Once you get engaged – EVERYONE – and I mean EVERY one (friends, family, potential vendors, people on wedding boards, women on the street and even BABIES – ok – maybe not babies.. but every one else) wants to hear your love story and proposal story.
Some people write something nice and post it to their website, some send it out in an e-mail – I’ve even seen some couples have something displayed at the shower and/or wedding for guests to read.
I decided to write a rough draft of our story and the infamous proposal and share it with all of you. Of course – the names have been changed to protect the innocent. 
The beginning..
My fiance and I grew up in the same community.. both literally and culturally. HIS parent’s house is a 7 minute drive from my parent’s house, my grandmother lives within walking distance of HIS parents and getting to his grandmother’s from my grandmother’s is only a 4 minute drive (that makes holiday season REALLY easy). Our parents are artists… dance and drum have been a mainstay in our lives since day one. I guess our story really began when I was 11 and HE was 13 – that’s probably as far back as I can retain a vivid memory of our friendship. HIS mom, being a fabulous hair braider, braided my mother’s hair for about two years. I would go with her and play with HIM and his brothers for hours and hours until our mothers were finished. That began a great friendship. My “bestests” will tell you that they’ve been hearing stories about HIM since we were little. It was around that time that I determined that HE would be my husband – but I had no idea what that meant at 11! I did know that there was something about HIM.. that I really liked and that I wanted HIM to be around forever. It’s funny how we think we know what we want (and want forever) when we’re children… but to my defense – I was RIGHT!
My fiance and I attended the same high school and college. We’ve watched each other mature over the years… We’ve had the benefit of seeing each other through challenging times, other relationships and have shared many, many great laughs. Through out the years – we tried dating each other – but never really got serious. We figured it was just because we were better as friends. I realize now that it just wasn’t the right time. A little over two years ago we began to talk to each other more and more. We lived in two different states, but that didn’t stop us from sharing our day to day lives over the phone and through e-mail. In December of 2007, on my trip home for the Christmas holidays, we spent a lot of time together – getting reacquainted and actually DATING!!!
At the end of my trip home, I told HIM that he was my boyfriend… I later told HIM that I was only kidding and that HE could be my boyfriend if HE liked… HE agreed. We spent the next few months trying to decide how we could be closer and spend more time with each other. I eventually moved back home and our relationship flourished. The last two years have been nothing but a wonderful chance for me to get to know the man I’ve known I would marry since I was 11. We celebrated 2 years together on December 30th, 2009.
The proposal..
Right after Thanksgiving HE told me we were going to spend New Year’s Eve in New York. Little did I know that I would get to spend a whole week in New York.
The week started out with relaxation and hanging out with friends. We took a few trips to Harlem (got a chance to see the area HIS father and uncle grew up in), Brooklyn (saw friends, checked out a cool museum and hung out in cool club that reminded me of home), and Time’s square early on New Year’s eve (just to see how everything would look later for the ball drop).
For New Year’s eve we partied in the VIP section of Santos, a swanky club in Manhattan, with friends. Once we arrived back home for “bringing in the New Year” party part 2 – I went into the bathroom to change into something comfy. When I opened the door – HE was down on the floor in front of the doorway with the ring out. HE said so many great things about us being together, knowing each other for so long and spending the “rest of forever” together. We talked for about 30 minutes – highlighting all of the great things about our relationship.. and of course HE asked me to marry HIM..and of course I said – YES!!!
The next few days were spent enjoying the city. There was a 4 1/2 hour engagement shoot with my good friend who happens to be a professional photographer. We sipped Chai with a good friend in the West Village and enjoyed dinner and dancing with friends at the Stanton Social. We even managed to get some yummy soul food from Sylvia’s.
It was a great trip – one of the best I’ve ever taken!
Well – that’s our story. What creative ways have you guys found to tell people about your special love and the special way you got engaged??
~DetroitGyrl
Possibly Related Posts:
- Did We Go Over the 12k Wedding Budget?
- Detroit Love: My Other Dancing Partner
- Detroit Love: All the Best
- We Got Married!
Mrs. 12k - The newlywed with lots of wedding tips and ideas for the bride on a budget. 
DetroitGyrl - I'm on an 18 month crash course to plan the best "PARTY to KICK off a MARRIAGE" you've ever seen.
