Marriage Proposal Stories - They Got Engaged in the Bathtub

There are few phrases in the English language that are more sweated over or rehearsed than "will you marry me?" People who are about to make marriage proposals are often a crazy bunch, in need of hand-holding and calming measures. If you're sweating over your own marriage proposal, try reading these marriage proposal stories for inspiration and company. Or, if you're a romantic like I am, read them just because – regardless of how soon or recent your own marriage proposal might be.


From weddings.about.com reader, Michael Hightower

1967 was a very different time, and we came from a very traditional background. We had known each other since high school (about 7 years) but never dated until after our sophomore year in college. We were both from Houston, but she went to college in California and I in Philadelphia, so during the school year we spent hundreds of dollars a month on telephone calls. In the summer and Christmas holidays we saw each other every day.

Since both of us were students and planned to get graduate degrees, marriage seemed impossible. Both sets of parents opposed the marriage since they thought we should be self-supporting and would drop out of school and not finish our educational plans. But we wanted to spend our lives together and to live together – something neither of us would do before marriage (I said earlier we were very traditional). So we went to a jeweler and she picked out the stones and design for a ring. I purchased them and we had the ring made. It was mailed to me when it was complete.

The day I got the ring I was so excited. I wanted to give it to her right away. She was so nervous about actually getting engaged, because our parents were so opposed. It was our first year of graduate school and we had several more years to go. We both had won fellowships so we were not dependent on our parents financially any more, but neither of us wanted to alienate them either. So when she saw me coming with a package in my hand she knew the ring had come. She panicked! She ran toward her dormitory room I followed. The dormitories had strict rules prohibiting men from entering the women’s dorms. She went in the gate and I broke the rules and followed. She was so shocked. The she went in the dorms and I followed. She was horrified. She ran into her room and then into her bathroom and I followed again. She climbed into the bathtub and was trapped. I followed her into the bathroom and put the ring on her in the bathtub. We kissed and cried and were so scared and happy at the same time. It was the first time either of us had gone against our parents’ wishes. That was the beginning of a thirty-year long marriage!

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