Julie and I had been going out for 3 years. We had always planned on living in the same place after graduation and it just so happened that we both landed jobs in Fresno, CA. I always knew, ever since we started dating, that Julie and I would be together forever. After graduation in May we went to look for apartments in California during the first week of June. While there we decided to do some site seeing. On our last day in California we decided to climb a mountain in Sequoia National Park. I knew that this would be the perfect time to propose. I had brought the ring with me the day we climbed the mountain. When we reached the top, after a 3 mile hike, I set up the camera on time delay. Julie, who is afraid of heights didn’t think she’d be able to make it to the top, but with some persuasion from me she finally did. The camera went off right as she made it to the top and I got down on one knee and pulled out the ring and asked her that very important question, “will you marry me?”. She definitely forgot she was afraid of heights and started jumping up and down on top of the mountain. It was perfect and we have the picture to prove it!

- Charlie H., Clovis, California

My fiance’s name is Shayla. i took her down to Louisville, KY and asked her best friend and her husband to join. I told Shayla that it was a romantic get-a-way for V-day weekend 08. I booked a room at the historic Seelbach Hilton for the weekend. While out to dinner that night she said she needed batteries for her camera, which was great it gave me the perfect opportunity to set up the room. Me and the best friends husband marched up to the room and started to place 400 roses petals all over the room with a walkway of candles. After getting the batteries from the room. We went for a stroll downtown. On the way back to the hotel I slid the hotel key to the couple who knew the entire time. I gave her a poem for two weeks straight before hand. On that night I wrote her the last one and framed it. I had asked the front desk to hold it for me earlier. After the friends left I took her in a hallway and read her the poem. I told her that I have something to show her and proceeded to the room. When the room door opened she saw her friends standing there waiting for her. I walked her to the center of the room and told her to open up the armoire to see the ring around more candles. I dropped to one knee and asked her to be my wife. I have pics of the entire set up hotel and all. Its’ so wonderful. I even got the hotel to upgrade us to a suite the next day to make it more great. We are getting married on 11-08-08.

- A.M., Nashville, Tennessee

I (the bride) had a horrible day at work.  Travis came to pick me up and seemed very nervous and anxious the whole way home.  Even though he denied it i knew something was going on.  When we got home he was hooking up our brand new flat screen tv to the laptop to play games.  I went into our bedroom to change clothes.  He called me out of our room and asked for my help.  I said sure and came into the living room.  He said please turn on the TV, so I did.  When the TV came on it said “Will you marry me” in big bright red letters.  He drew it in the paint program on the computer and previewed it on the TV.  As I stared at the TV and looked over he was on one knee and had the ring in his hand and said “Will you marry me?”.  It was VERY unique and original.  To this day our marriage is pure and beautiful.

Thank You!!!
- Megan C., Holly Ridge, North Carolina

The night started out with a romantic gondola ride through Naples, Ca and an equally romantic dinner at the Melting Pot. After dinner, I suggested that we take a walk on the beach, so we made our way to Laguna Beach. As we arrived the sun was setting into the ocean and my girlfriend immediately noticed a cave that was glowing from candlelight. After seeing my guitar in the cave, she realized it wasn’t a cult and became very excited. Under several of the candles were various gifts that represented special or funny times in our relationship. Among the gifts were the lyrics to three songs I wrote her, and I proceeded top play each one when she opened them. The final gift was a note card that said, “September 15th- Now we are here…and I am on one knee.” As she read the card, she turned around to see me on one knee and I asked her to marry me. Following the acceptance, we made our way to my car, to find a Limo waiting for us. We were escorted to a surprise party where her closest friends and family were waiting to celebrate this amazing time. Truly and unforgettable night!

- Winn G., Long Beach, California

Upon leaving my husbands parents house one Sunday afternoon, we got into the car to head back on our hour long drive back to the college we were attending. Two minutes down the road, he started acting weird. He kept squirming in the car, and putting his hand in his pocket, than taking it out again. I asked him if he was okay, and he replied, “sure.” Finally, ten minutes into our hour long drive home, while going 75 miles an hour down the freeway, he says, “I just can’t wait any longer. It’s burning a hole in my pocket. Will you marry me?” He proceeded to take the ring out of his pants pocket he had been sticking his hand in and out of and awkwardly tried to put the ring on my ring finger while driving. I told him to pull over for a minute. He pulled over to the side of the road, put the ring on, kissed me quickly, than got back on the road and drove the rest of the way home to our dorms. I sat admiring the ring the whole way home, it was his mom’s–who also told me when we called her later that night to tell them the news that if anything should “happen” to us–she would need the ring back. Seven years later I haven’t had to give it back.

- Tracy W., Orem, Utah

Having been through divorces, neither of us was anxious to remarry although we enjoyed each other’s company.  I wanted a man in my life, but not in my house.  His feeling was the same.  After about a year of dating, he said to me “You are someone I could marry”.  Not romantic, but realistic and I knew he meant it.  It will be our 13-year anniversary April 18.

- Pat K., Tolono, Illinois

I proposed in Las Vegas.  Besides offering some romantic spots, it would give me an excuse to take my wife back to revisit our engagement destination and give me a chance to hit up the tables.  We went to the top of the Eifel Tower in the Paris hotel.  I was very nervous and just could not get past all the people around us - I did not want to be “that Las Vegas couple.”  Plus, I kept envisioning the ring slipping out of my hand and falling 80 stories below.  So I planned on waiting till after dinner.  The ring was in my coat jacket and I took it off when we were at dinner.  A few drinks made me forget all about it and when my wife asked me for a tissue I told her to go in my jacket pocket.  She pulled out the box, and started crying and it took me a few seconds before I realized what was going on.  She said yes and the tissues came in handy!

- Mike G., Cliffside Park, New Jersey

Before I start telling the story, know first of all that it was an entire day event and included multiple videos, which I have posted on www.railroadst.com/wedding. Furthermore, although Bethany knew I was going to ask her soon, she didn’t know exactly when or how. With the help of her mom and sister, we were able to create enough doubt that she wouldn’t know immediately if I planned something elaborate. Bethany woke up Friday morning at 5:45am planning to open Cups Coffee at 6:30 and work the morning shift until 2:00pm. When she arrived at the coffee shop, Bethany first found a rose and note on the front door. The note led her to other notes around the shop at places where she usually prepares to open. The last note led her to a portable DVD player in the conference room and instructed her to watch a video that I’ve secretly filmed and edited. Getting instructions from this video to open a note by the DVD player at 7:30am (as well as finding out that her shift is covered), Bethany follows this new note’s instructions to return to her apartment with the DVD player. Walking in the door, her roommate, Deb, is ready with their bikes to go mountain biking, which she loves to do. Bethany and Deb get in the car and watch a second video on the way to the trail. After biking and hanging out together, Bethany and Deb returned to their apartment so that Bethany could get ready to have lunch. On the way to lunch, she is presented with yet another video. Although the mountain biking video alluded to the fact that Bethany would have lunch with me, upon walking into the Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bar, her grandmother, who flew in from Maryland, and her mom were sitting at a table ready to have lunch. After spending time with Frankie and Mel, Bethany was picked up by one of her good friends, Christa. Christa gave Bethany a journal with 240 hand-numbered pages that had questions written on random pages throughout. The driving directions were located on the same page as the questions, but in order to find them in the right order, Bethany had to answer the questions correctly so that she would be directed to the correct page number. One set of directions during the hour and fifteen minute drive had Bethany watch another video. Finally, they arrived at Lake Oconee. The guys that are in my Bible Study were lined up ready to escort Bethany down to the dock where a friend’s boat was waiting. They drove Bethany to an island on the lake, where I had previously blazed a long trail up to boulders at the top of the island, which overlooked the lake. That was where Bethany and I finally saw each other. After climbing the ladder to the top of the rock, I asked her to be my wife and she promptly said yes. After driving around on the wave-runner tied up near the island, hanging out, and eating dinner on the island, we finally drove back to Athens where she watched a final video, and was congratulated by friends and family at Cups Coffee for a small engagement party.

- Charles R., Athens, Georgia

Early in our relationship, JR took me to the opening night of a romantic Tuscan restaurant downtown. Since, he told me he occasionally got e-mails and calls from the manager about specials.
One night many months later he told me they were having a “Customer Appreciation” night with free wine and appetizers and asked if I’d like to go with him and my best friend. I agreed and when we got there, the staff seated us and thanked us for being “Valued Customers.”
There was a disposable camera and fancy letter on our table on the restaurant’s stationary and I hoped it was from JR! To my dismay, it was from the Manager thanking all the guests for coming and encouraging everyone to take pictures for the website throughout the evening. I noticed all the tables had them, not just ours.
As we enjoyed drinks and food, JR got up for the restroom. When he came back he told me he ran into someone he knew and he’d like me to meet. He led me downstairs to another part of the restaurant but stopped in the middle of the floor. He whispered, “this is all facade, it’s all for you” before he got down on his knee and popped the question. Everyone around clapped and took pictures. “What good timing that everyone had cameras!” I thought.
As JR stood, he turned me around for an even bigger surprise and I saw that many of the flashes were coming from one big group of cameras behind us - our families and friends who had been hiding and witnessed the whole event.
As it turns out, all those letters on the tables were instructions for the customers to wait for the moment to take our pictures and commemorate the proposal! We have hundreds of pictures of every second and every angle of the proposal. We enjoyed the rest of the night celebrating in a private room with everyone.
I still can’t believe that JR got an ENTIRE restaurant staff AND patrons to play along with this “customer appreciation night” just for me.

- J.R., Fort Worth, Texas

My fiance has been handcuffed and detained for an hour by patrol officers before I met her because someone switched her tags with some from a stolen car.
I decided to go with this theme for the proposal. I have a friend who is Chief Deputy for our County Sheriff’s department. He lined it up so an officer would pull us over at a certain spot at my workplace parking lot. He made us both get out of the car and walk backwards. He then instructed me get on my knees at which time I turned and pulled out the ring and dropped to one knee.
The best part about it is we got it on video from the patrol car.
She loved it. She was laughing the whole time and I thought she knew what was going on, but she didn’t have a clue. Now we have a great story to tell.

- Jake F., Wilmington, North Carolina