Posts Tagged ‘wedding proposal’
Benchmark Rings Contest Winners!
Where To Get Engaged and Benchmark Rings are proud to announce the winners of its Benchmark Wedding Band Giveaway. To enter the contest, couples created a Couple’s Profile, complete with “their story” and added their favorite 3 Benchmark Rings to their wish list. The winners were selected at random. We would like to thank all the couples who entered the Benchmark Wedding Band Giveaway.
Adam and Lee are the winners of our Benchmark Giveaway Contest on Where To Get Engaged. They have won a 4mm and 6mm wedding bands in white or yellow gold! Benchmark Rings come with a lifetime warranty as well. Benchmark has been in business over 40 years and offers a fantastic lifetime warranty with every band.
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Adam and Lee’s Story
In March of 2006, Lee moved into a duplex in a neighborhood just north of uptown Charlotte called NoDa. She received an email from Adam on a social networking site called Friendster (the predecessor for Facebook and Myspace). They emailed back and forth for about a month. She discovered he lived in NoDa too, and they have mutual friends in the neighborhood. She decided to meet him for coffee at the local coffee shop, Smelly Cat. She was having a great time so she agreed to join him for dinner and a music concert at the Neighborhood Theatre. They went on a few other dates and lost touch. In September, Adam and Lee started dating again. He took her to Gallery Crawls, concerts at the Neighborhood Theatre, and to dinner at some of their favorite restaurants. Over the last 3 years, they have traveled to New York City (2 times before he moved there), Washington, DC, the NC and SC coast, and San Francisco. In addition to traveling, Adam and Lee have seen over 50 theatre performances, been to dozens of museums and galleries, and both share an unwavering love of the Carolina Panthers.
The Proposal:
One rainy, dreary Sunday morning, Adam and Lee planned to have Sunday Brunch with his sister, Jennifer, and his mom, Chris, at Boudreaux’s, a great Cajun restaurant. Despite the fact, that Lee had to go straight to work immediately following brunch, Adam insisted on driving. Before brunch they detoured into their local coffee shop, Smelly Cat where they first met. They walked into Smelly Cat. Lee saw Adam’s best friend Will, then one of her best friends Dee.
She was very confused to enter a coffee shop full of people she knows. Lee turned to Adam and he was on one knee. She combusted into tears and still doesn’t have any clue what he said but knows what her response was. She said yes! Adam orchestrated the whole thing. He had her parents, his family, and their close Charlotte friends await their arrival to the coffee shop, and he even got Lee’s best friend Amy to come up from Atlanta. Lee had no clue that her friends and family could keep this a secret from her and is still so impressed. Needless to say it was the best moment of her life, so far.
The Wedding:
Adam and Lee are exchanging wedding vows at their Methodist church and having the wedding reception at one of their favorite art museums. These rings will be the symbol of their love and commitment to each other.
Scott Schmeissing and Michelle Spiers– A Proposal Story
Scott and Michelle
Scott Schmeissing proposed to Michelle Spiers Wednesday, May 5, 2010 in the afternoon on Bird Island, NC after weeks of picking the perfect ring and planning the perfect day to symbolize their perfect love. Scott and Michelle had been planning a trip with her parents to Myrtle Beach, SC for some time and Scott knew what a special place Myrtle Beach has always been to Michelle. It is where her family has vacationed every year since before she was born. Things have changed over the years, but it is still her favorite place in the world to relax. Only God knew how special a role Myrtle Beach would play in her life and how it would be the location for one of her happiest memories.
The proposal…….. Scott had a surprise adventure planned Tuesday morning and kept it all a secret from Michelle, telling her only what clothes to wear. Scott rented bikes, they rode through the Vereen Gardens Park, and started their trip to the Silver Coast Winery. They toured the winery, enjoyed the wine tasting, and sat outside with a bottle of Viognier and some snacks while watching as the rain started to grow heavier and heavier. When they were done, they sat out front on the rocking chairs debating whether to wait out the rain, call the bike company to come pick them up, or just start riding back and get soaked. They chose the “ride back and get soaked” option. The 12 mile bike ride in the rain was something they will absolutely never forget.
Scott’s plans for later that evening were canceled due to the rain so they went back home. Their postponed adventure started at 11:00am on Wednesday when they drove to a marina and boarded The Enchantress, a 44 foot Caribbean sailing yacht.
They rode out to the ocean where they watched dolphins playing and Scott hoisted the main sail. After some cruising in the ocean, they set sail for Bird Island, a secluded beach in NC.
The captain let Scott and Michelle take the smaller boat onto the shore where they explored for a bit and then traveled to a secluded part of the island. Once they went around the corner to where the only eyes on them were those of the fish, birds, and God, Scott got down on one knee, said a beautiful speech, and asked Michelle to marry him. After Michelle said “YES” and “I love you” about a million times, they rode back to the sailboat and sat at the top deck while enjoying the ride back to the dock. When they arrived back to the condo, Michelle’s parents, Dreama and Steve, were waiting with bridal magazines and pink roses. Scott had gone home to Mount Sidney the prior Wednesday to pick up the ring from Christopher William Jewelers, and on the way back he stopped to talk with Michelle’s parents.
Top 5 Proposal Mistakes You Can Control
A lot of things can go wrong when planning your proposal (it rains on your picnic, she gets sick on the cruise) but these you can actually control….
1) Don’t Ask Empty Handed
I know, I’ve heard it before “but I want her to pick out the ring so I’m going to ask and then we’ll go to the jewelry store”. Stop for just a second and imagine your proposal: You ask, she’s ecstatic, she goes to tell mom/dad/brother/sister/best friend/etc. and says “we’re engaged”… the next step is she sticks out her left hand and shows off the ring she is madly in love with (because you gave it to her). Don’t deprive her of this.
2) Don’t Ask During a Fight
You’ve bought the ring and you take her on a romantic getaway but it rains, the airport loses her luggage and you can’t get a taxi. The day’s events end up with the two of you fighting during the romantic dinner you had planned to propose at. Don’t be impatient, just wait! Although that romantic dinner would have been the perfect proposal, getting down on one knee while she is smoking mad is not good timing (no matter how cute you think she is when she’s mad). Re-group and wait. Better to be patient then to have your proposal story start with “while she was yelling at me…”.
3) Don’t Catch Her Off Guard
Do not misinterpret! You should surprise her with the proposal but not with the idea of marrying you. Make sure the idea of marriage is not a complete shock. It’s important to have discussed marriage at some point previous to the proposal.
4) Don’t Get Too Complicated
The day you propose you will undoubtedly be nervous (most likely extremely nervous). So don’t add too many complications that just create more things that can go wrong. For example, if you do a scavenger hunt proposal don’t lead her on a five hour 30 clue hunt… keep it simple (while still amazing & wonderful). Also, enlist a friend to help – you’ll appreciate it the day of the proposal when your nerves get the best of you!
5) DO Plan Ahead
Maybe an elaborate proposal isn’t your girlfriend’s style but DO plan ahead. Whether it’s on a picnic overlooking the mountains or in a helicopter over the Grand Canyon, plan something memorable. Keep in mind she will tell this proposal story hundreds of times and for years to come.
[Proposal Stories] Lauren & Ryan
How We Met
Lauren & Ryan
Lauren and Ryan met at Dartmouth College where they were introduced by a mutual friend. Though Lauren tried to make her crush on Ryan known through numerous invitations to her sorority formals, Ryan had no time to date with his demanding engineering course load. They did, however, keep in touch and reconnected after college when Lauren was in her first year of medical school at the University of Virginia and Ryan was working in Albany, New York.
Over Valentine’s Day weekend, Ryan invited Lauren to visit him in Saratoga Springs, New York to celebrate the end of a week of medical school exams. After showing her Skidmore College (where he had spent his undergrad years) Ryan put Lauren to work moving him into his new apartment. But that was not the only surprise he had in store for her that weekend. Before she left, Ryan surprised Lauren with a special Valentine’s Day teddy bear. In return, she surprised him with an invitation to come visit her in Charlottesville, VA. And so began a year of visits to Saratoga Springs and Charlottesville, Hershey and Maine, until Ryan decided that he had accumulated enough frequent flier miles and would move to Charlottesville so that they could be together at long last.
The Proposal
Ryan proposed during a surprise weekend getaway to Front Royal, VA where they attended a hot air balloon and wine festival. Ryan and Lauren’s first activity as an engaged couple was hot air balloon ride on a crisp fall morning overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains. After narrowly missing a barn and surviving a crash landing, they celebrated with a champagne toast and spent the rest of the day sampling the fine offerings of Virginia’s many vineyards. Truly a weekend to remember!
“How in-the-know should I go with the Proposal?”
When you get on bended knee, it’s optimum to have discussed the idea of marriage beforehand. It’s imperative you’re both on the same page regarding your long term vision for your lives as individuals and as a couple. Key life goals/preferences are also important to discuss, like where you want to live, what religion you want to raise your children with, your financial backgrounds and having kids, for instance.
If you’ve never had any practical discussions before The Moment, your hopeful bride-to-be may be taken off guard. She just might hesitate to say yes, if not even giving an “I’ll think about” disaster of a response. It’s best to get your ducks in a row and communicate with your significant other before popping the question. You can keep things more general and ambiguous, like you’re just throwing raw thoughts and dreams into the air, or you can get specific if that’s you and yours’ style. There is no right or wrong way to discuss your future lives together, it’s simply important to try and check expectations, find common ground, and resolve any future issues or disputes before they become huge problems. It will be helpful for both of you, establishing shared vision and easing mutual concerns or unknowns. You know her better than I do, so go with your gut and just try to space your questions and discussions far apart from The Proposal itself.
But Shouldn’t It Be A Surprise?
Don’t get me wrong. Just because I appear to approach marriage and The Proposal it requires from simply a pragmatic standpoint doesn’t mean I’m saying throw romance out the window. It’s ok if your girlfriend is expecting the “season” or “period” of the The Proposal, but not the day itself. Think outside the box and don’t give away too much. Find a way to surprise her and you’ll be proud of the story she’ll no doubt tell everyone in the coming weeks, months, and years.
What About Choosing The Ring?
I don’t know many brides that would want their lover to propose to them empty-handed. But I also know that many want to be an active part of which ring they will be wearing for the rest of their lives. So how do you keep The Proposal a surprise while pleasing your partner’s discriminating tastes and preferences? Plan ahead, keep it clean, and try to get specific, but not too specific. It’s ok to visit a few jewelry stores and casually discuss what’s appealing and what’s not with your girlfriend. You want to know her ring size, you want to know which shapes she prefers, where her expectations lie, and what makes her smile. Just don’t let this gathering process drag on too long and try to space your research far enough apart from your purchase and subsequently your Proposal. Remember, plan early, execute smoothly, and surprise your future wife with an engagement to remember.
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