Proposal Watch 2013

My younger sister who is my very best friend in the entire universe is getting engaged soon. How do I know this you ask? I know because she and her significant other have had a ring since the beginning of February. My sister was there when he purchased the ring and everything. However it is now approaching the end of March and still no proposal has come.

I call what they are doing an entire new relationship step between dating and engagement called pre-engagement. It is unorthodox but if you really examine it it is more practical. He has no reason to fear she will say no or that she will not like the ring. I am a firm believer that in this day and age each and every couple must create their own story. They can not simply follow in the foot steps of those who came before them but they must make their own path.

My sister's boyfriend has done a superb job of creating excitement and mystery behind the event though. She may know about the ring but she still has no idea when he will actually ask the question. I mean he had the ring before VALENTINE'S DAY and no proposal came. In the mean time they are working out wedding ideas and picking out things like colors despite not being engaged. The most amazing thing however is how sucked in my family and friends are.

• My mom has already had people offer to help with the shower.
• I spent hours looking at wedding dresses on skype with my sister the other day.
• Everyone is waiting on pins an needles for him to ask her. I was on a date the other day and since I knew they were at dinner I checked my phone repeatedly for a picture of a finger with a new ring on it.

Surprisingly, I am not the least bit jealous of my younger sister's pending engagement. I feel like I've always known she would "jump the broom first".  I am a hard person to love and it will take a very special man to want to put up with me for the rest of his life.

All these hullabaloo got me to thinking about the history of marriage proposals, weddings, and marriage in general.

Wikipedia was not very illuminating about the history of marriage proposals but I did find an article about why men get down on bended knee. It is a sign of respect not unlike

a knight kneeling to his Queen offering his life for the crown.

(pretty sure this is LOTR fan art...)

 

When a man proposes he is pledging his unwavering loyalty and commitment to his new fiancee. Sounds like a myth with today's divorce rates though. A couple of my co-workers have shared their proposal stories with me. They range from a public proposal in an aquarium to an intimate affair at the apartment they shared. One bizarre story involved a couple getting engaged while they were broken up. The only thing in common with these stories is that the women said yes.

I personally am a fan or public proposals. I even have a secret dark twisted fantasy to turn someone down in public (muhahahahahaha). I have been beaten to the punch though.

 

 

 



If and when my sister does get engaged I will have the honor of being her maid of honor. I am kind of a wedding junkie so this is a big deal to me. One of the things I'm looking forward to the most this year is that I have been asked/invited myself as a date to three weddings this year! I feel like a wedding crasher. One is even in Vegas! However, the one I am looking forward to the most is the one at the end of the year because I have actually met the bride and groom and I genuinely like them.

 

When speaking with the bride the other evening she mentioned that she has not even purchased a dress yet!



Pretty sure this is the exact face I made when she told me that since her wedding is this year.

On the other end of the spectrum my sis has an appointment to view dresses an she has not gotten engaged yet (when she made the appointment she thought she would be by now). I don't know who is more ready for my sister's boyfriend to propose... me or my sister.