young age that I wanted to ask what your proposal was like? Was it like you imagined? Was it romantic? Funny? Original? A disappointment? An anti-climax? Do you wish it had been different or did the importance of the question make everything else insignificant?

I know lots of couples just decide to get married now with no actual proposal but if you did get a proposal I'd love to hear about it.

My dad was very romantic yet I don't know how he proposed so I'll ask my mum tomorrow when I see her. I'd love to know more of their story. My dad died a few years back now and it would be lovely to hear about when they were first together.

I'm a sucker for romantic stories yet don't really believe in romance.

My first husband waited till it snowed and when I was watching tv one evening he snuck outside to the garden and filled it with loads of candles in glass jars, came in and told me the stars were pretty so to get my coat, then got down on one knee on the candlelit path with a ring in his chilly hand and asked me to marry him.

Fantastic proposal, awful short marriage.

My second/now husband was sitting next to me in the curry house waiting for a takeaway after a meeting to see about us getting a mortgage, put his hand on my arm and said “that’s sorted, can we get married now?” It wasn’t really a proposal as we’d talked about it loads and agreed we wanted marriage, house, baby but not in what order, and we went home and planned our wedding over dinner which we then had a couple of months later.

Still blissfully happy.

He came home from work one day, came into the living room where I was watching the TV and completely unexpectedly he proposed on the living room floor.

It was wonderful!!!

3 engagements - 1 marriage which ended in divorce
I’ve never been proposed to
It’s been mutually discussed eg let’s get engaged - we should get married

We agreed it was time to get married. A month later we were.

Dh had been working away for a few months, he came home and we went out to our favourite restaurant where he proposed quite discreetly, no down on one knee and no extravagant proposal, he told me how much he’d missed me and loved me and would I marry him, he had the ring and everything. perfect proposal for us, he even spoken to my mum beforehand which was the icing on the cake for me.

First proposal when I was 16 - boyfriend needed an alibi for a crime he had committed (unknown to me) so proposed thinking I would not speak to the police. He pulled out a cheap ring from a hippy shop in the middle of the library. I said yes but changed my mind when the police phoned asking for a statement...

Second proposal when I was 18, by controlling and abusive boyfriend in an Italian restaurant. Corny, on his knees with the staff all in on it. I loved the ring but it was just an Argos one. I said yes and stayed with him for 2 years of hell - he started hitting me once I had committed to him.

Third and final proposal was DH, over the PA system of the social club while he was calling the bingo and I was working behind the bar. We had been together just a few weeks and had pretended we were married the night before when a creep was chatting me up, so at first I thought he was joking. It was embarrassing and too public but I said yes and everyone cheered. We chose the ring together and were happy together for 20 years until he died.

DH proposed on my 21st birthday in our living room, it was simple, sweet and a complete surprise. Glad he didn't do it in public as I would have been mortified but I LOVE reading about big grand gestures so looking forward to this thread

Terrible - I prefer not to think about it .

We'd gone out for my birthday for a meal and DH came back from the loo with something in his hoodie pocket. I asked him what it was and he plonked a ring box on the table and asked me to marry him. He said he was going to do it after the meal but he wouldnt have been able to enjoy it as he would be too nervous (even though he knew I would say yes). So I ended up too excited to eat instead! Then we came home and he had some champagne in the fridge.

He picked the ring himself but I had already told him I wanted an aquamarine stone rather than a diamond. He chose really well.

Mine wasn't romantic: I should have turned him down.

"How would you like to be the next Mrs Xyz?"

Oh, and as dh pointed out recently, the ring was not my birthday present!

In the most beautiful setting in my dream destination. Didn't get on one knee, not corny and very DP. And my ring is perfect.

We divorced after 12 years.

My bloke snapped and farted

Haha. My husband says he had all these plans for a romantic proposal and had the ring ready for a while. In the end he couldn't wait any longer and after a few sherries he just whipped out the ring, but I was delighted. He regretted doing it on a whim later on so we went to the beach a and he did it again there. Bless him. ❤️

Funnily enough, it was 5 years ago today! We were on holiday in Poland, we’d been for an amazing dinner and were heading back to the hotel and we stopped in a square to look at a beautiful building that had snowflakes projected on to it and he said “I’ve got something for you”, he’d said this earlier in the day and had given me one of the chocs of the hotel room pillow, so I just thought it was the same again and then he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I’d always said I wanted my grandmas ring, so he’d been and asked my mum and dad for it, but they’d given him the wrong one! Grandma had a replacement one at some point, which is the one I remembered from my childhood. The one they’d given him was beautiful but way too big and very delicate, but fortunately the “right” one fitted perfectly! The wrong one is still very special though as it’s the one he proposed with!

Private beach in Turkey.

Didn't get one.

Still stings a little

Surprise trip to London only found out at the check in desk at the airport..after he had secretly packed our case including my makeup and straighteners 😂

Still had no idea

Took me to Brompton Cemetery which is my favourite place in the world

We had a cup of coffee, fed the squirrels in the park and then he proposed on a bench

It was lovely 🙂

In our mates back garden with a haribo ring while we were smoking!
Twas perfect for us!
Haribo is now ensconced in resin forever, I have a beautiful white gold ring and we get married in 166 days!

One proposal, one engagement, one marriage.

DH is the least romantic person ever aside from me, so I was expecting a very cliche'd or boring kind of proposal. He took me to my favourite seaside town, bought me chips in a little bucket and proposed on the seafront like a little old couple on a bench. It was perfect.

We'd been together for 3 years and had just bought our first home. He whisked me away to Paris and I was clueless. On our first full day there we went up to the top of the montparnasse tower and the view was stunning, really set the tone for the day. Then he took me to a beautiful garden and the weather was perfect. That was where he asked me. The ring was everything I'd dreamed of and we spent the rest of our time in Paris celebrating. The whole experience was just amazing.

I'm sorry to hear you had a rough time with your ex but you never know what the future holds.

He was in bed in high dependency unit of local hospital.

Eighth anniversary coming up.

DH proposed to me on our first holiday together on some cliffs in Italy as the sun was going down over the sea. It was very beautiful. We were on a bench - at first when he got down on one knee I thought he was about to do stretches or something. He had a diamond solitaire which I still love 20 years later. It was a tiny bit big, so I wore it in a different finger until we could get it altered because I was terrified of losing it! He said some amazing things I still remember to this day. At this point, we’d only met six months before. He’s quite “proper” in some ways, so had run the proposal by my dad beforehand (I realise this is a big no no on MN, but anyway, I understood his reasons). We have four kids now (plus 4 cats) and I’d say I’m very lucky. He couldn’t have worked harder for us all and I guess the proof a strong marriage is one that stands the test of time.

First proposal by ex was on my birthday in our living room after I had told him not to propose a few weeks earlier. This was as it seemed him and his mate had a bet who could get engaged and married first 🙄 I said I wasn't sure but his mum went around telling everyone 🥵

Second was by my now DH. I was pregnant and he wanted to take me away for a weekend before the baby was born so we had some time just the two of us. We stayed in a hotel in Windsor and he took me to the great park as knows I love gardens. When there however there was a horse and carriage and he said shall we take a ride. Got on the carriage and he started talking about the babies name, and then we stopped by a lake where he proposed by the lake by saying that did I want to have the same surname as the baby 😆

Very sweet and was perfect