Fairytale, Chapter 9: The Proposal
For the rest of the series, click here. Get out the kleenex, ladies! (Just kidding, I'm not that romantic.)
Picking Out the Ring If you know Kels, you know that she is very particular about what she wants, especially when it comes to something she is going to wear for the rest of her life. So when it came to talking about getting engaged, there was going to be no surprise-ring that I picked out all on my own.
We started looking in October 2005, two and a half years after we started dating. Kelsey finally found the one that she wanted, so it was time for me to start scheming about how I would propose. The scheming started right there at the jeweler. Our gemologist (a fancy name for a ring salesman) knew it was time to talk about the payment of the ring and asked Kelsey to wait outside in the lobby while we hashed out the details.
When she left, we talked about when the ring would be ready for pick-up. This is where I got crafty. We devised a plan for him to tell Kelsey that the ring wouldn't be ready until after Christmas, when in reality, it would be ready in early December.
She took the bait.
Asking Her Parents I know this might have been putting the proverbial cart in front of the horse, but next I had to get her parents' approval. I would have just asked only her dad but there was two reasons I decided to ask her parents together.
- I was deathly afraid of asking her dad. Not that he isn't approachable, or that I didn't think he approved, but I just worried that I might pee my pants if I had to ask him only.
- I respect both of her parents and wanted to make sure I had both of their blessings to ask their daughter's hand in marriage.
I asked them if we could meet for dinner at Applebee's (her mom's favorite restaurant = bonus points). I couldn't have been more nervous. But after we ordered, I spit out the question and was welcomed with open arms. I believe her dad said something like, "We couldn't be more excited to have you marry Kelsey and be a part of our family."
The hardest part was done. Or so I thought...
Popping the Question Now I just had to figure out how to surprise Kels with the question. I was one step ahead since she thought the ring wouldn't be ready until after Christmas, so time was of the essence. We were both going home for Christmas break of our senior year of college, and I picked up the ring before heading home. Kelsey was in Lake Mills, I was in Belmond and we were set to see each other on Christmas Day. I decided that I wanted to ask her as soon as I saw her.
We both spent Christmas morning with our families, and I headed up to Lake Mills to see Kelsey and celebrate Christmas with her mom's family. I called Kels when I was on the way and asked her if she would meet me at her parents' house so that we could exchange gifts. She was pretty reluctant to leave the party that had already started, but I finally convinced her to meet me.
We sat by the lit Christmas tree at her parents' house and exchanged a few small gifts. I had one big box left for her to open and she was pretty confused as to what it was (again, she is very particular and usually knows exactly what she is getting). She began to open the large package and sift through the tissue paper until she found a ring box.
As she opened the box and found a small pink note saying "Will You Marry Me?," I was reaching in my pocket and getting down on one knee. I then asked her to marry me and she said "YES!!!" We hugged it out for a long time. I thought it was beautifully romantic and simple as we embraced under the glow of white Christmas tree lights. Engaged on the same day as the birth of our Savior. Boom!
Kels will tell you all about our engagement and wedding planning next week...