Jennifer & Shahzad

I’d love to tell you my proposal story! It is so romantic and I’m now the envy of all my girlfriends.It was quite recently, actually – this past Labor Day weekend. My fiance, Shahzad, had planned a surprise weekend trip for the two of us, which didn’t seem so strange because we do that sort of thing a lot. So when we started driving west from St. Louis (our hometown), I didn’t know where we’d end up.

Well, we got to Kansas City and turned north, heading in the direction of Iowa. I kept saying to him; “Have you ever BEEN to Iowa? Do you realize there’s nothing there but CORN?” He just smiled and told me to wait and see.

Well, a few hours later, I just couldn’t stand it anymore and was begging for clues as to our destination. All he would tell me is that yes, we were going to IA and the town was famous for something from a movie. All I could think of was “Field of Dreams” and couldn’t believe we were driving all day to see a baseball field!

I was wrong, of course. We checked into this adorable bed and breakfast – a big old Victorian home renovated and run by this little old woman. (Who was in on the whole thing, by the way!)

He suggested we take a drive and maybe pick up something to eat, so we hopped into the car and headed out. I couldn’t believe it when he pulled up in front of the Roseman Covered Bridge! That is the one featured in the movie, “Bridges of Madison County,” which just so happens to be one of my favorites!

It was an overcast day, so there wasn’t anyone else on the bridge. I was reading some of the carvings that people had left on the inside of the bridge when I turned around and saw Shahzad down on one knee. He said, and I’ll remember these words forever: “Jennifer, you are the love of my life. Some people search all their lives for this type of love – others don’t even think it exists. This kind of certainty comes but just once in a lifetime and I want to spend that lifetime with you. Will you marry me?”

Well, of course I said yes through my tears and disbelief. We stood there alone on that romantic bridge crying, laughing, and kissing each other until finally a curious onlooker asked if everything was alright. We laughed and explained what had just happened. He was more than happy to take our picture.

When we got back to the B&B, the caretaker had put a bottle of champagne on ice in our room with a simple “Congratulations!” note. We spent the weekend exploring Winterset, IA and got to see other locations where footage from the movie was filmed. Every little store and tavern had a story about when Hollywood came to Iowa and were eager to talk about it. We even got to visit Francesca’s house which is still decorated the way it was in the movie. It’s truly a lovely town and we made a promise to come back every year on our engagement anniversary.

What a romantic, huh? Shahzad just knew how much I liked that movie – he did all the research into where the town was located, where we could stay, etc. He even worked dialogue from the film into his proposal! I know I’ve found myself a good one! Thanks for sharing our story with us!

Lisa & Brian…for our wedding day….

Brian and I met through an online personals/dating service. We talked online for a week, over the phone and online for another week, and then we had our first date. It only took about two weeks and we knew that we were perfect for each other.

After dating for three months Brian came home one day with a package which he sat on the mantel over the fireplace and told me that I could not look in it. Since we had been talking about getting married, I assumed it was an engagement ring. He left it there for two weeks and I did not peek.

Finally after two weeks of anticipation, his son convinced him to let me open it. Much to my surprise, it was a gold letter opener that his son had won at an arcade for me.

Shortly after, that package disappeared from the fireplace mantel, it was replaced by a small ring box. Again, I assumed it was an engagement ring. I asked how long it was going to be before I could see what was in the box. He finally said it would be July 13th, but gave no reason why the 13th, or what the significance of that date was.

Since I thought the ring box was my engagement ring, I went out and bought a wedding band for Brian which I proudly placed beside the ring box on the mantel. In the mean time he had my teenaged daughter in on the plan, and they kept telling secrets and even contacted my boss. I assumed that Brian had arranged for me to get off early, or be off, on Friday, July 13th, so was I ever surprised on Thursday, July 12th when Brian, my daughter, his son, my boss, the Human Resources Director and the people who report to me at my job all showed up in my office.

Brian was carrying two dozen roses and his son had a bottle of wine with ‘I Love You’ balloons tied to it.

Brian first handed me a card where he had written how much he loved me and why he wanted to include our family and my friends from work.

Then he said the following: “Lisa, like wine takes years to age, we have taken years to find one and other. Like the roses, you are beautiful yet fragile, and need to be taken care of – like I want to spend the rest of my life taking care of you. Like the air in the balloons, when we kiss, I feel like I am walking on air.”

Then he got down on one knee, opened the ring box, which was not the one from the mantel, to reveal my engagement ring. He then asked if I would do him the honor of being his wife. Of course I said yes.

When we got home I gave him the box that I had on the mantle, being all proud of the band that I had purchased. He opened it, smiled and then said “hold that thought” and went and got the box off the mantle…it was a band exactly like the one that I had purchased for Brian. We laughed and I told him “Well, I guess you know you can trust me not to peek!”

Our wedding is planned for September 8th and I will never forget my wonderful proposal, it was like something out of a fairy tale!

Paula & Anthony…real wedding plans on the way….

“If you have family, friends, health and music, what more do you need?” –Anthony Birkholz

I met the love of my life on the Internet. We did not meet in a chat room, on a message board, at a public site or through the personals. Meeting someone on the Internet or anywhere else, for that matter, didn’t even occur to me. Starting a relationship was the last thing on my mind.

It all started when a girlfriend asked me to go to Austin, Texas for the weekend. We were both separated and going through a divorce and needed to get away from that stress and familiarity of our rural town of 4,000.. I enjoy singing, and especially karaoke, and wanted to do that while we were there. But, where to go? Then I had a brain storm. I decided to go to the AOL member directory and find someone who lived in Austin and ask them. I found several profiles of Austin residents, including Anthony’s. I sent him an e-mail asking where to go for karaoke in Austin. His personal quote was: “If you have family, friends, health and music, what more do you need?” It really touched my heart and I told him so.

Three days later I got a response. Anthony sent me an e-mail suggesting I go to the Chelsea Street Pub and asked me what 0309 from my screen name meant. I explained that it was my birthday. It turns out it was his birthday too.

Later that night, I was online when I received an instant message from him. We chatted, sending messages back and forth for two hours before I went to work. He told me that he was originally from New Jersey and had lived in Texas for two years. We talked about our families, music and work. He is a banker and I am a correctional officer. What a combination.

Still, there was a feeling of comfort and knowing that was undeniable. We decided to talk on the phone the next night and we talked for three hours. It was like we had known each other all our lives.

I never did end up going with my girlfriend on the Austin trip because my dad underwent heart by-pass surgery. Three weeks later, Anthony and I decided to meet and I drove four hours from East Texas to meet a man whom I’d never even seen a picture of.

We met at Austin’s Highland Mall parking lot at 7 a.m. and immediately gave each other a big hug. I thought he was cute and very polite. We ate breakfast at the International House of Pancakes and he told me later that he couldn’t stop looking at my eyes because he couldn’t believe how green they were.

After breakfast, we went back to his apartment so I could rest. That might seem like risky behavior to some people, but my instincts about people are usually correct and I felt strongly that Anthony was someone I could trust. I had been awake for over 30 hours and was so tired that I went to sleep sitting on the couch. When I woke up, Anthony was holding my hand. I can’t believe such a small gesture could mean so much. At that moment I knew that he was a sensitive and caring person. I was comfortable staying with him at his apartment, and he was kind enough to give me his bedroom and make up a bed for himself on the couch.

We did a lot of things during our first weekend together. We went to see the movie “Duets.” We had dinner with his parents, and of course, we went to karaoke. I sang “Valentine” by Martina McBride and Anthony sang “I’ll Be” by Edwin McCain. We also sang a duet: “Just You and I” by Eddie Rabbit and Crystal Gayle.

Anthony also told me that his sister had met someone online and had gotten married, but that he didn’t think it could happen to him. Something was happening, though. In spite of the fact that I had fears about getting into a relationship before my final divorce papers were signed, and Anthony had gotten hurt in two previous relationships, our connection was growing.

Three weeks later, Anthony came to visit me and meet my family and friends at karaoke. Three more weeks passed and he invited me to his bank’s Christmas party. That weekend he told me he loved me. It scared me to death. I told him that I liked him a lot and enjoyed his company but I wasn’t ready to say those words to him. Little did I know that I would be ready much sooner than I thought.

On January 7 we were talking by IM after I returned from an evening of karaoke with some friends. I was telling him about the evening, how much I missed him, and that it just wasn’t the same anymore without him there with me. He asked me if I ever wanted to get married again. I told him that I that I might. The next thing I knew, he sent me an e-mail at 2:22 a.m. asking, “Will you marry me?” I responded, “Yes, but you will have to ask me again in person.”

We weren’t able to see each other again until January 20th. This time I met his sister and her family and we joined all of his family and his co-workers at the Chelsea Street Pub for an evening of karaoke. Anthony was one of the first to turn in a song to sing, but when they called him up, he said he had something to say first and asked me to come up on the stage.

Anthony got down on one knee and said, “Paula, you know how happy you have made me and you know how much I love you. Will you marry me?” All I could do was stand there with my hands over my face. After I got over the shock, of course I said yes. The audience stood up, clapping and cheering. We are engaged to be married on Feb. 2, 2002.

On April 3, 2001, I got a job transfer and moved to Austin to be with the love of my life.

This experience has taught me several things: love can come when you least expect it, love comes in unexpected ways and if love between two people is meant to be, it will happen. They will find each other, even somewhere as vast as the Internet.

Angela & Adam…Wedding – what wedding?

It is a day I’ll never forget. The 4th of July. He had told me he had to work on this Jeep he had just bought off a guy at work. So I figured the day was probably going to be spent just working on getting the jeep running. He had mentioned going to a fire works stand and getting our own fireworks. The day went flying by and we still hadn’t been to town to get anything. We came in from working on his car when he asked me to go find him somthing to wear. I came back out, he got changed, and we headed for town.. We live near an airforce base at which he is a staff sargent. It was kind of fun getting to drive along and watch the fireworks. He tried his best to get me there but, we missed them.

We started driving around looking for a fireworks stand.. So we stood there and looked around and he finally picked out three different kinds of fireworks.. I didnt’ think anything about it.. I knew he had already bought my ring he had had for the past 3 months and I had kind of given up on him giving it to me.

We got home and he told me to go on in the house and find something to light the fireworks with.. I came back out and he handed me one of the boxes of fireworks and told me to open them. Next, he handed me the next box and had me open them. Then he said, “Well, you might as well open the last box”, and I’ll never know what made me turn my back to him when I did so, but when I turned around there he was, on one knee. He had the ring in a ring-box and asked me to open it. I just started crying.. I still can’t believe it.. We our planning a March 2, 2002 wedding..

Ken & Tiffany…I knew he would ask – now to plan the wedding day…

Sunday of last week, I asked one of my friends, Michael, to send a mass e-mail to all of our church friends about getting together this weekend to go to the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens, followed by an IMAX movie and dinner. On Monday, he created the e-mail.

Knowing how much Tiffany loves flowers, movies, and going out to eat, I then forwarded the e-mail to her to she what she thought. She replied, ‘Awesome!’.

Tiffany loves teddy bears, so I thought about incorporating them into the scheme. After searching for hours, I found two cute female teddy bears, one of which (the blue one) I converted to a male by placing a bow tie on him.

There was a threat of thunderstorms that morning, but we were planning to follow through, rain or shine. I purchased a new umbrella for us, and a purple one for the teddy bears.

My next step was to find a strategic place to plant these bears (somewhere in the botanical gardens). We found the Perennial Garden to be ideal.

Michael and I found a spot where a log in the shape of a rainbow had been strategically placed among a bed of flowers. (At this point, I was starting to get some jitters). It was under this log-formation that we set the bears. On the pink female bear’s paw, with a ribbon, I tied the ring (the ring is actually the first ring that she had tried on when we went searching). Along with the bears, we placed a sign that read, “I LOVE YOU TIFFANY”. With outstretched arms, with ring shining brightly, the cute pink female sat beside the bright blue male teddy bear under a rainbow-formed log, amongst a bed of flowers.

We were hoping to have a group of people to enjoy the day with, but nobody responded to the idea of going to the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens. The Byron Nelson and Blue Angels must have had a higher priority. So it was up to my two friends (David and Michael) and me to come up with a plan so that Tiffany would not be suspicious (no other girls were coming, and why guys would want to go to the gardens…?). Tiffany had no idea of who would be showing up.

Tiffany would be told that Michael was late, and that we would view the gardens a while until he shows up. Meanwhile, Michael would have the cameras in place, and would be sitting on the bench reading a newspaper waiting for the clue that we had arrived. He also had the ultimate responsibility of keeping watch of the bears so that nobody would take the ring!

The plan was that we were to meet David at the Rose Gardens. We would then walk around a bit, and head toward the Perennial Garden where we strategically placed the bears. David would signify via cell phone that we had arrived by calling to see why he was late and how much longer it would be before he would arrive. This would give Michael the clue to start rolling the camera.

I was supposed to pick up Tiffany at 1:45 to meet the group at the gardens between 2:00 and 2:15. However, she was late arriving at her home, which held us up at least 1/2 hour. Other plans were in place to meet a 3:30 appointment, so I was getting a little worried to say the least.

Present tense…

I pick her up at 2:20, and find that she hasn’t eaten lunch, and that she’s really hungry. So on the way, we stop to get some Burger King. This puts us closer to 2:30 before we even start heading to the gardens. (Meanwhile, I learned that Michael & David rather enjoyed this extra time in the gardens. All kinds of young ladies were coming around, detecting what was about to take place, and decided to stick around to check out this much-anticipated event).

I guess because of being a little upset about being late, I’m not getting that nervous. Or I should say, perhaps the nervousness is well-concealed. As we are arriving at the gardens, Tiffany starts getting excited about viewing the gardens, and doesn’t seem to be anticipating anything out of the ordinary. We arrive about 2:45, and head toward where David will meet us. We meet up with David, and then ask where the group is. He states that nobody replied to the e-mails and that Michael will be late. I then ask him about Michael, and suggest that we call him to determine whether or not we should wait around any longer. David then calls Michael for the clue. Thinking that I might be sweaty, and a bit nervous, I check my state of emotion, check the state of my hands (not sweating, not shaky), and so decide to hold Tiffany’s hand as we stroll around the gardens. Unsuspecting as she is, Tiffany takes her time to check out the flowers, touch, and to smell them. As we are inching our way toward the Perennial Garden, I start getting antsy. I start pulling her from one bush to the next, I guess out of nervousness and wanting to get this over with. Not wanting to rush, she takes her time to enjoy the beauty of the gardens.

We arrive at the Perennial Garden, and she takes notice of the person on the bench sitting with the newspaper open. She also takes notice of all the ladies standing around in big groups, but she still doesn’t suspect anything. Meanwhile, I try to coax her to come and check out the pond nearby. She’s wondering why I’m trying to check out this pond when there isn’t anything too terribly interesting there to view. The flowers are much more exciting to her. But behind us sit the bears, and I don’t want her to see them too early.

Well, I drag/pull her to the pond, talk a little about the scenery, and then nervously have her turn around to discover the bears. She sees them andthinks for a moment, “What are those bears doing in the gardens?”. She sees the sign partially reading, “I LOVE YOU.”. Then she thinks, what is going on here? In instinct mode, and not thinking, I grab her hands, and plop on one knee, and ask, “Will you marry me?” Nervous as I am, I forget to say her full name, as I wanted to. She says, in a very high pitched voice, “Yes”. She is shocked, with jaw open wide. I stand back up and immediately go back down on one knee to say, “Tiffany Andrea Jennings, will you marry me?” She says “Yes!” in a high pitched voice again, and I then get up to give her a hug and a kiss. She is still dazed, standing there looking at me. (Tiffany recalls the girls nearby mentioning, “Look at her; her jaw is dropped”). She feels like crying, but quickly holds the tears back with the presence of the crowd. Meanwhile, I grab the pink female bear with the ring, and try to easily take the ring off to then put it on her hand. It just will not come off. All around, these people are watching as I struggle and wrestle with this bear to get the ring off. Finally it comes off!

Camera rolling on, and people watching everywhere, I slip the engagement ring on her finger. Phew! I feel a relief! I knew she would say yes, but I didn’t know what kind of response I would get. The crowd responds with clapping and shouts of congratulations.

We walk over to the camera and proceed to explain how the day went, and our thoughts and feelings about the whole situation. The crowd slowly dissipates as we continue to share our experiences on camera. Well, we still have about 1/2 hour before the next surprise will occur, so we slowly stroll around the gardens toward our next destination. We joke and goof around, taking notice of several weddings that are taking place around the gardens.

After about 1/2 hour of strolling, we meander into the main entrance building for a drink of water and rest. We mention to Tiffany that there is still more out front, so we head that direction. There sits the white horse and carriage decked out with flowers, waiting for us to take a ride around the gardens. Tiffany notices it right away, thinking that it is probably for one of the weddings that are taking place at that time. I mention that it is probably for one of the weddings and proceed to head that direction.

I ask the driver about the horse, and introduce myself. I ask Tiffany if she would like to take a ride; she responds by stating, “We can’t do that, it’s not ours. It’s for somebody’s wedding”. I then say, “It’s for us”.

She puts on a big grin, pauses, says “Cool!” and happily jumps onto the carriage. Camera rolling on, we ride off on horse & carriage through the cool Fort Worth Botanical Gardens. We are getting all kinds of stares, and lots of congratulations (one “booo!”, too!). Tiffany absolutely loves it.

Back to past tense…

We rode around the gardens for about 1/2 hour before being dropped off near the Japanese gardens where we continued to stroll and discover all the cool plants, flowers, and fish in the gardens. Afterward, we headed home to prepare for our evening meal.

I was thinking of all kinds of places like The Mansion on Turtle Creek, Antares, Old San Francisco Steak House, Baby Doe’s Matchless Mine, Avanti’s, Del Frisco’s, etc. These are places that don’t really appeal to Tiffany. So instead, we went to Medieval Times and had a wonderful time! She loved the food, the horse dancing, the rowdy crowds, and all that Medieval Times had to offer.

I wanted to give Tiffany a story that she would be excited about telling, one that she would be telling for the rest of her life. She was in her glory that day, and couldn’t help but start telling it that night.

Our wedding will most likely be held in the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens.

Keri & Jerimiah – my parents said it will not happen, But I still have wedding plans

The way my fiance Jeremiah proposed was very romantic – to me anyway! Every year, on Father’s Day weekend, we go to a car show in Pismo Beach, Ca. Well, Jeremiah and I had been talking about marriage for a while, but Jeremiah was always put it off, saying that he couldn’t afford to support me at the time.

This past year when we went to the car show, he suggested we go for a walk on the beach on the Friday night. I really wasn’t up for it, but agreed to go anyway. As we walked, we were talking about the future and about having kids when he suddenly decided he wanted to sit in the sand.

We sat down and he was rubbing my back when he started to write on it with his finger. I couldn’t make out what he was spelling. So he then wrote it in the sand which I was struggling so hard to read that I never even noticed when he got down on one knee!

Suddnely he said, “Keri, Will you marry me?” I just started to cry. I was so happy. We started to walk back to the hotel to tell our family and friends and I realized that I never said yes. So that’s when I looked at him and said “Yes I’ll marry you!”.

Then, we finally made it back to the hotel and shared our good news!

Jeni & Sean, Whose Wedding is it anyway?

Here’s the proposal of my dreams! Sean and I went to New Jersey to visit with his family this past December. We planned a day trip into New York City with his Mom, Dad and brother and I was so excited! I had never been there when it was decorated for the Christmas holiday. It was extremely cold, especially for me because I’m from Florida! We spent all day doing the “tourist” things and as the day went on we started to lose steam. Night had fallen and we finally made it to Times Square. We were so tired at this point and slowly headed back towards the car. Sean said he wanted to take a picture of us in the middle of Times Square. A picture of us standing on the sidewalk was not good enough. He dragged all of us across crazy traffic onto a small strip of median. He propped me up on this ledge and asked his Mom to take a picture of us. After a couple of pictures I jumped off the ledge and started reaching for my bag. As I looked up Sean was getting down on one knee and began to propose! I was so excited and in such shock that I don’t remember exactly what he said!!! Cars were stopped at the red light watching and honking and passers by stopped to get a glimpse. Of course I said yes! That was a night I will never forget. Sean and I are eagerly awaiting our special day on August 25, 2001 in St. Augustine, Florida.

Mesa & William

My fiance and I were getting ready to move eight hours south to Miami from Tallahassee, Florida for his one year internship for his schooling as a pharmacist. Well, we were leaving behind our friends and family to move there, and it is his last year of school, so his mom and I decided to throw him a big suprise going away party to honor him.

We chose a random date of April 17 because we had to be in Miami by May 1. We picked a Saturday night. We got his best friend to come in from Jacksonville, and we invited people from high school, and all his freinds, and mine, and ours, and all our families were there.. about 80 people total. We rented a little “club” with a DJ that is underneath a resturaunt in Tallahassee, and had food and a big cake and beer and all! Anyway, we told him we were going to dinner with some freinds of ours and their parents.

So we got there, and he walks in, and it was all decorated with streamers and balloons… (his mom and I did it that morning…). He walked in and it was kind of dark so he walked right by his best friend and didn’t even realize what was going on. Then we all said Suprise! It’s for you!’

He was so happy, and we had such a good time with everyone! It was a blast and later on that night he had told Greg, his best friend soon to be best man), that he had a ring in his truck and he wanted to propose tonight… he was just waiting for the perfect time… So he and his friend went out to his truck and came back in and Greg said, “Ok everyone, gather around… William would like to make an announcement and thank everyone for coming”. So I thought nothing of it!

We all sat around on the bar stools and couches and I could tell he was nervous. He started rambling and kept thanking everyone for coming and kept saying how much we’d miss them, and that we love them… and then he said, “Okay one more thing…”, and he grabbed my hand and pulled me off the couch and got down on one knee and said, “Mesa…will you be my wife?”

Of course, I was sobbing… and said ‘Yes!’. I couldn’t even see the ring underneath all my tears of joy. Everyone was crying and all my friends were gathered around looking and my hand…

Turns out it was a ring I had picked out when we’d gone looking at rings, but he had said “Nah… that’s too expensive.”

Well, we danced the night away and had so much fun and have set our wedding date for August 12, 2000. I can’t wait! Turns out when he said he was going out with his friends the previous night he actually took my parents and my brother to dinner and asked them all for my hand . What a sweetie!

That’s my story… Hope you enjoyed it!

Francesca & Fernando

This is how my soulmate Fernando proposed… we are to be married on April 13th 2002..

On their heavenly night the clock striked 12:00. Not a sound was heard not even the voices in the dark announcing the new year as it stirred. He whispered in her ear…”follow me.” As he places her coat gently on her back…her scarf wrapped with love…her hat sat quietly as it covered the surprise that awaited her in the night. In his left hand he held two glasses… one champagne…one wine…the Henkell Trocken 1856 gripped firmly waiting patiently for it’s cork to be popped and glasses to be toasted. In his right hand a cigar was smoking and as he led her towards the door marked “exit”…all that remained behind was the smoke exhaled from the lips she kissed on this new year. He opens the door for her…she steps outside.

The night was perfect…not too cold…not too dark…just right. Her eyes are directed to a sweet sound up ahead…bells she thinks…as she looks out…from a distance…there approaching were two blonde horses. His lips speak…”Our ride is here”…she thinks…”ya right”…but a voice calls out his name.

She is consumed with surprise. The stars reflect in her eyes as they shine brightly…as she watches him lead the way to the sleigh. They both climb in and Pierre hails the way. The stars in the sky light the night…the trees cast their shadows marking this night…our black and white night. He tries his best to pop the cork without startling the horses…but like old Fords they accelerate…”Wow”… Pierre murmurs. As they both sit quietly cuddled together…he hands her a letter he wrote for her on August 31st.

She is asked to read this letter as he carefully holds his lighter near her and as he tries to maintain the flame, the soft wind blowing prevents her from reading on. Up ahead there stood a source of light marking the intersection…marking our corner. He asks Pierre, “Could you please stop at the light up ahead?” Pierre replies “oui…bien sur.” The horses stop on command and as she reads the last word out loud…like magic the horses begin to gallop once again.

“I wrote this 6 months ago till the day, and I would like to change a few words … I would like you to be the mother of my children…I would like you to be my wife.”

“Oh baby”… she replies…”Yes.” He unpins the ring hidden in his coat…she hears a tinkle as he drops his star in the glass of champagne…she drinks his love and as she hands him the ring…her soulmate places the Northern Star on her finger forever.

I love you my love…I loved you then…I love you now…I will love you forever. To my soulmate Fernando… From his soulmate Francesca.

Ted & Tanya, Really wedding plans, it’s about time…

How They Met….

They met on ICQ. Yes, another online relationship! Ted did a search based on interests and was looking for someone in Montana that would be interested in going hiking and going on photography trips with him. Out of four hundred names he picked Tanya’s.

They talked online for about three weeks. On May 22, a Saturday night, they talked on the computer for seven hours. They discovered that they worked about 1/4 mile apart, and lived right over the hill from each other.

Tanya’s son was flying back to West Virginia to see his dad for the summer and she wanted some good pictures of her and Duane before he left. That night she asked Ted if he would meet her at the park the next day and take the pictures for her. Finally, they were going to meet in person.

He drove past her 3 times, and after the third time she gathered up the kids (Duane’s friend, Meghann, was with them) and went to a pay phone. She left a message for him to meet her in the parking lot of her office building. He pulled into the parking lot and got out of his truck and she fell head over heals then and there. He took one look at her and thought “Wow.”

As they talked and came to know each other better, they realized that everything they thought they knew about love and relationships had went out the window.

Duane thought the world of Ted. He never got attached to anyone so quickly. He left for the summer to go back east to see his dad. Whenever he would call and talk to his mom, he would be on the phone for about 5 minutes, then want to talk to Ted. It was a conspiracy!

Tanya, though, was thrilled that Duane thought so highly of Ted. One of the requirements of being a single mom – you have to find a man that will love and want your child as much as he loves you. She found that man in Ted. Duane couldn’t wait to get home to Montana so he could go racing with Ted. He was the one that kept asking about “marrying my mom.”

They were on their way to a moto-cross race in Missoula when Duane turned and looked in Ted’s direction. “Ted, when are you going to marry my mom so I can call you ‘Dad’?”

Ted almost choked on his Mountain Dew and looks at Tanya. “I had nothing to do with this!”, she said.

Ted looked back at Duane and told him that they were waiting to make sure it was okay with him first.

“Yes! It’s ok with me! Can you get married at the race?” Ahh, the excitement and impatience of a child!

Ted told him no, that he had to get his mom a ring and ask her first.

“Well, you can ask her now. She will say ‘yes’ – I know it.” Tanya told Duane to calm down, that Ted would ask her when he was ready.

The Engagement...

Tanya decided that she would take Ted out to dinner on the 23rd of September. There were a lot of reasons to celebrate. During the dinner they were discussing Duane’s “concerns” and rings, etc. After dinner they were going to look at rings and get an idea of what style would look good on her finger. They found a teardrop solitaire that they both thought was beautiful, and the ring looked great on her hand. She handed it back to the lady and made a mental note of size and shape for future searches.

The next day, when Ted came home from work, Tanya was upstairs using his computer to print out resumes. She heard him come in the room and turned to see him on one knee on the floor. Instantly weak in the knees, she sat down. Ted got a grin on his face and called for Duane.

“Is it ok if I marry your mom?” (Tanya was tearing up at this point.)

Duane grinned and said, “Yes, but can we still do guy things?” Ted looked at him and told them that they would, but marrying his mom meant that he would be around all the time now.

“Cool! It’s about time you asked her!”, squealed Duane. So Ted then turned to Tanya, who was a mess at this point, and asked her if she would be his wife. She got down on her knees in front of him and said “yes.”

He pulled out the box and opened it to reveal the solitaire from the night before, and slipped the ring on her finger. It was so beautiful! Duane was standing there the whole time and wanted to see her “wedding present.”

“Cool, Mom, I have a present for you, too.” He handed his mom a shiny 1999 penny, which she then put into the ring box. Then Duane shouted, “Family hug!” and all three of them hugged each other right there on the floor. Duane whispered to his mom, “Now will you get married?!?!?”

Heidi & Robbie

My name is Heidi and my fiance’s name is Robert (or Robbie!). I live in Denver, Colorado and he is currently stationed at Lajes Field, in the Azores, just off the coast of Portugal. Talk about a long distance relationship!

Anyway, Robbie Instant Message’d me one day, just to chat and to relieve some boredom he told me. We were chat buddies for the longest time, since I really wasn’t looking to get involved with anyone – especially off the ‘Net, and someone who was almost 5000 miles away! But gradually, our mutual respect turned to love and it hit us like a ton of bricks. The emails got more intimate, the phone calls got longer, and the hours we spent chatting just went on and on.

One day, in September, Robbie calls me, whilst he’s on duty (he’s a firefighter in the Airforce) and I’m beginning to think something major is going wrong, since he never called me on duty before. We chat for a few minutes, but I can SENSE something is happening, because Robbie’s not talking the way he normally does.

All of a sudden, I hear his Chief’s voice in the background yelling “Well, have you asked her yet?” and Robbie says “No”.

And that’s when he said:

“I know this isn’t the most romantic way to do this, but you know I love you more than life itself. With all my fire fighters standing behind me, and my Chief breathing down my neck, would you do me the honor of marrying me and making me the happiest man on earth?”.

I could hardly believe this and yelled “Yes!” and even the guys heard it! After a few moments, and the fire fighter’s yelling and whooping, Chief said, “That’s enough. Now back on duty!” and Robbie had to sign off the phone.

Now, Robbie and I may have not met the conventional way, but we truly love each other, and not a day goes by that I don’t thank God for bringing him into my life.

Our wedding is planned for 30th September 200 at the United States Airforce Academy, and nothing is going to make me prouder, than to be Robbie’s wife….

Michelle & Chris We finally made it – our wedding day is coming!

My fiance, Chris is stationed in North Carolina and I live in Virginia. So when he came home the day before my birthday, needless to say I was very excited. I went to work later that day with the thought that “this will be a chance for him to shop for my b-day gift”. I called him, and sure enough, he was at home. By 9 :30 pm he was at my job to hang out. The night came and went, and no mention of plans for my b-day, except the reminder that his family and my family were having lunch together for my birthday. I kissed him good night, and he drove off.

The following morning, he called me at 9 am. “Hey, get ready we’re going to the mall to get your gift,” he said. Astonished, I got ready without excitement. By this time, I was asking myself ‘What am I doing with this non-romantic, thoughtless guy?’. But I let it go, because I figured we all have our faults.

So, we walked the mall. He realizes that “you’re not your usual self,” but I did not reply. He tells me I can go to any of the stores and pick out anything I want. Now really annoyed, I asked him why he could not pick out my present, and that it would be more appreciated that way. His annoying reply was…”I don’t know what you want, so go ahead.”

What made this more irritating was the fact that it was so funny to him!!!! After 20 minutes he told me I was taking too long. We entered a store, I sat down and told him to pick whatever he wants for me. He did, paid for them, and handed me the bag with, ” Here, happy birthday” and a peck on the cheek. On the way home, we stopped to get my nails done.

We came back home. By this time I had already opened the bag and there were three shirts. I thanked him and began to get ready for lunch. Traffic, as you know it, made us late for lunch with our parents, but we arrived there safely.

Throughout lunch, I was still annoyed for the fact that I felt so un-important. There was minimal talk between us, but most enjoyed. Then he asked me if I wanted dessert. I said no. Then again, and again, and again. Now, he was really getting on my nerves. After the waiter left, he stood up behind my chair and put his hands on my shoulders. Then he made a speech…. I kept telling him to sit down, but all of them were giggling. I covered my face with my hands…embarrased, that he was saying all this stuff about me.

Then I turned around, and he was on his knee with tears in his eyes. He pulled out a velvet box with a beautiful diamond marquis cut ring. He took it out of the box and asked me to marry him…. then he said, “Don’t turn down your birthday present”.

Sarah & Jack – Getting Married, what a wedding we will have.

Here is the story of how the man of my dreams proposed to me. It’s so romatic, I love to share it with everyone.

A PROPOSAL FIT FOR A QUEEN

My fiancee Jack has the most exciting way of getting involved in my life. He showed this last summer when he asked me to marry him. I had taken a job working in one of the food booths at the Renaissance Faire for something fun to do on my weekends. The Faire is a festival of renewal, growth, and breaking free from past oppressions to new knowledge and opportunity. On one day I had invitied Jack to meet me there and join in the festivities. He had never been to the Faire before, so I expected to see him drop by my booth from time to time with his brother or a friend as they explored the many fascinating exhibits and artisans’ booths .

By 5:00, with the Festival scheduled to close a 6:00, I hadn’t seen Jack yet when Phillipe, the Faire messenger ran up to me and said, “Come quickly. I have an urgent message for you!”. I told him I was working and couldn’t leave my station, but he said my boss had already ok’d it. I looked at her and she gave me a mysterious nod.

Phillipe led me to a stand of pines on a small rise where there was a gathering of people — Friar Tuck, Robin Hood, some Merry Men and Maids, and a Scottish Lord and Lady. They all said good day, then just looked at me in a strange sort of way. As I bowed and said “Good morrow”, Phil began playing a soft sweet tune on his flute. He turned toward two more maidens who were walking toward us from around the side of the tress. Suddenly the two maidens stepped aside, and there was Jack, dressed like a Musketeer with a feathered hat, long cape, leggings, and suede boots. The look on his face said both, “Here I am!” and “Where am I?” at the same time.

He looked so stunning that everything around him went blurry, just like in the movies, and all I saw was Jack with his beautiful blue eyes shining. He stepped up to me, took my hand, and went down on one knee, then said the most beautiful words I’ve ever heard. With tears in his eyes and his voice shaking, he said, “I’ve searched the world over for a queen to share my kingdom, and you, Bernadette, are the woman I’ve been looking for. Will you marry me and be my Queen?” With that he opened his other hand and held out a white box containing a ring in the shape of a heart with a diamond in the middle.

We had talked about getting married, and I had thought about what I would say when Jack proposed. In the style of Middle English which Faire participants spoke, I would have thought I’d say something very wordy and expressive. But I was so swept away with his proposal, that all I could say was, “Oh, yes, m’lord.”

Just then a sigh went out from the folks gathered around, as though they’d been holding their breaths the whole time. We looked around us, and saw many teary eyes. Friar Tuck, a catholic priest by vocation, blessed the ring. Lord Gray gave a blessing with a tiny dried rose which he crushed into our hands. The group gave us hugs, congratulations, and best wishes, then left us standing there, dazed, in each others’ arms.

Phillipe told me later that they usually don’t do engagements at the Faire because they could backfire for a number of reasons. But when Jack asked him for his help that day, he saw the look in his eyes, and knew this was something special. Two weeks later our friends that I worked with, and now shared much more with, were still telling me that the event was the best they’d had there so far that summer. I still get chills when I think about it, and am thrilled that this summer I’m going to become Jack’s wife — and his queen.

Michele & Nick

My fiance Nick and I went over to my parents place to give my mom her birthday present (it was the day after). Nick had said he wanted to go to the city afterward, so when we left my parents house we drove to San Francisco. He took me to this spot that I had never been to before, but had wanted to go. It is a place right on the ocean where a hotel used to be that has been burnt down for years. So we were walking all over the place, and then we were standing in this wide open space looking at the waves hit the rocks below us. It was windy so he was holding me. He called me by my name, and when I looked at him, he asked me if I would spend the rest of my life with him. I told him yes, and then he pulled out this heart shaped ring, with a heart shaped diamond, and asked me if I would marry him. Of course I said yes.

Arnisha & Eddie Weddings, we are rollin now.

My fiance Eddie and I were in the basement one night, just talking about different things. One conversation led to one fit of laughter after another. He then said, “Would you marry me?”. I replied, “Right”, and told him to stop playing. We had always said our “what ifs” when speaking of marriage, but nothing serious. He didn’t respond back to my reply, so I just knew he was playing. No more was ever mentioned after that about marriage.

Two weeks had gone by and it was time for his familyreunion. It was big, and it was held at the Holiday Inn Hotel. Everyone was enjoying themselves, eating and dancing and talking. The DJ puts on a song and everyone danced to the Detroit shuffle. As we left the dance floor to get to our seats, Eddie took the microphone from the DJ, and the DJ said that Eddie had an announcement to make. Everyone looked at him, wondering what he was doing, thinking that maybe he wanted to thank his family members for coming together, and so forth.

He did thank them, and then he said, “Two weeks ago I asked Arnisha to marry me, and today I’d like to make it official”. My face was blood-shot red as he walked over to me, grabbed my hand, and pulled out a black velvet box with a beautiful marquise-cut ring. My hands were shaking like leaves and tears were rolling down my eyes. He grabbed my shaking hands, and asked into the microphone, “Arnisha, will you marry me?” I was so nervous and scared in front of all the people, I could barely get “Yes” out, but in a squeaky voice managed to say yes, and we of course exchanged hugs and kisses. I couldn’t believe it.

We will be married October 7, 2000. I thought that was so romantic, as no one had any idea what he was about to announce. It was very sweet and I’ll never forget it.

Bill & Meredith, Holiday Weddings are great!

My fiance Bill asked me to go along with him on December 24 to do errands – mainly to pick up a gift certificate at the Kennedy Center for his mother’s present. Knowing that Bill isn’t the best with directions, AND knowing that with both, rather large families in town, time alone together was a precious commodity, I quickly agreed.

With the snow on the ground and it being Christmas Eve, we decided we’d stop by the National Christmas Tree. Both of us relish the fact that we live in one of the most powerful cities on Earth – we like having the Capitol and White House practically in our backyard. We’re also big fans of Christmas – probably our favorite time of the year. So it made it very special to be able to see the National Christmas Tree actually on December 24!

However, the Kennedy Center hadn’t cleared its schedule with Bill’s plan. The computers were down for about half-an-hour (and he couldn’t just pay cash for the certificate) so we really got delayed. Knowing we were going to 6:00 Mass, and it already being 3:00 at the Kennedy Center, I wasn’t sure if we’d be able to get out and walk around the Tree. Perhaps we could just drive by the Ellipse? Bill was pretty adamant about getting out, so we agreed they’d do it quickly.

The weather was chilly – with snow still on the ground from the night before – but it was quite romantic walking around the National Christmas Tree, with the White House in the background. Bill and I stopped by the Yule Log to warm up, just to enjoy the music. I remarked, “Honey, this is just like your song.” His favorite song is the little-known “Christmas Eve in Washington”, so, as we paused to warm ourselves by the fire, I said that it would be nice if we could hear it. Lo and behold, he pulls out a tape player with the song on it. Knowing that Bill can be romantic – and great with surprises – I thought nothing of it. It was his favorite song, on his favorite holiday, in his favorite city.

We were enjoying the moment talking about the eventual “future” when we’d be married, when Bill asked me if I’d spend the rest of my life with him, and I said “of course”. Then Bill reached in his pocket, pulled out the ring, and asked me to marry him. I was completely taken by surprise and automatically said yes!

When we arrived at my parent’s place, I rushed inside to tell everyone – but no one was around! My father was asleep, my mother was cleaning, and the siblings were off wrapping presents or watching television. I gently suggested with the time now 4:30, shouldn’t Dad be getting ready for Mass? Mom said “no, let him sleep, he’ll be up late tonight.” Bill and I then agreed that rather than tell the family one-by-one, or wake Dad from his nap, we would go to Mass. Hopefully, they’d get there early enough so we could tell everyone before Mass started. Bill went home to shower and change and agreed to meet me at the church later.

Upstairs, I could hardly contain my excitement! I continually got the ring out, tried it on, and put it back in the box before anyone could see, which would ruin the surprise. But, I simply couldn’t keep it a secret all through Mass, so I told my younger sister, Christie, who was also quite excited. I took the ring in my purse to Church, in the hopes of telling my family before Mass started. Unfortunately, everyone wasn’t there until a few moments before six, forcing me, Bill, AND Christie to wait until we got home!

Once at home, Bill and I quickly shared the news with my family, who rushed up to congratulate us. Afterwards, we called Bill’s parents from the car, wondering if they could stop by and drop off the baked goods Bill was supposed to bring for Christmas Dinner. Once they arrived, we quickly shared the news with his parents, who were also very happy!

Bill pulled the surprise off, with me having no idea it was coming. Christmas Eve, 1998 will certainly be remembered as one of our all-time favorites!