March 20th is National Proposal Day… Yes, that’s a thing!  It happens to land on the first day of Spring. So, Good News Wants to Know… what happened during your wedding proposal? Do you remember where you were? And what preparation, if any, did you or your spouse put into the proposal?

My fiancé Faye and I have a pretty neat story because we dated in our late teens and early 20s. I had the privilege to propose to her at the exact same spot we had our first date, on the exact same day, (August 18,1985) only 33 years later (August 18, 2018). On the corner of A1A & Oakland Park Boulevard on Fort Lauderdale Beach I knelt down and proposed to her…AND SHE SAID YES!!! (Pretty cool stuff!!!)

Coach Rick Andreassen, Founder/President, SAINTS International Sports Ministry and SAINTS Homeschool P.E.

I met my hubby Jeff on the first day of a mission trip in the country of Panama. Like me, Jeff had a “checklist” with God-given criteria of who not to settle for less than in a future spouse. During the mission, the majority of boxes had been checked on our lists! To my surprise, on day five Jeff said, “I think we are going to spend the rest of our lives together.” Twenty-two years later confirms how right he was. A few months later an official well-planned proposal happened at the Breakers Hotel on Palm Beach Island. Jeff brought along a backpack of items to create the ambiance for a lifelong memory including a proposal poem he wrote for just such a night!

Dr. Andrea Hazim, President and Founder, Elev8Life Educational Foundation

After securing the Blessing of her Father (Lunch helps), I took my wife Gloria to a regal and romantic restaurant called the Red Rooster Restaurant .It was delightful and delicious home style cuisine! The most divine desert dish was presenting the ring with my proposal and her paramount response!! 34 years still delightfully dining!

Bernard King, Sr., Pastor, Cornerstone Bible Fellowship

I remember our wedding proposal 40 years ago well. It was leap year, February 29th, and we had just finished our last day of skiing in Vail with a large group from the Fort Lauderdale Ski Club. Thankful to have survived the week in one piece and mindful of never asking a witness a question to which you don’t already know the answer, I posed the question in this way: “What do you think you would you say if I were to ask you to marry me?” The rest is now history!

William “Bill” C. Davell, Director, Tripp Scott Attorneys at Law

Dani’s wedding proposal was full of good intentions… in need of redemption. It was a snowy night on a horse-drawn carriage in a faraway land. It involved a stranger, a homeless man, an actor (they may have been the same person); it also involved a hundred dollar bill, and the hero of the story (that’s me) forgetting his lines. And the star of the show was an engagement ring that fell apart in the kitchen sink less than a year later.

Bob Denison, President, Denison Yachting

At the very minute that I knew that I was going to propose to Eileen, I started planning how I would do it. While we were dating we took a memorable ride on the Water Taxi where I happened to pick up a brochure that advertised placing a brick on the Riverwalk in Fort Lauderdale. That’s where my plan started to come together. During the fall of 1993, I ordered a brick that would help me with the proposal. I then had to come up with a ring. After flying to Boston to make the purchase from a family jeweler, I came home to ask her parents for their daughter’s hand in marriage. Thankfully they said yes and a few weeks later I made a test run to locate the brick for the big day. Then on December 18th I brought Eileen to the Riverwalk. When she opened her eyes and I was on one knee, she thought I was giving her a brick for Christmas! Thankfully she read the brick which said “I LOVE YOU EILEEN! WILL YOU MARRY ME? FOREVER YOURS, CHIP!” She said yes, and I am blessed to still have her as my partner in everything.

Chip LaMarca, State Representative, Florida House District 93

I was super excited and I could not wait to ask Wendy to marry me. I got the engagement ring during the day and proposed to her that night. I took her to our favorite place on the beach, and as we walked I put our feet together and asked her if she wanted to walk through life together then I got down on my knee and pulled out the ring and asked her to marry me. We visit that special place often and talk about that great day. This year we will celebrate our 29th Anniversary. 

Chris Lane, President, First Priority of South Florida

Here is how it went: After talking with all my family members and her mother, I bought her an engagement ring. I asked Jennifer at her house to marry me, but she demurred. As we were in the car, I asked her, “Do you love me?”  She said, “Yes.” Then I asked, “Would you like to spend the rest of your life with me?” She said, “Yes.” But when I asked, “Will you marry me?” she couldn’t seem to bring herself to say yes. I had to go through that several times with her until FINALLY she said, “Yes!

H. Collins Forman, Jr., P.A.

With the arrival of YouTube and all things social media, the “art of the proposal” has become inspirational, challenging and competitive. Over three decades ago, it wasn’t quite so. I’d love to be able to say that I proposed in some spectacular fashion. My wife was staying at her pastor’s home and watching their kids while they were attending a retreat. I was spending an evening with her that weekend and had an overwhelming sense that this was the right time and the right place. I dropped to my knee and proposed in the living room of her pastor’s house. Fortunately, she said, “Yes!”

Craig Huston, Huston Consulting Group, LLC

Who ever heard of National Proposal Day? …so long ago and I’m divorced, but this is how I remember it went. As high school sweethearts,(Homecoming Queen/ Football Captain), we were best friends. At around 25 years old, his mom had given him his grandmother’s wedding ring and my parents had given me my grandmother’s wedding ring. I guess they were trying to encourage us and to give their blessing. We were in the Sierra mountains in California when we just decided that it was time. We designed an engagement ring to accommodate both diamonds and married at the Mission in Carmel.

Deborah Cusick, FAU Campus Volunteer, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship

I proposed to my wife in our home church, where she was once on the cradle role, baptized, etc. It was a real sweet moment as the pastor let me walk into Sunday Morning Service with about 20 of her closest friends and sisters. We interrupted the service before the choir special was about to be sung. My wife was in the choir on the stage. I proposed on one knee in front of everyone, and then the choir held up cue cards that spelled our “yes, yes” just like we were at a football game. I set it up in advance by getting her college friends to come in town. We hid in the foyer (lobby) until pastor was ready for us, and the choir was in on it too with their cue cards hidden in the back row. First Baptist Church of Lake Worth, FL.”

Dennis DeMarois, Executive Director/CEO, Gathering Palm Beach County

My wife’s family lives in Florida and mine in Canada, and since we do not spend as much time with my side of the family I wanted to include them on that exciting day. We traveled to Canada for Christmas, and as the entire family gathered to open gifts, I announced that I had an important question – will you marry me? Sure glad she said YES!

Don Campion, President, Banyan Air Service, Inc.

28 years ago I proposed with a line from one of my wife’s favorite stories The Little Prince. “I happen to know a unique flower, one that exists nowhere in the world except on my planet… If someone loves a flower of which just one example exists among all the millions and millions… that’s enough to make him happy”

She said YES! And she’s still the singular flower that fills my life with joy!

Doug Sauder, Pastor, Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale

Will you promise not to tell my wife that I don’t recall? We were too young when we married, college drop-outs, living in a Christian commune, no decent jobs. But we had dedicated our lives to Christ and each other, went back to school, started our vocations, had two strong daughters, and have celebrated life together for forty-nine years. The first moment fades from memory, but it’s been fireworks ever since.”

Gene L. Green, PhD, Dean, Trinity International University – Florida

I would love to tell a romantic story, but when you are blending two families with five children, it becomes more of a negotiation than a proposal. But, it has been the smartest and best negotiation of my life!

Gregg Wallick, President, Best Roofing, Inc.

I popped the question watching the sunset on Manhattan Beach, CA. I wanted it to feel spontaneous and the day had been perfect for the delivery of one of the most important questions in life… It took Christie by surprise, and she gave me a delighted, “YES!”……6 months later. So much for spontaneity.

James ‘JT’ Taylor, Managing Director, Head of Automotive, Truist  Securities

My wedding proposal was out of a fairytale — it happened on Christmas Eve at Edinburgh Castle in Scotland.

Laura Bishop, Executive Vice President of Advancement, Palm Beach Atlantic University

The proposal isn’t the story in our case, what led to the proposal is. After spying out the pretty girl named Barbara who had moved in next door, and being ruggedly handsome and doggedly persistent as I am known to be, I boldly went into her yard where she was catching some sun and hit her with my smoothest line… “Excuse me miss, can I talk to you about your dog?” Believe it or not, it worked! I asked her out on our first date and the rest is history… 48 years of marriage and counting. It wasn’t until years later that I learned that, after I left that day, she went into her house and told her mother “That’s the man I’m going to marry.” So the proposal was anticlimactic. The fix was already in. God’s plan was at work and we married 5 years later.

Michael F McDermott, PA, Seniors Real Estate Specialist, The Keyes Company

We were living in the Washington DC area at the time. I made reservations at one of our favorite restaurants. All details were set except for one major detail, the ring. My friend, a jeweler from another state, mailed the ring which of course was late in arriving. Praise God it arrived that afternoon, only 3 hours prior to our dinner date. At the restaurant when dessert arrived, I got on one knee and asked Kelly to marry me. We celebrate 32 years of marriage this year in July!

Milan Stefanovic, Chief Operations Officer, Bass Underwriters

My husband and I starting dating in October 1988. On Valentine’s Day, 1989 he surprised me by proposing with a beautiful tiffany setting diamond ring, which was followed by a lovely dinner in our favorite Italian restaurant. It was a quiet and intimate proposal. Two months later on, April 22nd, we got married.

Oksana Horton, Creative Director, Torch and Trumpet Theatre Company

I had no proposal preparations when I proposed to my wife. God spoke to me while we were standing in my mother’s carport and told me that this is your wife, ask her to marry you. Therefore, my proposal to my wife was a spur-of-the-moment occasion.

O’Neal Dozier, Pastor, The Worldwide Christian Center

On February 11, 1974, Bill got down on one knee and proposed. There was not any fancy fan-fare, billboard signs or extravagant settings. It was a simple declaration of love and desire to be together for the rest of our lives. I would not trade that event for anything, as I do not like being in the spotlight and consider this to be a private event between two people. Here we are, 47 years later, still in love with each other.

Patricia Colangelo, EdS, Lecturer, Professor, Trinity International University – Florida

My wife’s brother set us up on our first date because he knew I wouldn’t have female companionship to a particular campus activity and he needed someone to take his sister so he could concentrate on his girlfriend. She eventually became my wife, and I often wonder how her brother feels about setting us up.  The proposal wasn’t much, other than the fact that drop-dead gorgeous girl was willing to marry a bridge-troll.  I thank God every day that she said yes, because I did not and do not deserve a wonderful, beautiful wife like Cindy.  She is a reminder to me at all times that God is gracious and gives us much more than we could ever deserve.  I tell people that “I married up.” They just don’t know how far.

Samuel Lamerson, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Biblical Studies, Knox Theological Seminary

John and I had been dating for a year when he popped the question. We were at his apartment watching, “God Save This Honorable Court” when he got down on one knee and proposed! I was ecstatic!! That weekend, we took a boat trip to celebrate our engagement. On our way back from Key Largo, we stopped at my parents (both deceased and with the Lord) and John asked my father for my hand in marriage. My parents couldn’t have been more thrilled to give me away and to know I would be taken care of. We celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary in January. We rejoice in God bringing us together, and His divine Hand of providence over our lives.

Tewannah Aman, Executive Director, Broward County Right to Life

Troy and I had been dating for a couple of years. We were both sick with the flu one week and trying to take care of each other.  He said, “Hey, we’re pretty good together. We should make it permanent.” I wasn’t completely sure that was a proposal, but I mentioned that my 2 older kids would be in town in February when my youngest was receiving her confirmation.  He asked if we could plan a wedding in 7 weeks.  I said, “Of course! But her confirmation is in five.” So we got married 5 weeks later!

Traci D. Miller, SR. VP Business Development, Miller Construction Company

Read last month’s Good News Wants to Know at: goodnewsfl.org/whats-the-most-memorable-charity-event-youve-attended-in-the-last-number-of-years/