I’ve gotten lots of inquiries in the last few days about our engagement story contest.  Our entrants are excited to read about the winner of the $500 Wedding Paper Divas Gift Certificate!  We are working hard on bringing the results to you.  Look for information on both our homepage and blog next week.  We received so many amazing stories, and we’re working hard at sifting through them!  Stay tuned…

With just over a week left in the Wedding Paper Divas Engagement Story Contest, all of the divas here at the office are busily reading through the hundreds of stories we’ve received.  We have yet to chose a winner, so make sure you enter by February 22nd!  In the meantime, here are a few of our favorites from Week 5 to tide you over…

First Comes Love…

On our one-year anniversary, my thoughtful boyfriend, Derek, told me that he had found something at his old apartment that he wanted me to help him get because it reminded him of us. He told me that there was a pair of old women from the apartment complex that begged him to bring me back so we all could talk over tea. I reluctantly came with him, and when we arrived he walked me to the nearby stream where we had hooked up an old hammock the year before. “Here it is!” he proclaimed.

I glanced at the tree he was looking at, and discovered that he had carved a huge heart into the tree. Inside, he carved his initials and mine with FOREVER etched underneath. I stared at it and laughed, because it was such a delightful gesture on our one year celebration of being together. Then, before I knew it, he dropped to his knee and asked, “Will you marry me?” I was in shock! He said that he had asked my parents a few months prior when we went to visit them, and that he had spent the past week looking for a ring and the entire morning carving our initials into the tree. It was perfect! ~Jennifer S.

Drive-In Delight

My boyfriend, Brad, spent the entire afternoon building an outdoor birthday surprise for me in the backyard. Finally, after dinner, he asked me to follow him outside. He had set up a hammock, lined it with blankets and pillows, and then erected a projector and sound system to create a homemade drive-in movie theater! He even had popcorn and a cooler filled with beverages. I was stunned, thinking that it was already one of the sweetest things anyone had every done for me.

He helped me settle in to the hammock and started fidgeting with the speakers and surround sound. He said that he had made a “Preview DVD” so that he could adjust the focus and the sound without missing any of the movie. He popped in the DVD, and we laughed together as old-fashioned commercials for popcorn and corndogs that he had found played on the screen. Then he sat down next to me on the hammock while “What a Wonderful World” began to play and a beautiful slideshow of our years together played on the screen. I enjoyed watching the memories flash by, and I even got a little teary.

The DVD then transitioned to a series of “Bonus Features.” First, “One is the Loneliest Number” started playing. As the song changed to a Beta Band remix, the screen flashed with the text, “Wanna Get Hitched?” I couldn’t believe it! When I realized what was happening, he had placed a beautiful diamond ring in my lap. I started to cry as he said, “Well, will you marry me?” After a few more moments of shock I finally said yes! ~Katie G.

Aquarium L’amour!

On a trip to Newport, Oregon, my boyfriend and I spent the day at the local aquarium. We were some of the first people in the door, and shortly after we arrived one of the staff members asked us if we wanted to watch them feed some of the fish. She led us into the underwater viewing area of the tank, and we saw several scuba divers swimming around the tank and getting ready for the feeding. 

After a few minutes, one of them reached down and started to slowly lift a sign that said “Brooke, will you marry me?” I turned around and saw my boyfriend on one knee with the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen. He then asked me to marry him, and I happily said yes. Everyone in the aquarium started cheering and taking photos of us. It was the best day of my life! ~Brooke M.

A Sensational Surprise

I was so excited that my boyfriend, Adam, had planned a date night for us. After dinner, he told me that I had to tie my scarf around my eyes so that I couldn’t see where we were going. A few minutes later, we stopped and Adam helped me get out of the car. Holding on to each other tightly, we began to walk outside in the cold with me still blindfolded.

When we finally reached our destination, I took off my blindfold to find myself in a park that we used to go to all the time at the beginning of our relationship. Adam explained that he had a bunch of little gifts for me—one for each of the five senses. I had to close my eyes, hold out my hands and guess what each gift was after he gave it to me. The first few were silly inside jokes, including cologne he used to wear, a few Andes mints and a Coldplay song. Finally, Adam told me to close my eyes and hold my hands out in front of me for the final gift.

I felt him slip a ring on my finger before he leaned in close and asked me to marry him. In total shock, I opened my eyes and said yes about eight times! I started crying, and Adam pulled out a bottle of champagne. We spent the rest of the night sitting in the park hugging, kissing and sipping champagne for a long time.  ~Ashley Z.

TGIF!  With each Friday comes a weekly roundup of our favorite engagement story contest entries of the week.  Check out the stories below for your fill of the most thoughtful, unique and romantic proposals we’ve heard yet.  Don’t forget to enter your own story for a chance to win a $500 Wedding Paper Divas gift certificate–the contest ends February 22nd!

Scavenger Hunt Surprises

My boyfriend, Brady, had arranged for my best friend to have a girls’ night with some of our closest friends. But late that night, one of my Brady’s friends showed up at my door with a letter, a box and an iPod. He said to read the letter and watch the first video on the iPod, but not to skip ahead. In the video, Brady instructed me to open the gift box and to wait for the next clue. Inside the box I found a beautiful black dress and a pair of shoes. I was completely confused!

We went to bed, but my friends came in my room and woke me up at 5:30 am the next morning. They said that they found the next clue and that we needed to go to Starbucks. They dragged me out of bed and we sipped on coffee until one of my friends got a text message. She said that she had another clue, and that we needed to leave. We ended up at the airport, and my friends handed me another letter from Brady. Inside the envelope I found cash, an address and a plane ticket to New York! The letter said was to watch the second video when I was on the airplane.

I said goodbye to all of my friends (who had also packed for me!), boarded the plane and watched the video. It said to take a cab to the address listed on the letter, and then to watch the third video when I arrived.

I landed in New York and took a cab to the mystery address, which turned out to be a hotel in Times Square! The third video told me to check in at the hotel, and that I should watch the last video when I got to the room. When I opened the door, he had a playlist of all of our favorite songs playing. The final video instructed me to put on the black dress he gave me the night before and take a cab to another mystery address that night.

The final address turned out to be Tavern on the Green in Central Park. I got out of the cab, entered the restaurant and found him waiting there for me. We had an amazing dinner, and then walked through Central Park to the ice skating rink. There, after my incredible whirlwind of a trip, he proposed.  ~Carly W.

A Sweet Salute

Matt and I were childhood sweethearts who eventually went separate directions. We ran into each other in December 2007, and rekindled our romance shortly thereafter. When Matt joined the Army, he had to leave for five long months of boot camp and training. I travelled to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri to see him graduate.

The day before his graduation, the Army had a “family day” where everyone could spend the day with their soldiers. That morning all 500 soldiers lined up outside to listen to their drill sergeants’ briefs while their families looked on. But before Matt’s drill sergeant dismissed the troop, he yelled, “P.F.C. KEEN! Front and center!”

I was afraid that Matt was in some kind of trouble and wouldn’t be able to spend the day with me or his family. But instead of walking up to his sergeant, Matt walked over to me, kissed my forehead and said, “Mandi, I love you. There’s no one else out there for me—no one who will support me through the military and be there to wait for me to return. There’s no one who believes in me more than you, and I want you there with me for the rest of my life.”

With more than 1,000 people looking at us, he got down on one knee and asked, “So, will you join the army life, and marry me?” When I said yes, he stood up and hugged me, and all of the soldiers yelled out, “HOOAH!”
He is serving our country in Iraq now, but we can’t wait to get married when he returns!  ~Mandi M.

Paris, Je t’aime!

In July 2008, I surprised my girlfriend, Aviva, with a marriage proposal during a romantic trip to France. Here’s an excerpt from an email she sent to her friends and family after we returned:

One day we decided to spend a romantic evening at Montmartre to watch the street artists work. Jordan suggested that we get a caricature of the two of us as a souvenir. I thought it was a cheesy idea and said no at first, but he was so persistent that I eventually gave in. We chose our favorite artist—a man named Maxime—to do our drawing.

We sat down outside at a cafe and he began to sketch. Without me knowing it, Jordan had slipped Maxime a note in French that asked him to draw Jordan proposing in the picture, with a speech bubble that said “Epouce moi mon amour,” which translates to “Marry me my love.”

Maxime started sketching, and while we were sitting there a huge crowd began to form. Other artists even came over and to help with the painting. When they were finally done, Maxime asked me, “Are you ready to see this?”

He turned it around and I read it, but I didn’t know the word “epouce” so I asked him in French what it meant. He replied in English, “It means marry me!” I turned to see Jordan sitting there with the ring. When I said yes, everyone started clapping, women started crying and I was in a complete state of shock and happiness!  ~Jordan S.

Tears of Joy in Times Square

On my birthday, my boyfriend made reservations at a fantastic restaurant in New York City. After our incredible meal, he rented a limo to give us a tour around the city. We saw everything, including the beautiful tree in Rockefeller Square. Since we absolutely love Times Square, we ended our tour there. We usually just stop to take pictures in the middle of Times Square, but on this particular night my boyfriend points up to one of the big screens and tells me to look up.

There, in the middle of my favorite place in New York City, I saw a beautiful photo of us with the words “Will you marry me?” written on it. It was absolutely unforgettable! I had tears running down my cheeks when he got down on one knee. He asked me to be his wife, and I said yes while everyone around us in
Times Square cheered us on.  ~Maria C.

…With a Ribbon on Top

On the day I moved home for good, my boyfriend, Nick, and I were so happy that we didn’t have to be in a long distance relationship anymore! He helped me move my things from my car into the house, and then suggested we go someplace nice for dinner to celebrate my homecoming. Sweaty and tired, I looked at him like he was nuts!

He was so convincing that I finally relented, and we ended up having a wonderful time. We ordered a bottle of wine, laughed, ate and even had our waitress take a picture of us. Later, as we pulled into the driveway, Nick made me put on a sleeping mask. A little confused, but willing to play along, I put on the mask and Nick guided me through the house up to our bedroom. He told me to wait there for 10 minutes with the door closed.

When I opened the door there was a red ribbon strung up along the wall starting at the doorway and winding down hall and down the stairs. Every few inches there was a picture of Nick and I tied to the ribbon—roughly 170 photos total! Looking at all the pictures in the hallway alone was incredibly romantic, like reliving our entire history as a couple through photos.

I followed the ribbon all the way through the house and into the living room. There, next to the Christmas tree and among several bouquets of flowers and candles, Nick was waiting for me. He said, “Allison, I love you so much. I want to spend my life with you, have a family with you and love you forever.” Then, he pulled the ring out of his pocket, got down on one knee and popped the question. Of course, I said, “Yes!”
As if I wasn’t overcome with emotion already, both of our families showed up at the door with cake and champagne! We spend the rest of the night eating, drinking and watching the video that Nick had secretly recorded of the entire proposal.   ~Allison A.