Engagement-Ideas.com

Picture an outdoor weathered night, not too brisk but enough to lend a lover a cover of warmth.  The two stroll along looking up at a blanket of perfect unions wondering when they will be next.

Now set a fog machine and create an air of being lost and frightened…you must now detach from your lover and get ready.  Fans should also be set to move the fog…once you’re ready, turn on the fans. When the mist clears, your lover sees a vision that is distorted by tears of unbridled joy…there you are dressed in something completely different, as to add to the shock value…you could have a band (jazz, soft rock, classical or whatever suits the situation) or you could have a candle lit dinner set for two with some of your lover’s favorite foods or things she has always wanted to try and you could have a violinist to accompany the dinner.

You technically don’t want to use the ring surprise–it’s tacky and lacks finesse. You want misdirection but out of emotion and not shock…if you hide the ring it is shock.  If you give her the feeling of fear of being lost when the fog clears, she will see you as a beacon of light and hope…then you keep it traditional with the proposal and she’ll be in tears all night, tears of joy.

I was back in New York for Thanksgiving and had been carrying my grandmother’s 1949 Tiffany engagement ring around in my coat pocket for days. My girlfriend and I hopped on the LIRR and went into the city for the day with her sister and her fiancé for the day…her sister lives in Philly, we’re back in Southern California — they barely see each other. 

We took a walk around Central Park, stopping to sit by Bethesda Fountain.  A jazz trio was playing Georgia on my Mind — the timing was perfect.  I looked over to her, pulled out the ring, and asked her how she felt about marrying me.  She accepted — the sisters cried together and then snapped a photo of us that framed the moment perfectly in time. 

I’ll never forget that day — I look forward to showing my grandchildren the photo and telling them this same story someday…and who knows, maybe my future grandson will get the ring and have a chance to do the same.