I had been planning on proposing for quite a while. I never really had any good ideas. As I was leaving her house one night, I thought it might be a good idea to leave a note on her windshield so when she went to work the next morning she’d get it, and hopefully help her have a great day. Then got an idea - it was close to Christmas, the perfect time to start the 12 days of Christmas. I texted everyone in my phone, asking for ideas of different things I could do for each day. I didn’t really get any good ideas that “fit” her. So I thought about what kind of gifts would “match” her. So after a few days of thinking of ideas, and planning it out, I called her Mom to get a copy of her car key, so that I could leave a gift on her front seat, so that every morning when she went to work, there was something waiting for her. I met with her mom before I went to work one morning to get the key. I made up a paper with a saying on it that went along with the corresponding day. And at the bottom, I put a line from “our song” which would progress as each day came so that by the time the 12 days finished, the whole song was written out. So each day I gave her a gift with that paper and the progressing song, and a white rose. Then on Christmas morning I went over to her house, and asked her to go for a drive with me. We went up a canyon that we usually like to take rides up. At the top, the road leads on top of the mountain and you can see out forever. We got up there, and we got out and went for a little walk to look out over the valley. We just talked, I tried to pretend I wasn’t up to anything. We went back to the truck, and I opened the back (she said I was talking to myself on the way back, but I don’t think I was). We got to the truck, I opened the back window and pulled out a blanket (so I wouldn’t have to kneel in the snow). I said “I’ve got a rose for you”. But I guess it must have been frozen cause when I pulled it out to give to her, the head snapped off! So I was standing in front of her with nothing but a stem. She laughed at me as I stared at the stem. So I reached in and grabbed the head of the rose and gave it to her. I bought a black bag that had the word “coal” written on it in white letters. Inside was the ring box. I gave her a hug and said “you’ve been a naughty girl this year, I’m surprised you didn’t get coal for Christmas”. She looked at me with a smirk and said “I’m surprised YOU didn’t get coal for Christmas!” I said, “Well, I’ve got some coal for you”. I reached in and grabbed the bag and gave it to her, and asked her to open it. She reached in and grabbed the ring box. I took it from her at that point, knelt down on one knee, opened the ring box and asked her to marry me. She bent down and gave me a hug, kissed me and said yes. I stood up, and put the ring on her finger. We hugged, and she kissed me again and said yes. I hugged her, and spun her around a few times. As we stood there hugging, I stepped back, and said “wait, did you say yes?” She laugh ed said “YES!” Ya, my mind was just a blur so I didn’t know for sure. I knew she didn’t say no, but I didn’t remember a “yes”. I reached back into the back of the truck, and pulled out a bottle of Sparkling Cider. But in the rush of the moment, in my preparations, I forgot to bring cups! So we opened the bottle, and stood there drinking right out of the bottle. By that time a few people had also driven up, and there we are drinking out of this huge bottle. I bet we looked like a couple boozers. We walked back over to the overlook and took pictures. We were there for a few minutes before we decided to go back home. I goofed up quite a bit, but in telling her mom, she said “Ya but Alisa wouldn’t have it any other way”.

- Kelly D., Salt Lake City, Utah

Me and my now fiancée had been going out for just over 2 years when I proposed to her. We went out to the Stephen F. Austin Experimental Forest Nature Trail. This is a place where we often took our dog for a walk and was a nice place to relax where it was just me and her. Well I had planned on proposing on a hilltop overlooking a creek bottom, where the dogwoods were blooming with their showy white flowers all through the woods. However, as we were walking we had to cut the walk short because our dog started limping. I had no idea of what I was going to do, my plan was ruined. I had rose petals and the ring in my coat pocket and was trying to figure out how I was going to get them out without her seeing me. Luckily, she loaded the dog into the truck. As she was doing that I walked over to a fountain that had a bird blind next to it near the parking area but semi-secluded by trees and shrubs. I laid out a trail of rose petals down the trail to the fountain and left a small pool of petals by the fountain. I walked back up and sat on the bench by the bird blind. As she walked up she looked at me and was like what happened here, in reference to the flowers, and I said “I don’t know lets go check it out”. Kelsey never associates me with anything romantic so she had no clue of what I was about to do. So we walked up to the fountain and when we got to the pool of flowers I said “this must be where it happened” and Kelsey said “where what happened”, I said “this happened” got down on one knee in the pool of rose petals and pulled out the ring box. Kelsey immediately burst into tears and said yes.

- Timothy S., Nacogdoches, Texas

It was her 26th Birthday Party at Pillazzo Di Bocce. Everyone in My Family was in attendance aside from my grandmother Gammie and my brother, who is currently residing in China. Her family as well as many of our friends was also present.
Around 10:15pm, I summoned everyone to gather around the cake table. I led everyone in singing happy birthday to her, and after they finished the song I told everyone that she had to open a huge box on the table. The gift, I continued, was a present from our daughter Nya and I. She proceeded to open the rather large huge box, only to find a smaller box inside. After she opened the smaller box, there was yet another box inside this one. This time however, after opening this box, she pulled out a velvet jewelry box. When she opened the jewelry box there was an empty space where the ring would have been placed. I looked at our daughter and asked: “Where is mommies gift?” Our daughter replied: “I don’t know daddy.” I pulled the ring out of our daughter’s pocket and approached her. At this point she was thrown back in shock, and in tears. I lowered to a knee, placed the ring on her finger, and asked for her hand in marriage. The crowd was in an uproar as Courtney told me “YES!”

- Paris H., Pontiac, Michigan

Keegan had flown down that weekend from Saskatchewan to come ask me to marry him. I already knew it was coming because we had our wedding planned, date planned, everything was planned out. The only thing was I had no idea when he would do it. So after a half an hour or my mom telling me to go show Keegan how the ceremony was going to go. (We got married on my front lawn).
I told him to stand in between the two big trees, as I pretended to walk down the aisle as a bride. (Very awkward) Out of nowhere he’s like man my heart is beating so fast. Me being as clueless as I am thought nothing of it and was like “why?” so I finally make it to where he was, and we’re sitting there holding hands, and I started to get nervous because it was becoming so real to me. I notice him put his hand in his pocket and I turned away and was like “this is where the bridesmaids are going to be.” when I turned back around he was on his knee with the ring…and I froze, walked towards him. I had no idea what I was suppose to do on TV and movies they always show what the guy does but is the girl suppose to just stand there? So without really thinking I got on my knees and just starred at him…watched as his mouth was moving, didn’t hear what he was saying cause I kept thinking, now its happening now. Next thing I know he’s like “why did you get on your knee?” I loved it because he asked me to marry him on the very spot we became husband and wife.

- Lisa L., Caronport, Saskatchewan

My husband and I had been living together for several years and had been barraged with the “when are you going to get married” inquiries for quite a while. Once when asked Alton looked at me and said we should do it that year. I said fine, just give me a date. The year ended and I went home to visit my parents for the holidays. Upon my return he asked me if we weren’t supposed to get married. I said yes but you never gave me a date. He came home from work the next day and told me he was taking vacation the second full week in August. I asked if that was when we were getting married, he said no that was when he was taking vacation. Psyche.

- Lois F., Brooklyn, New York