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Relationships

Getting married but no proposal. Does it actually matter?

69 replies

TheWorldAccordingToJC · 22/06/2014 22:56

I've been with my partner almost three years and we've just bought a house together. Good relationship, very happy, no issues.

For various reasons I'd like to get married as opposed to just living together. He's always said that he is happy either way but because it means a lot to me he's happy to get married and we can book it all ( it's going to be tiny as I've no desire for a huge do! ) for a few months time and he'll look forward to it.

My question. .. Have any of you married without a romantic proposal and does it even matter?! I'm not 22! He is romantic in his own way and he's caring and supportive but we've just has grown up discussions and made decisions re getting married and I can't see him getting down on one knee! ( we'd just piss ourselves anyway )

OP posts:
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Dollybird86 · 24/06/2014 19:34

Yes been married 3 years we are not really "those kind of people" I believe it's being married that matter your wedding day is just day (all be it lovely) what matters is loving someone & staying freinds through all the shit life throws at you!

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BuggersMuddle · 24/06/2014 19:34

No proposal.

He'd been wanting to get married for years but did want to buy a ring and did want a 'do'. I also want to get married, but less bothered about 'do'. Would also have gone without ring, but was of the view that it should be something lovely or not at all if it was a 'forever' ring rather than a promise type one iyswim.

House finished & we decided to go shopping Grin

Now we just have to agree on a wedding. This will take time and skilful negotiation Grin Fortunately we tend to agree on most other things Smile

BTW we've been together 11.5years.

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flipchart · 24/06/2014 19:24

Dh booked the registry while he was in town one week doing his banking.

He rang home saying he had a couple of dates and times.

I said ok, September is fine! And that was that!

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LynetteScavo · 24/06/2014 19:17

There was no romantic proposal here. DH tried to tell me the other day he'd asked me to marry him. Hmm we've been married 15 years, so I would say it's that important.Grin

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KaFayOLay · 24/06/2014 06:18

No proposal, no ring and neither of us wear an engagement ring.

I recommend a Friday 13th to get married, we were the only ones in the district to get married that day and we could choose any time we liked. No squeezing in between other people for us Wink

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bobbysgirlfirst · 24/06/2014 05:53

We've been married for 31years this year. Still 'in love' ...but neither of us can remember who suggested getting married, or proposed.
so for is, clearly it hasn't mattered one jot.

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TaytoCrisp · 23/06/2014 23:35

No romantic proposal here. More like:

Context: nice restaurant to celebrate my bday after nearly 8 yrs together.
Me: do you think we should we get married?"
Him: ok.
Me: right.
Pause...
Me: How's your dinner?

Must admit I was disappointed afterwards that it wasn't a little more romantic. So you should suggest it in advance if you would like some sort of grand gesture, though it sounds like you have already agreed.

Does it matter? I don't think it matters at all really, only to the extent that you don't have a good "engagement story". But otherwise, I can't see how it really matters. On the other hand, I suppose the notion of the male leading the proposal is quite old fashioned, so coming to the decision jointly without a "proposal" fits with the way we function as a couple.. Though I do still miss not having had a romantic proposal at times despite my better judgement!!!

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Meerka · 23/06/2014 22:58

I think I had the worst ever proposal.


.... well we had a rocky start together and the contraception failed and I was preg .... we weren't getting on ... and one day he turned to me and said "we have to get married so that if we split up I have rights in the baby"

I kid you not.

All I could do after several stunned seconds was burst into laughter.


(You don't automatically have fatherly rights in the NL, apparently, unless you are married.)



We did get married and it was the nicest, most laid back and simply enjoyable wedding. We were getting on a great deal better by then and have just had our second baby :)

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MrsDmitriTippensKrushnic · 23/06/2014 22:01

I don't have an engagement ring either. Would have be fairly pointless as there was only 3 months between the decision to marry and the actual wedding. DH asked 4 months pregnant me if it would be better legally for us to be married before DC was born. At the time it was, so we arranged it and got married when I was 7 months pregnant. It was a nice day - didn't feel any different afterwards mind you! We've been married almost 17 years now (together 27 in total)

I think it's less about the proposal and more about the relationship as a whole. There's nothing wrong with grand gestures, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with just getting on with it either Smile

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Holdthepage · 23/06/2014 21:40

I never had the big proposal but I have had, & still have, a very happy successful marriage.

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LaceyLitch · 23/06/2014 20:27

Working in hospitality/restaurants I have seen a LOT of proposals and I just love it. I have even been involved in proposing to someone. The husband had arranged with me before hand to tie the engagement ring to the neck of a bottle of champagne, and for me to present the champagne to her as you do. The look on her face! I really enjoy watching proposals it's such a lovely moment, then all the hysteria that follows - woman in tears, ringing parents squealing etc. It's a special moment to remember. I always assume that the couple would have at least briefly discussed getting married beforehand. I don't expect it is the first time the subject has ever been brought up but IDK?

One proposal was in a Jazz club/restaurant I worked at. The band that night knew the bloke who was proposing and invited him and his GF up on the stage, GF just thought because they were mates. BF then gets down on one knee infront of 150 people and pops the question. If you haven't discussed it before and the GF isn't into it how can she say no in that sort of situation?

People on here seem to be making it out to be grand proposal = short lived marriage, no proposal = happy marriage. I think there is some sort of middle ground.

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Hughfearnley · 23/06/2014 19:33

We had always talked about getting married and were in fact TTC (DS 1 is now 4 months!)
My DP had a few beers one night and was hopping awkwardly from one foot to the other and finally confessed to being terrified of the whole jewellers/ring buying thing! I told him that a lot of people choose the ring together. He looked visibly relieved and when I walked through the door the following day after work he flung himself down on one knee and proposed! We chose the ring the next day and I was pregnant one month later Smile
Getting married next month!

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veryseriousgirl · 23/06/2014 18:30

After two years together, (now)DH and I decided to get married. I lived abroad, so started planning the wedding. Everyone (including my DM) tutted and said that if I didn't have a ring / proposal, I was wasting my time and money and we weren't actually getting married. I paid deposits through gritted teeth and next time I visited DH, we went ring shopping together, bought a lovey little ring (we had considered going without a ring due to the fact that I was still at Uni and we were totally broke, but my parents, who had offered to pay for our wedding said that they'd withdraw their offer if he didn't buy me a diamond Hmm), which brought immense relief to all involved.
Twelve years and two DC later, we are happily married despite the fact that he didn't get down on one knee until after I'd booked the wedding and reception!

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Deftones · 23/06/2014 17:20

DP bought a ring, I already knew he was buying it, he was very eager to get married, I was 'meh' about it (never fancied it really). He collected the ring when I was there, then presented it to me later that evening whilst we shared some food and wine.

I would be mortified if he'd done a showy proposal, I think it's all a bit overrated. If you love each other and want to marry, then crack on Grin

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GemmaTeller · 23/06/2014 15:39

We've been together 20 years....

DH said 'I don't know what to get you for your birthday - do you want to get married?'

Me 'err, ok then' Grin

So we did!

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Matildathecat · 23/06/2014 15:29

OP hope these replies are giving you reassurance that romantic proposals are a little thin on the ground in RL Grin.

We once had a dinner party and went round the table with our proposal stories. It was hilarious but actually, there wasn't a single dream come true gorgeous one amongst us.

DH and I are about to celebrate our silver wedding and the others in that group aren't far behind.

But, if you want to feel really sick and jealous here's a real one: holiday planned together camping beside some exotic lake with beach. He gently weakens her at dawn and leads her outside where he has written 'marry me?' In the sand. He goes on one knee as the sun rises and produces the ring.... To be married in a couple of months. Ahhhhh

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Rafflesway · 23/06/2014 15:18

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Rafflesway · 23/06/2014 15:17

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AMumInScotland · 23/06/2014 15:11

Somebody suggests marriage. Somebody agrees. This is a proposal. You've done that bit.

The important bit is the marriage, not the wedding day and definitely not the details of the proposal.

Grandma's wedding ring holds a lot more meaning for you than something out of the jewellers, so why not?

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mrsvilliers · 23/06/2014 15:03

No proposal and I wore my grandmother's ring instead of an engagement ring! Turns out my FIL didn't propose either and they've just celebrated their 40th. Enjoy your wedding!

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SconeRhymesWithGone · 23/06/2014 14:48

The most romantic wedding-related thing DH did was much later. We have been married almost 30 years. Several years ago while I was out of town, he was ordered to evacuate our house on short notice due to a hurricane (we live in Florida). Other than a couple of changes of clothes, he took only our insurance documents and our wedding album.

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Lifeisforlivingkatie · 23/06/2014 13:33

There you OP all the fanciful proposals are all romantic niceties, it's the quality of day to day that counts.

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ouryve · 23/06/2014 12:54

Of course it doesn't matter.

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chicaguapa · 23/06/2014 12:53

DH didn't propose to me either. We just always knew we would get married.

I'm glad to know it's not just me as I'd always wondered even though it never bothered me. I do like to tease DH but that's because I'm relaxed about it.

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EhricLovesTheBhrothers · 23/06/2014 12:41

Proposals are bullshit to be honest. I get that people like them and I'm always happy for people when they tell me about it but the concept is deeply flawed. Be proud that you and your DP made a sensible adult decision about your future together!

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