Big flaws in my proposal plan

[Nerves]

I have decided on my proposal which will take place in April.
I will take my girlfriend on a hike up a mountain which we have been up many times and is significant to our relationship. The summit overlooks the sea, and also overlooks the venue where she has always dreamed of getting married and where we will get married.
I will have packed a large rucksack (knapsack for the Americans I think) full of food that I will have secretly prepared-all her favourite stuff. I will set it all out on the summit with blanket, plates, bottles of champagne etc. We''ll eat, and drink and at the end of it I will tell her how great I think she is, and ask her to marry me.

Now I have a few problems:

1. The mountain is in Ireland so it is likely to be pouring with rain and freezing cold.
2. Once I have proposed, we then have the hike back down again which takes a good few hours which may be a bit of an anti climax.
3. The mountain is an hour drive from where the GF lives and I can''t drive (she usually drives us-I know, it''s pathetic I can''t drive!). I am thinking maybe we should get a cab to the mountain and I could have a limo waiting for us to take us home.
4. We would be staying with her folks while over in Ireland. Now I like them and all, but don''t really fancy going back to her family home after popping the question it seems a bit unromantic. I was thinking that on the mountain top I could say "I have a couple of surprises" and pull out a pair of plane tickets to Barcelona (where we got together) and have the second surprise being the ring. The limo could then whisk us to the airport. Is that too much?

What do people think?

 

[musey]

Date: 1/18/2007 12:24:49 PM
Author:Nerves
Now I have a few problems:
1. The mountain is in Ireland so it is likely to be pouring with rain and freezing cold.

Ouch. Well... Umbrellas? Tarp/tent? That will be a big problem to work around!

2. Once I have proposed, we then have the hike back down again which takes a good few hours which may be a bit of an anti climax.

Good point, but honestly, there will be a "post-proposal" period with ANY proposal that will begin to take away from the moment. Besides, she'll probably be staring at her ring the whole way down the mountain anyway. On second thought, is this a difficult trail? She might trip from staring at her hand instead of the ground! (Just kidding)

3. The mountain is an hour drive from where the GF lives and I can't drive (she usually drives us-I know, it's pathetic I can't drive!). I am thinking maybe we should get a cab to the mountain and I could have a limo waiting for us to take us home.

I presonally wouldn't be bothered by being the "driver," but you know your girlfriend better than any of us! If you think that that would bother her, then the cab/limo route is a good one (especially considering your #4...)

4. We would be staying with her folks while over in Ireland. Now I like them and all, but don't really fancy going back to her family home after popping the question it seems a bit unromantic.

If you feel this way (I would too) then definitely find a way to be away from them for at least that night (nice hotel room in Ireland, then back to her family the next day so that she can share her happiness with her family?)

I was thinking that on the mountain top I could say 'I have a couple of surprises' and pull out a pair of plane tickets to Barcelona (where we got together) and have the second surprise being the ring. The limo could then whisk us to the airport. Is that too much?

This is another good option for avoiding the family, BUT (as a woman) I feel this would be hard to orchestrate from her standpoint. Will she have her luggage along? If not, will you go back to get it before the plane (please say yes, we ladies do not like to be without our luggage!)? If you will have it along, won't that be a tip-off?

 

[Finding_Neverland]

Maybe as Musey suggested,............... A romantic night away, just the 2 of you. Then home to celebrate with the family. Maybe a day or so??!! Then wisk her off to Barcelona. That way you don''t catch her without necessities for the trip??!!

Just a thought for you.

Sounds like a lovely proposal idea in the making. You''ve picked spots that are special to you both.

 

[ladykemma]

It WILL be raining in april. and cold. wear lots of wool. ask me how I know. i spent the entire month of april bicycling ireland.

i would not at all appreciate jumping a surprise plane to barcelona without advance warning. what if you didn''t pack medicines, contacts, or passport, or whatever... ah, no. i would prefer to go back to the family home and announce the engagement or i would appreciate it if you told me to pack an overnight bag and let B&B be a surprise.

a limo waiting to take you home? in ireland? in rural ireland? hell you''ll be lucky to get a ride from a passing farmer. rent a car. bahhh go the sheep.

everything shuts down on bank holidays and sunday, so be prepared.

if you speaking of glendalough there are a few pretty B&Bs there. and scenic low elevation places if it is a rainy day.

you are on the right track just need to work out the details. sounds like a nice proposal.

where exactly are you planning this?

 

[Nerves]

"This is another good option for avoiding the family, BUT (as a woman) I feel this would be hard to orchestrate from her standpoint. Will she have her luggage along? If not, will you go back to get it before the plane (please say yes, we ladies do not like to be without our luggage!)? If you will have it along, won''t that be a tip-off?"

We live in England so will be visiting her family anyway-as such, she will have packed her bags to fly over to Ireland-all I''d need to do is bring the bag that she packed. But the more I think about it, the more I think Barcelona is a bad idea-she''ll have Ireland clothing which is not the same as Barcelona clothing.

The alternative is to stay a night in the hotel that the mountain overlooks-i.e. the place where we''d get married, but I am not sure-it might be best to keep that place for the special day.

"a limo waiting to take you home? in ireland? in rural ireland? hell you''ll be lucky to get a ride from a passing farmer. rent a car. bahhh go the sheep.

everything shuts down on bank holidays and sunday, so be prepared.

if you speaking of glendalough there are a few pretty B&Bs there. and scenic low elevation places if it is a rainy day."

Yes, it might be tricky to go for a limo so I think a taxi could be best. She hates driving so it would be unfair to make her on that day. It will be on the Mountains of Mourne:

 

[Pandora II]

I climbed the Mountains of Mourne in April - it was a long walk, freezing, foggy and poured with rain for most of it!

However, Carlingford Lough is not that far away - I know because I went on my 21st birthday and my ex and I missed the bus back to Newcastle the next day and had to walk! (yup, 1 bus a day on Sundays)

Anyway, they have nice b&b''s and oysters! Make sure to book if you go near there though. We didn''t and found that a local girl was getting married to a Spanish chap and he, his family, grandmothers and entire village had come over and booked everywhere. Some nice b&b owner drove us round and managed to get us a lovely room in someone''s house though.

 

[Maisie]

I think the whole thing sounds lovely but won't she think something is up if you get a taxi to the mountain? If you want to keep it a complete surprise I would let her drive.

As long as she has plenty of time to recover from the actual proposal I think she won't mind driving back. Do you have your provisional licence? Can't you drive under her supervision or have you not had lessons yet? Oh that won't work if you are hiring a car.... silly me!

Maisie

 

[Nerves]

Yes Pandora I know-I have only ever climbed the Mournes without getting soaked once. It is usually cold, windy and rainy, but we like it! Maybe huddling under an umbrella could be romantic...hmm, I''m not so sure.

As for the driving-well, we usually use her brother''s car, but he smashed it up recently in a crash (no injuries) so we would be carless, and I could suggest getting a taxi without too much suspicion I think-I''d just say something like "we only need a car to go to the Mournes, so it''d be cheaper getting a cab for one day then hiring a car for a week".

Ha! The idea of me driving back is too frightening to even think about! The car would be manual (stick shift for you americans). I can just picture myself grinding through the gears and swerving along a wet mountain road. Nope-it''s a taxi, or she drives.