Well before the big day, somebody had to ask the question: Will you marry me?
We polled our office staff and discovered quite a few cute and creative proposal stories;
here’s a sampling:
Tara Croft & Aaron Mills
“Aaron was in Marine Corps flight school in Texas when he wanted to propose. He had a secret plan to come back to Raleigh, personally flying the plane, during his mandatory cross-country flight. He was obviously very excited about it — he accidentally told me a few weeks beforehand! He later explained that the Marines were out of travel funds, as it was the end of the fiscal year, and he wouldn’t be able to fly in after all.
“Still a bit suspicious, I was very nervous about the large thunderstorm settled over Raleigh on the evening of his flight. My nervous jitters were replaced by ecstatic ones when he knocked on the front door with a suitcase in one hand and a ring in the other. He said it was the scariest flight of his life, but it was worth it. I wish I’d trusted my instincts and changed out of my gym clothes!”
– To be married Oct. 26, 2013
Christa & Brad Leupen
“I’ll never forget Feb. 11, 2006, the day my women’s pool team lost in our city tournament, I had a freak case of laryngitis, and my boyfriend showed me his new guitar.
“I was holed up on the couch in my sweatpants, nursing my sore throat. Brad was insistent that I check out his new guitar. This 1952 Fender Telecaster Reissue was beautiful, but it was hard to muster much enthusiasm when I felt so lousy. I tried to listen as he went over all the features, right down to the little box of ‘extras’ he said came with it. I assumed it was picks or strings; then he opened the box to reveal the diamond ring inside!
“He was on one knee. He was proposing! I whispered the best ‘YES!’ I could, given my lack of voice. Six years later, that guitar still holds a special place in our hearts.”
– Married Sept. 3, 2006
Joe & Kate Overby
“When Kate and I were dating, I liked picking up or making coffee for us. So on a rainy Sunday afternoon I had ‘the conversation’ with my in-laws-to-be and after receiving their blessing, marched over to Kate’s apartment with steaming hot coffee, a chocolate muffin, and most importantly, the ring.
“I hid the ring, still in its box, in a coffee mug so it would look like I had my own coffee. Inside the bag I placed a note that read, ‘I’d like to make you coffee every morning for the rest of our lives. Will you marry me?’
“Kate was excited that I brought her coffee and a muffin, but carried on with the laundry-folding. I was about ready to jump out of my seat. Finally she opened the bag. She found the note, but thought it was just the receipt. Luckily for me, and with some divine intervention, she opened it to find my handwritten note. I pulled out the ring. It took her a minute to realize what was going on, so I asked if she’d make me the happiest man and after a few incomprehensible ‘omygosh-ohmygosh-omygoshes,’ I finally got a ‘yes!’ out of her.”
– Married March 26, 2011
Brad & Jennifer Grady
“Brad surprised me with the proposal during a getaway to Charleston, S.C. He proposed near the landmark Pineapple Fountain at Waterfront Park. He wanted to propose at the fountain, but there was another tourist close by who was way more interested in the scenery than giving us privacy! Once we had a few minutes by ourselves, he asked me to marry him on bended knee. It was not what I expected during our trip, and I could not have been more thrilled! What meant the most to me, aside from the engagement itself, was that he proposed with my grandmother’s ring and asked for my family’s blessings, which included my two older brothers!”
– Married June 17, 2006
Chuck & Jody Norman
“Jody and I had planned a trip with several other couples and rented a house at Wrightsville Beach, a place we visited every year. I had just finished working on the winning campaign of Ernie McAlister for mayor of Cary, so I told Jody we had to spend a few hours with Ernie — who’s a good friend and fellow Rotarian — and his wife on their yacht for business discussions. She was disappointed to miss out on time with her friends.
“We sat up front on the boat and sailed past Johnnie Mercer’s Pier out into the Atlantic Ocean, with Mrs. McAllister taking pictures of us the whole time because she knew I was going to propose. When I did, it took Jody a few minutes to understand that the proposal — not politics — was the real reason for the yacht outing!”
– Married Sept. 3, 2005
