Will You Marry Me?

Will You Marry Me?

After you’ve been going out for a while, you may realize you only have eyes for that special person. Yes, you have fallen for her big time and decide that you want to to get hitched. First of all, you need to pop the question. Some people think it seems old-fashioned now, but it’s still usually the custom for the man to propose to the woman. And what is the question?

It’s always, “Will you marry me?” Some guys get very creative and post the question on highway billboards. Some plan to do it at a sports event. But the really traditional marriage proposal is done on bended knee, after asking the woman’s father for permission. If the woman says, “Yes, I will marry you!” you’re engaged! She is your fiancée, and you are the fiancé. (We’ve taken these words from French. Don’t ask us why, but it does sound romantic.) Now you get to prepare for the big day when you will finally tie the knot and say, “I do.” It’s just about the best time of your life—and also the most stressful! Trying to have your dream wedding, keep all the in-laws happy, and stay within a budget can be a real chore. Things become even more interesting if you come from a family where parents have remarried. Now there are stepparents as well. Some people have a wedding planner to help them with the details. The great part about that is that the wedding planner gets to have the headaches! The planner does the grunt work, while the happy couple enjoys thinking about exchanging vows. Well, they think about the vows . . . and about how they’re going to pay the wedding planner!

A very popular custom with couples today is to set up a bridal registry. The bride-to-be registers with a store, and the couple decides what things they’d like in their new home. The best part? The bride and groom pick out all the cool stuff, but they don’t have to spend a penny! They make a list of things they’d really like to have; friends and family check the list and decide what they’d like to buy as a gift. It sure beats running the risk of getting four toasters! Remember to include items in a range of prices. Some people may like to chip in together and get a more expensive gift. Other people may want to go solo and get something smaller.

Friends of the bride and groom often have bachelor or bachelorette parties to celebrate. This is the last chance to party with your friends as a single person. Don’t overdo it and feel sick on your wedding day. Or worse: don’t run off and elope with someone else!

Finally, the big day arrives, and it’s all you ever dreamed it would be. The bride looks beautiful, the groom is handsome, and the guests are all well behaved. A success! Now, it’s off to the honeymoon to de-stress from it all. Whew, what a whirlwind! Now all you have to do is remember the anniversary, or you’ll be in big trouble!

LIA: It’s my wedding anniversary tonight.

JAE: Oh, congratulations!

LIA: Yeah, gosh, it takes me back to when Tony first asked me to marry him. He had it all planned out so carefully.

JAE: Uh-oh. Sounds like there is a romantic story here.

LIA: It’s quite a story, all right. He was working in New York, and I was still living in England, so I flew to New York City to spend a long weekend with him. We went to the top of the Empire State Building . . . JAE: . . . and he asked you to marry him? With the stars twinkling in the night sky? There, at the top of the building, with the beautiful skyline of New York City right below you?! How romantic!

LIA: Um, well, uh, not quite. Yes, in his original plan he was going to ask me there. But . . . .

JAE: But . . . ?

LIA: Well, we had some friends with us, and Tony told his bff about the romantic Empire State Building proposal plan. His friend begged him not to propose to me there!

JAE: Are you kidding? Why not?

LIA: Tony’s friend was with his girlfriend, too. He was worried that if Tony asked me to marry him, then his girlfriend would expect a proposal, too!

JAE: HAhahahaha! So then what happened?

LIA: Well, then Tony went to Plan B. He was going to take me out for a romantic meal at one of those Japanese restaurants where they prepare the food at the table. He was going to ask the guy to put my ring in the food.

JAE: Hahaha! This is too funny! Okay, so why didn’t that happen?

LIA: I was so jet-lagged I didn’t want to go out for dinner.

JAE: Just as well. You’d probably have eaten the ring. I can see you choking on your engagement ring. Help! Call 911! I’ve eaten an engagement ring!

LIA: Oh, very funny. Anyway, we ended up going out to a bagel place.

JAE: OH NO! Don’t tell me he stuck the ring in the cream cheese, and then you couldn’t find it!

LIA: Oh, just stop it. It may have been a little bagel place, but it could have been the fanciest, most elegant candlelit restaurant. He offered me the most beautiful ring and asked, “Will you be my wife?” JAE: Did he get down on one knee? I hope he didn’t slip on the cream cheese.

LIA: STOP IT! No, it wasn’t on bended knee, but it was very romantic anyway. I’ll never forget it. Okay, so how about you? What’s your romantic proposal story?

JAE: You want a romantic story? Oh, I have a perfect romantic story.

LIA: Okay, I’m all ears.

JAE: Well, we were sitting next to a peaceful lake at sunset on a perfect summer day. The sky was ablaze with beautiful reds and orange, and some ducks went swimming by. Suddenly, on the dock below, a group of violins began to play. Jim got down on one knee and said, “You are the most wonderful thing in my life. Will you marry me and be my princess?” LIA: That is so perfect! It’s almost like a fairy tale!

JAE: Ha, ha. I know. It is like a fairy tale! And, as you know, fairy tales are make-believe. You wanted a romantic story, that’s what you got—a story! Okay, so it’s not true, but the real story is pretty funny. I’ll save it for when we have a lot more time.