Please help with proposal ideas!!!

[md]

I was planning on asking my girlfriend to marry me when we go to Costa Rica for New Year's. That was one of the main reasons for the trip besides a vacation. On the way we have to change planes in El Salvador. I have been warned (by a relative) not to carry the ring in my carry on luggage because I will have to go through customs there and apparently they have a history of "confiscating" items in question in El Salvador without question. I'm also not about to argue in Spanish with a customs guard with an M-16 in hand. I don't know if this is true, but why take the chance. Does anyone know if this is not the case or have heard any horror stories of the sort? Would insurance coverage help this situation if it were to occur?

I live in Boston and was wondering if anyone had any ideas or suggestions or things they have done that are interesting. I have been planning on Costa Rica for several months and this is a major loophole in my plan and I only have 2 weeks to figure it out! Any help would be greatly appreciated. It just doesn't seem as romantic to do it before a big romantic trip. Now I'm wishing I picked Europe instead.

Thanks,
Mark

 

[md]

I'm not exactly looking for ideas in Boston, but just general original ideas or experiences in general.

Thanks

 

[student]

I don't think it would unromantic to propose right before the trip. After dinner at the Rialto, perhaps? Then the trip would be a would be a sort of engagement honeymoon.

I am a man, however, so I am probably completely mistaken.

 

[Mara]

I agree with Student..if you plan something right before the trip it would definitely be like an engagement trip/present type vibe. Plus what girl wouldn't love to get engaged and then go on a fabulous trip??

I would assume that this is not an issue, but they wouldn't confiscate the ring if it was already on her finger in CR would they?

Good luck!

 

[Tarams]

Definitely do it before the trip!!

When it was my turn, it was also before the holidays. I knew it was coming, but didn't know when. Well, when he asked a week BEFORE Xmas, I was totally surprised! (And quite happy throughout the holidays ofcourse!) So my vote is also to do it before the trip.

(My husband had the ring tied into mistletoe, and stood under it waiting for a kiss...after many tries I didn't figure it out, and he reached up and down came my ring!) Just thought I'd share!

Good luck!

 

[md]

Thanks so much for everyone's response so far. I plan on taking everyone's advice and doing it before the trip. Let me run an idea by everyone that I saw on another site that nobody has seem to have done yet:

I am a bit of a joker. I also have a friend who works at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. I spoke with him this afternoon and he thinks he could help set something like this up for me. I would like to put the ring inside some kind of fake hollow statue or similar. The statue would be placed on a pedestal resembling a piece of fine art. I would accidentally knock it over and upon smashing on the floor the ring box would fall through the pieces (I would pad the interior of the ring box extremely well to prevent any accidents). I would pick up the box and propose there after the panic of thinking I broke a priceless piece of art. It would be a complete shock to her. Is this too extreme?

Just to let you know of my previous plans for Costa Rica so somebody else can possibly do it: I have planned while sitting on the beach to decide to take a swim. During our swim I would "happen" to find a bottle on the ocean bottom containing a message. This bottle would be hidden in my bathing suit which I specifically bought because of the large pockets in order to conceal the bottle. We would go back onto the beach where she would open the bottle to find a message of will you marry me? I would then be on my knee while she was doing this with the ring in my hand.

Please keep the ideas coming. I really appreciate everyone's input.

Thanks,
Mark

 

[student]

Wow, doing that at the MFA would be quite something. It totally depends on her sense of humor whether it would go over well. I could imagine her being a bit confused! But if you do this sort of thing all the time she wil have a quicker recovery.

How about just doing the beach proposal in MA? It's a bit warmer on the Cape than in Beantown.

 

[sarah26]

okay here is what I think you should do and I am a hopeless romantic but to keep the ring safe - leave it at home in Boston - when you propose give her a cubic ziconium ring and show her a picture of the REAL ring which you have at home in Boston - then when you get back to Boston - take her out to a nice dinner and give it to her or have her go on a treasure hunt all around the city in order to "find" the ring.
Hope this helps.

 

[beaute]

Hi, in response to the last suggestion. Hmmm... I wouldn't want my fiance make me run around the city because of a ring. This is not romantic, while it is a romantic moment. It is more like a joke over a girl who already knows about the proposal anyways. It is stupid and unreasonable to think searching for a ring will be fun. Many people will not like it.

 

[Architect]

i liked the museum idea you had alot, it is pretty unique and will definitely give her a wonderful shock and memory. here is another spin on it. since you have a friend at a museum, you can have him set up a private room that is displayed with items from your relationship such as ticket stubs from a date, cards you sent each other and things like that. it can be mounted in frames and put on the wall. then at one end of the room, you can have a glass case and place the engagement ring in there. get a small plaque made and mount it to the front of the case with the following words "Here lies the ring used by xxxxxx to propose to xxxx on XX/XX/2002". When she sees it, you can pull the ring box out of your pocket and present it to her. In the ringbox will be the key to open up the case. If I had a friend at a museum, that's the way I would like to propose.

 

[Mara]

Architect that is a GREAT idea...I love it! I don't like anything too sappy or too cheesy/jokey but I like your idea, its classy and low-key at the same time.

Also I definitely would not want to run around the city hunting for my ring. Kind of takes the romance out of it.

Good luck whatever you choose!