Post # 1
Member
713 posts
Busy bee
I am about 99.999% sure my partner is going to pop the question over the 4-day Memorial Day weekend (May 28-31) while we are on a trip to Richmond, VA. It’s right on par with our timeline we’ve discussed, his sister-in-law (who lives there) has been heavily involved in trying to make sure the trip is “everything you want it to be,” and he’s done all the planning (which is normally not the case). I’m pretty much only allowed to come along for the ride and get my nails done beforehand. It’s not a secret between us, even though he’s not outright told me. He knows I know, I know he knows I know, but he refuses to say anything more than “I don’t know what you’re talking about” wish a sheepish grin on his face.
I’ve been with him to try on the wax mold for the ring, I know he’s picked it up and we’ve paid the insurance on it, heck – we’ve even discussed wedding plans (although we both don’t want to put down final decisions or money until there’s a ring on my finger). I’d consider us engaged, but HE wants the formal proposal moment (I’d happily just wear the ring now and get a move on with planning).
I thought it might steal some thunder, knowing when it was coming, but I don’t know actually what DAY or WHERE it will happen, and the anticipation is almost even more exciting… I get the chance to have 4 days of perfect outfits (although he’ll probably wait until the last day just to torture me).
Did you know when your partner was going to propose? How did it happen? What was your reaction?
… or, did you think you knew and end up being wrong?!
Post # 2
Member
248 posts
Helper bee
I had no idea. We had been together almost 4 years and whenever I brought it up, he seemed to be dragging his feet. I thought he either wasn’t planning anything or maybe was gonna do it around my birthday or Valentine’s Day. He ended up doing it months before that, on our anniversary. A proposal shouldn’t be a total surprise. If you have a hunch, and he’s been acting this way, I would say you’re onto something. It’s fine if you don’t know the exact day or location, that keeps the surprise!
Post # 3
Member
905 posts
Busy bee
@workingonmynightcheese: Congrats on your upcoming engagement! I live south of Richmond. Have you been before? As for if I knew, nope. We had a timeline and he proposed months before I expected. He asked my ring size once and I was suspicious but not so much that I was thinking it would happen soon. He kept the ring in his pocket all day and then did it while I was washing dishes!
Post # 4
Member
1061 posts
Bumble bee
Well, I was the one proposing so i definitely knew! My husband knew that I would be proposing soon (we had talked about it a lot, he had jokingly threatened to do it if I didn’t get myself organized by the end of the summer) but he didn’t know that day would be the day……until he walked into the room and saw the surprise brunch that I had set up! Unfortunately, he desperately had to go to the bathroom, so there was a pause between him realizing it, and me actually proposing!
Post # 5
Member
1025 posts
Bumble bee
DH formally proposed (ring, down on one knee) less than an hour before our wedding, so yeah…I knew almost exactly when they was happening. His actual proposal happened during a conversation about getting married amd was not planned, so a surprise for both of us, I guess?
Post # 6
Member
713 posts
Busy bee
@coffeebean87: I have been before – twice! We have visited with his brother and SIL a few times, and they moved there last year. I LOVE Richmond, so I’m pretty excited we get to have the city have a special meaning for us. We actually went there when we were dating for about 6 months and he PRETENDED to propose in a gorgeous part of the Botanical Gardens… it actually turned into me seeing him going down on one knee and then hitting him on the arm… I’m sure it looked like I was the world’s worst person to everyone there. I’m low key hoping he repeats the moment with a real ring (and I don’t freak out and hit him on the arm haha)
Post # 7
Member
1023 posts
Bumble bee
I have not been proposed to yet, but I think I am in the same boat as you!
We recently won an engagement photo session through a fundraising campaign, and when booking my partner said “August is good, actually, middle of September just in case.”
I am pretty sure he will be proposing the August or September long weekend, dependent on what camping/hiking we are able to book. We are huge outdoor people, and I assume he will want to propose on a mountain of some sort. National Parks and Provincial Parks have totally different booking systems, so we have a ranking system of what areas we are trying to get, but won’t have all our bookings for the summer in until July 8.
We’ve looked online at rings, and talked to the jeweller (I’m pretty set on a setting, just want to go try things on in store to see if I want a round or an emerald cut ring).
I could be wrong, maybe he will do it at home, but our whole relationship has been built on our love of hiking, rock climbing, skiing and camping, so it would feel strange not to be outside. The August and September long weekends are when we are planning for our bigger, more remote and beautiful trips.
Congrats on your upcoming Memorial Weekend – that certainly sounds like he’s planning to ask!
P.S. This is my favourite way – be involved in the general planning so anxiety doesn’t exist over whether or not he wants to marry you, but have a time frame so he can still surprise you 🙂
Post # 8
Member
713 posts
Busy bee
@minnewanka: eek congrats to you as well! It’s both a relief to know it’s going to happen (just to have that faith), but also an excitement to anticipate it. I see the posts from all the bees who are hoping to be totally surprised but getting frustrated that it isn’t happening and it makes me SO GRATEFUL that I’m informed! I hope to hear about your adventure proposal soon 🙂
Post # 9
Member
568 posts
Busy bee
My fiance and I went to the jeweler and picked out my ring together, and we bought it and took it home from the store that day. He took the ring and hid it away to propose with, but I didn’t know exactly what he had planned! This was all last year in mid-March, and literally days after we bought the ring, the country shut down for the first time due to covid. It’s hard to think back to a year ago and remember how hopeless and scary the world suddenly seemed! But right in the middle of all that, when it felt like the world was ending, my fiance and I went on a walk (which was the only thing we could do, since everything was closed) and he got on one knee in front of our favorite library, and he proposed. I knew it had been coming, but I didn’t know how he was planning to propose, so I was happily surprised! And the fact that we were able to find that moment of joy together when things seemed dark told me that we really were ready to commit to each other and support each other through good times and bad. In a weird way, I’m thankful for my covid engagement.
Post # 10
Member
384 posts
Helper bee
I did not, mostly because I was very suspicious of a later trip he had planned for Hawaii. That trip was supposed to be a surprise but a friend of his gave it away. Then he told me because I had classes that semester. Apparently that was when he was originally planning to propose, but he moved it up several months to a trip we went on with my family on a complete whim. I suspected he might have talked to my dad but had no idea he had even started looking at rings. I scolded him for abandoning me on a hike a mere five minutes before the proposal. He always hikes very quickly/ahead of me, but this time he was trying to scope out the lake at the top ahead of time. I joked to my dad “it’s so nice to hike with (boyfriend) side by side, hand in hand- hadn’t even seen him ahead in an hour lol. So when I got to the top I was like “hey why did you leave me, I wanted to hike this TOGETHER etc etc” then said “ok I’m done scolding you now, let’s get a picture!” 3 minutes later he was down on one knee… surprise! I was also really not expecting it because my sister had just gotten engaged the day before, on the same trip. Very grateful my sister and her now-hubby did not mind my husband changing his mind last-minute and my whole family was thrilled to celebrate both our engagements. We joked my younger brother was going to propose to his gf on day #3. Lol.
Also congrats, that is so exciting!!! I think it’s fun to have an idea too. I am not super big on surprises actually lol.
Post # 11
Member
713 posts
Busy bee
@laurana1: your brother’s girlfriend was probably FREAKING OUT hahaha. I love that you guys had such a great family trip!
@bluejellyfish: <3 love that! very sweet. Definitely a light in a dark year!
Post # 12
Member
905 posts
Busy bee
@workingonmynightcheese: If you mean Lewis Ginger I HOPE your SO proposes there! I wanted to get married there so badly but it was out of our budget. Then they added smaller packages because of covid. Oh well.
Post # 13
Member
713 posts
Busy bee
@coffeebean87: that’s the one! We were on a stone patio in a truly gorgeous garden and even though it was freezing in early march last year, it would have been a perfect spot… but awful timing. I FREAKED OUT on him (who does that after 6 months?!)… maybe I’ll drop the hint to his SIL that he should repeat the moment. I’d imagine their weddings would be out of my budget, too. He’s hinted that there’s some museums on our list of destinations (we’ve already done Poe, but that would have been a good spot for it, too)… fingers crossed he picks something good!
Post # 14
Member
2052 posts
Buzzing bee
I always knew proposals were coming. The first time, I was 18 and he left his clothes with me because he was running late and needed to change into his uniform for work. I was putting his pants into my backpack and felt something hard, so I looked and it was a ring box. I had no idea he was thinking of proposing so it was a real shock. The second time I went ring shopping with my ex and picked it out, and because it was expensive I insisted on paying for half of it. When we went to pick it up he wanted to keep the ring and then propose to me later…but I didn’t want a fancy proposal, I just wanted to be engaged to him. It could have been a really sweet moment, but instead it was awkward…I think because at that point, he really wasn’t sure he wanted to marry me.
The third time, husband and I decided to design a ring. We went over the design and center stone together, and I picked out the jeweler and coordinated everything about the look of the ring. Once that was done, my husband took over with inscription, payment, and getting it. I knew nothing about when it was coming, but I could tell he was planning something because he was constantly on his phone, calling people and messaging. My birthday was coming up and I figured that was it, and it was. Unfortunately his plans didn’t work out because of the rain, but his plan B was good too. It’s funny, because for years I had said that I just wanted my last proposal to be a surprise, but when it came down to it, I honestly didn’t care at all. In fact, I think it was better this way. It felt more like a partnership.