Every marriage starts somewhere, and there’s more to it than getting down on one knee and popping the question. We chatted to five of our previous That Brides to hear about their personal proposal stories. Whether your idea of a ‘dream’ proposal is an elaborate surprise on a romantic trip, or a well-considered decision made by the couple as a unit, it’s all about finding what works for you and your relationship. Saying that, there’s no harm in hearing about how other couples make it work! Recently engaged yourself, happily soaking up single life, or helping a “friend” plan a proposal? These true engagement stories are guaranteed to give you a little heart swell.
Co-Founder of Sassy Media Group
I came home one Wednesday night after Pilates class to a note on our front door that said ‘knock before coming in’. We were pretty serious at the time and had been talking about rings off and on for a bit, so the thought that this was the moment crossed my mind. Then again, I also thought that maybe he had adopted a kitten (hello, crazy cat lady here!) and wanted to surprise me with it. To be honest, I would have been happy with either that night but looking back, the engagement definitely trumps a cute kitten.
When I entered the door, Paul was standing at the end of a candlelit hallway with giant poster board cards which were inspired by the scene in my favourite movie Love Actually, where Andrew Lincoln surprises Keira Knightly at her front door. I stood there all sweaty in my workout outfit bawling my eyes out while he went through each of the cards in silence, leading me to the part when he asked the big question. I always thought I would be perfectly dressed and have an immaculate mani when I got engaged, but there was something so perfect and lovely and ‘us’ about the way it happened. When that scene comes on in Love Actually now, I melt. The line, ‘To me, you are perfect’ will get me every time. We now have the poster board cards framed in our home which is a nice everyday reminder of this happy moment in our lives.
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Hong Kong Fitness Coach
It came about naturally and mutually. We are both really active, and hike the peak a lot. While we hike we often talk about our life together, what our next steps might be etc. and it was on these hikes that we began talking about marriage. We considered running away, and looked at where we could elope, but in the end we wanted something that was meaningful for us so we decided on a tiny wedding here in Hong Kong. We actually didn’t end up getting our rings until the week of the wedding, when everything was already planned! So the morning before the big day, we hiked High West, and Brook asked me to marry him… The very next day I walked down the aisle.
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Hong Kong Based Journalist
Our proposal story is quite simple! It was about a week before we moved to Hong Kong. I was over in Surrey visiting him and his mum. After lunch we went out for a walk around Ashtead Woods, and on our way back he stopped abruptly and just asked. It wasn’t fussy. There was no getting down on one knee and no ring – although he did whip a Haribo ring out of his back pocket that I wore for about four minutes before eating it.
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Founder of Raven + Rose
We were in Paris on vacation when Rob suggested we go on a little adventure and take the train out of the city. We packed a picnic of terrine, olives, cheeses and (of course) a baguette from our local boulangerie and spent the day at Marie Antoinette’s Summer Palace in The Versailles Gardens. After half a morning spent peddling the grounds, we found a spot in the sun to set down our bikes and set up our picnic. I then noticed that Rob had swapped out the humble red wine I’d bought that morning for a fancy Verve. I exchanged clicking away on my camera for a glass of bubbly and we were soon clinking glasses (and not the plastic cups as I had packed, he’d swapped those out too!).
Then Rob began to describe all the different ways that he loved me, merged into an incredibly heartfelt speech. We toasted, or at least we tried to until Rob interrupted me mid-sip. I remember the way that he dramatically cut me off by saying, “Ahhhhh, I think there might be something in your glass…” After a few tears, giggles and diamonds, I finally realised that he was proposing to me. We also realised that we had no idea how to get the ring out of the champagne glass (oops). An olive fork later, Rob knelt down on one knee with the engagement ring in hand asking me to marry him. Once the flood of tearful yeses ended, we were finally engaged.
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Owner and Founder of Love Hair
Ian had planned for us to hike over to Long Kee in Sai Kung for a day of picnics and lying on the beach where he then proposed! It was really nice to have the day to ourselves and let it all sink in without having phone signal to contact anyone. He knew I wouldn’t be comfortable with a big public display, so it was perfect and so personal.
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Read more: Planning a Honeymoon? These Trending Spots are at the Top of Our List
Featured image by Parker Whitson on Unsplash, all other images via That Bride article.
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