Ok guys, how bout this?

[J S Machine]

I am the guy that posted a topic about a week ago asking about proposing on stage at a concert. I can pretty much bet thats not going to happen. I didn't want to do something really that everybody else has done, and I know mine will still be unique, but I did want to do something huge. I guess I will have to settle for Valentines day.

I talked with her last night about going to the beach on Valentines day. we will stay for Valentines day which is a Thursday until that Sunday and come home. She has no idea that I am going to propose.

I thought that maybe I would take her out to the beach at sunset, and somehow get her to turn the other way. While she is turned the other way, I want to write in big letters something like this:

WILL

YOU

BE

MY

WIFE?

Of course I'll tell her to cover her eyes (maybe???), and then make her start at The word WILL. As she conmtinues to walk along, she will read the other words. and then when she gets to MY/WIFE I will get down on one knee with the ring. There will also be some other words, probably before the word WILL, and she will have to walk along and read those as well. Question is, what do I do to get her to turn around and cover her eyes, without peeking? And also when she asks what in the world I'm doing, what do I tell her? The words will probably be about 20 or 30 feet long from where she starts walking to where she stops and meets me, and I know its gonna take a minute to write that in the sand. I don't want her to get curious / and or impatient and turn and look.....

What do you all think of this Idea?

Thanks

 

[FrekeChild]

Very cute idea. Is there any way that you could do it before? Or have a friend do it? I think it''s really a cool idea but if you''re alone working on it, the execution is going to be difficult, because I know I''m really impatient and wouldn''t be able to just stand there for 20 minutes while my BF did something like that. Could you perhaps do it on a smaller scale?

 

[J S Machine]

We will have to drive to the beach and its about 3 or 4 hours away I think. There won''t be any friends there with us...but thanks for the suggestion. I don''t think it will take 20 minutes. Maybe 5 minutes tops. The reason I want it to be so big is because I don''t want her to be able to just open her eyes and see the whole thing all at once. I want her to have to work towards what it is saying, you know like wonder "what in the world id gonna be at the end of all these big words?"....

 

[Keepingthefaith21]

Could you possibly suggest she take a relaxing bath or shower before dinner and while she is in the bathroom sneak out and write it out in the sand? If you picked up a bag of decorative garden stones, you could even spell it out in the stones so they would stay better.

Maybe you can think of commonly found items at the beach (like a white shell or rocks of a particular color, shape, size) and send her on a little scavenger hunt. This would give you time to write out the words while keeping her amused for a bit. If you are at a hotel or Inn you could possibly talk to a manager for their help in making it look like a usual hotel activity and you''ll have your own list if things to "search" for. Make all her items near the shoreline so there will be distance between the two of you and set yourself busy writing...she''ll probably think you are digging for something on your list.

Also if you are staying over at a hotel along the beach or near the beach, try seeing if one of their employees can get over to the beach and spell out the words for you. Over the years I''ve heard of many hotels/inn managers who are more than willing to go above and beyond to help a man propose.

Good luck and I can''t wait to hear how it all goes!!!

 

[J S Machine]

If at all possible I would like to be able to write it myself. I am very picky and I have always been the kind where I would much rather "do it myself, as oposed to living with what someone else did or redo-ing it"

Those are great ideas Faith21, but I just don''t think she will want to go for a bath at a hotel, or a scavenger hunt -especially on valentines day. She is the kind that always likes to be by my side, and I just can''t think of anything that she would "buy" as far as something to keep her away for a bit while I write it.

Time is not on my side, because I think we will probably arrive around lunch or sometime after, and I won''t have but until about 5 pm before the sun sets. If we were going the day before, I could do it the night before while she is sleeping, but thats not the case. Our work schedules don''t permit.

I know I will think of something, I am just looking to you guys for advice to help me out. Thanks alot!

 

[Keepingthefaith21]

Hmmmm could you possibly set up a manicure appointment for her at a spa near your hotel (or in it)? If you booked a mani for her, that would give you time to get the letters written in the sand, give her an opportunity to have a fresh mani for her new ring and you could totally pass it off as part of her Valentine''s Day gift very easily.

 

[door knob solitaire]

JS...

Looks like I didn't wilt you...you are back in the ring swinging! And I think your plan is great. You are really working hard on it!

I do see the others view on the time frame thing...it is going to be difficult to keep her distracted. Stand in the room you are now...and walk it out as in a trial run...keep in mind where you step may hamper the view of the words. And what exactly will you use to write all those words? Your finger or a stick? I don't see how you can do it readable in 5 minutes....and FIVE minutes is a looooong time!

Can you maybe shorten your words...like MARRY ME...that wouldn't take as long.

To make sure she doesn't look...I tried to come up with some gimmick and I thought of a blindfold. You know like you wore as a kid when you played pin the tail on the donkey or marco polo? Well, you could blindfold her. Bare with me on this one...face her to the ocean and you both are looking out...you could even have a conversation about how far you can see...like almost an eternity...well at least it is a lifetime distance...then say I have a game I want to play with you...sorta Marco Polo....I am going to blindfold you, spin you three times and we will play the game...and there may be a prize if you play well. You go where ever you want to end up...any distance from her...enough distance that you can write what you want...and buy the time as she is trying to find her way to your voice....

Marco...Polo...Marco...Polo....Jennifer...Baby...then you can tell her to remove her blind fold ...as she reads the words...and you do your thing. This is the only way I could think of that can keep her interested and not BORED...or MAD...or frustrated that the time is ticking by....while you do what ever it is you are doing! We girls are impatient..don't you know!

You know you can hire sky writers to write the message in the sky...Or you can use the ever popular message in a bottle...or a hidden clam shell jewelry box ...or a treasure of a pearl strand buried with flag attached that says will you marry me. Ok that last one...I just came up with and frankly, it is brilliant!

The strand of pearls is small and you can have it in your pocket and as she is turned around...you bury it in the wet sand leaving a bit of pearls exposed....

You could suprise her with a picnic basket and snacks and drinks and a blanket and then you get out your surprise....you could say you always wanted to build a sand castle...and thought it would be romantic to play in the sand ...so out comes your shovels and buckets and you begin to build something together...and while doing this digging thing...you say...WHOA Jennifer! What is that? Come here...look...what do you think it is? And let her do the digging...she finds a ring box, and clam shell porcelain treasure box...or the ever INFAMOUS STRAND OF PEARLS with a flag attached with a question...WILL YOU MARRY ME!!

I have friends who collect beach sand at every beach that walk on...You could do that rouse...say this bottle and hand shovel are to dig deep to get a good sample of sand...and you find the treasure...

You see JS...there are many ways to get your idea accomplished...just think of time restraints...and patience...and let those things help you make your plan of attack!! Love the beach idea!

Don't be offended ...we are all just trying to help you make this as smooth and uncomplicated as possible!!! Creativity is great! She is going to love it!! §

 

[Keepingthefaith21]

Not to threadjack here but DKS - have you thought of writing a book of proposal ideas? You always have some of the best, most entertaining ideas!

 

[door knob solitaire]

Keeping the faith..that isn''t bad idea! We should all do what we love... There isn''t a thread I enjoy adding to more than this one! It does get my creative juices flowing! Thanks for the encouragement!

I just hope JS doesn''t take offense that we (I) are changing his plans. We really want nothing more than to help him! Want him to return with a great success story!

The only thing I worry about planning on an outside proposal is the weather. That is one element planning may not help with!!

Thanks again Faith! I appreciate you taking the time to write a positive post!

(Oh and I do ...keep the faith!!) §

 

[J S Machine]

You guys aren''t offending me, It''s just like I have this plan with all these holes... I''m counting on you guys to help me fill them in...


Thanks a lot.

 

[bam2k]

Hi JS,

This is really exciting. Can you tell me more about the plans for the Thurs-Sunday? Is this a beach that you and your FF have gone to before? Where is it located? Will you be staying at a hotel in the area? I am guessing that lounging on the beach in Feb. might be chilly?

I can see that you think big and want to make this incredible. I think the best part is that this proposal is a surprise for your girlfriend. She is one lucky lady to have a boyfriend who is so wanting to make this magical.

Tell us about the special lady...... does she have any special hobbies or interests?

Bam2k

 

[bam2k]

One more thing....

Did you find a ring yet? I read some of your posts and saw that you were looking for a 3 stone princess.

Let us know the latest.

 

[J S Machine]

Ok as far as the ring, its a 3 stone brilliant cut. It weighs just over a ct. t.w. and it has a platinum head with a 14k white gold band. I don''t have the official appraisal yet, and I can''t remember everything about it but the color is F in all three stones and the clarity is not bad at all. It isn''t perfect, but they are eye clean. It appraised for $3,300 at one jeweler and $3,350 at another jeweler. I got it for A LOT less than that from a private seller. One of the jewelers told me it looked better than anything he had in his case. Both Jewelers said that I "stole it" for what I paid...I figured I came out pretty good!

I wanted a princess cut setup, but she also said she liked brilliant cut too, so I jumped on this deal.

I have tried to get some pics of it, but I have had no luck. The best camera I have is a 4.0 mp digital camera but I cannot get a clear shot up close. I can get a decent shot from about a foot away, but any closer than that and it''s just a blur. I am using the little "flower" mode too for close up pictures, just no luck. Yall must use special focus setups on your cameras.

I have no idea what we will be doing for four days at the beach. We live near Montgomery, AL, and the beach is in Destin, FL. It''s about a 3 or 4 hour drive I think. I know t will probably be cold, but it won''t be too bad. It never gets too bad right down near the water. Eat out everyday and just try to relax a little.

She doesn''t really have any special hobbies or intersts, So I can''t really approach the whole proposal thing from that perspective. She never really had much growing up, so I know that she would be happy with the smallest diamond solitare you can get at wal mart. I didn''t want that though. I want her to know just how special she is, and I think that this ring and the way that I propose will most certainly do it. As you can tell, I don''t really have any limits as far as that kind of thing goes. I just wish I could pull it off with the concert. Someone mentioned local bars and supper clubs for small band shows. We don''t ever go out to anything like that, and neither one of us really drinks, so we would feel weird in a place like that. If it was something we did on a regular basis, it would be an awesome idea, because my family plays music and several of them are in bands. I play guitar myself, and I thought of writing a song, but I am just not sure about that. I could easily pull it off this way, but If I were to go that route I would want it to be in a huge crowd like at the concert I mentioned in the other post.

Several people had suggested just getting down on one knee during a love song at the concert, but I know that many other guys have done that. I want to do something that she has never heard of. I want the response from anyone she tells to be "wow, I''ve never heard of that"...

I am starting to realize just how tough it''s going to be to make it all work out where she doesn''t know until the last second. She has been proposed to before, but what I''m planning on doing will far surpass that. I know that anyhting I do will be memorable, but I want it to be the best thing that''s ever happened to her. I just wish I had the power and the knowledge to be able to bring that to her.

with you guy''s help, maybe I can...

 

[FrekeChild]

I really like some of DKS''s ideas. I personally LOVE treasure hunts. I think it''s so much fun to run around and try to find stuff.

One thing we''ve learned, time frame is a hole in the plan. So we''ve got to figure out how to smooth out/fill in that time hole. What would be really cool is if you were able to do it in the sand with her...you know, walking down the beach, spelling it out as you go-but WITHOUT HER REALIZING WHAT YOU''RE DOING!!! Oh h$ll, you could just walk along the beach, spelling it out and having her figure it out as you go along-then you wouldn''t have to figure out the time thing...

When I was reading through DKS''s ideas, and got to the picnic one, I thought maybe you could have a picnic set up somewhere down the beach--with a bottle of wine stuck in the sand leading up to the picnic to keep her occupied while you try to write it.

I like the manicure idea too. She''s going to want to have some nice nails to show off the bling bling! At least I would!

I like all of DKS''s ideas and I can''t come up with anything for a stupid beach proposal. Nothing against you, but I live in the middle of New Mexico and all we have are stupid mountains, so all I can think of are proposals for that.

Sorry, I''m frustrated that I''m not cool enough to come up with some cool beach ideas. Or ideas to keep her occupied while you do it. I should also mention that I only had 4 hours of sleep last night. Ugh. I''ll be back if I think of something.

DKS--please continue!!!

 

[FrekeChild]

Date: 1/2/2008 8:05:21 PM
Author: J S Machine


I have no idea what we will be doing for four days at the beach. We live near Montgomery, AL, and the beach is in Destin, FL. It''s about a 3 or 4 hour drive I think. I know t will probably be cold, but it won''t be too bad. It never gets too bad right down near the water. Eat out everyday and just try to relax a little.


with you guy''s help, maybe I can...

Ok. So I was picturing Southern Cal. Now that I know what kind of beach we''re working with, I''ll put more thought into it. I''ve been to Destin Florida in the winter--right before Christmas--so I even know what kind of weather you''ll be dealing with. But I think I''m going to have to go make dinner. I''ll question BF to see if he can think of something too.

One thing I remember about Destin and the beach are the jellyfish--I almost stepped on a few when I was walking on the beach.

 

[bam2k]

Congrats on the ring! It must be a huge relief? It sounds like you are happy with the value and the jewelers had nice things to say to back up your decision.

I live on the West Coast and so I was hoping I could provide some expertise on the beach options. I looked into Destin as I have never been there personally. WOW-the sand looks amazing.

I agree with FrekeChild''s great suggestion of writing it together. You could start off with I Love (write your girlfriends name), then you could go with "will you marry me?" and get down on one knee. This way you eliminate the stress trying to pull yourself away from your special lady to do something in advance on the sand.

A few thoughts to consider......have your camera near by so you can grab a pix of the moment. Capture your FF glowing face, the writing in the sand and anything else. Maybe you would want to keep the stick you use as a keepsake from the occasion? My DH proposed on a beach and used a photo opportunity to hand me the ring. I love being able to look back at the moment and witness the emotion. Perhaps you can find someone on the beach to snap of few shots of the newly engaged couple?

Having a picnic basket could really add to the impact and romance of the special moment. The thought you might put into it could be really touching for your fiancee. You could write a special note or a song. It will be a time to celebrate the two of you as you know best.

Wishing you the very best as you put the special plans in motion!

 

[Deelight]

I think this proposal sounds heartwarming and beautiful

Is there possibly a cafe near the beach or a fish and chip shop? you could always just grab a coffee and some cake (or fish and chips) and just before she is finished go: "ohhh honey one sec I need to duck off to the loo." At the very least she will not be suspicious.

While she is waiting for you duck down the beach write out the words and suggest a walk on the beach and propose as you planned .

GL with the proposal it sounds wonderful

 

[J S Machine]

As far as writing it in the sand as we go along, I think that would be a great idea. It''s just that there is a very fine line there that I don''t want to cross, and that is the "element of surprise". The only way I can think of that I would be able to do that is to write something like this: (of course after I had written some other things)

I
WAS
WONDERING
IF
YOU
WOULD
BE
MY
WIFE?

I know I would have her up until "BE", but after that the "MY" would probably start to give it away. "WIFE" surely would

.


What do you guys think about possibly doing it at night? I was wanting to do it right at sunset, but I don''t know. The one thing I don''t really want is for there to be a lot of people on the beach. I don''t mind the occaisional passer by or beach jogger, but I just don''t want many people. I thought maybe if I did it at night it may be a little more private. I''ve been out on the beach before late at night and there weren''t many people at all out there. I don''t know the area at all, so even if there was a spot where there weren''t many people, I wouldn''t know where it would be (as far as sunset goes).

Don''t think I''m contradicting my original intentions, a concert is a totally different affair. I think that the concert idea is meant to be done in front of alot of people, where as the beach would be more suited to be private.

I have tried to write songs in the past, and I absolutely SUCK at that

. I can come up with some decent songs, but nothing that I am ever happy with. I play other people''s songs fine (covers), but I just can''t come up with my own. I will keep working on it and maybe I can come up with a song. You have to think about this song though, it will probably be the most important thing I have ever come up with and sang to her, so it has to be perfect. It can be :well, it will do"...

I have a month and 10 days or so, so maybe in that time frame I can come up with something. The guitar would be a reason to go out on the beach, or I could say I just wanted to take it along so that I could play some songs in the sand. That''s really romantic I guess

.

The song would basically praise her and be entirely about her and her unique features and personality traits, and then at the very end the last few words would lead up to a stop where I will stop playing and speak the words "will you be my wife" or "will you mary me"

Then I have to ditch the guitar quickly and move from a sitting position to the down on one knee thing. Kind of awkward, but maybe it will work...Another thing I have to think about is that if I do this, it may throw the whole idea of writing in the sand out the window, or make it very hard to merge it with this idea....

 

[FrekeChild]

What is you did the whole "I was wondering if you would be my wife...", but since you''re doing it on Valentines day--you could start to write "I was wondering if you would be my valen..." and then scratch out the "valen" part and write "wife" over it or nearby--that would totally throw her off for a minute there. Hee hee. I''d kick my BFs butt if he did that to me. Get my hopes up, then dash them, and then he''d give it to me anyway. Talk about a roller coaster...

That''d be awesome.

 

[princesss]

Date: 1/4/2008 5:24:53 PM
Author: FrekeChild
What is you did the whole ''I was wondering if you would be my wife...'', but since you''re doing it on Valentines day--you could start to write ''I was wondering if you would be my valen...'' and then scratch out the ''valen'' part and write ''wife'' over it or nearby--that would totally throw her off for a minute there. Hee hee. I''d kick my BFs butt if he did that to me. Get my hopes up, then dash them, and then he''d give it to me anyway. Talk about a roller coaster...


That''d be awesome.

FrekeChild, that''s awesome! It definitely keeps the surprise there.

However, time is definitely an issue. I like the idea of walking along and writing it with her.

I know you want it to be big, but what if you did something like blindfold her, and have her listen to the waves for a minute or two. You could talk about how they come in from all over the world and wash over the beach, just like there are a million different reasons you love her, and they wash over you....and then have her open her eyes, and it says "I was hoping you would be my Vali (scratched out) Valenty (scratched out) WIFE." or something like that. Realistically, I doubt you have the time to write it out in huge letters with her there. I don''t want to be a wet blanket, but I definitely don''t want her to catch you in the middle of writing it!

 

[J S Machine]

I think that will work!

I bet I can keep her distracted long enough to cross out Valentine, and write wife.

that is perfect!

Thanks so much yall.

 

[FrekeChild]

You''re welcome!! You''d better come back and tell us how everything went, and of course post some hand pics!!!