Wholesome, Thoughtful Proposals To Restore Your Faith In Love
Whether you've been ghosted one too many times or you're just a cynic, everyone can use a little reminder every once in a while that true love is out there. It really does exist, we promise, you just have to find that person who's willing to propose 148 times without you knowing... seriously someone actually did that, stay tuned.
You might be searching for ideas for your own viral proposal or maybe you need a little inspiration for the intimate proposal you've been trying to figure out for weeks. No matter what, who doesn't love love, right?
Edi's Engagement Plan
While planning his proposal to his girlfriend Cally Read, Edi Okoro knew that he didn't want an over-the-top extravagant proposal, nor would she. Okoro says he isn't much of a planner and he wasn't interested in organizing a flashmob or a plane to fly through the sky to spell out "will you marry me?"
Okoro wrote on his Facebook page while sharing his story that his girlfriend knows "Edi doesn't plan" so if he were to plan a last-minute holiday or even a fancy dinner, he suspects his girlfriend would've known something was up immediately.
A Spontaneous Improviser
Okoro describes himself as a "spontaneous improviser" and decided he wanted the proposal to be spontaneous, which led to him carrying the ring around in his pocket while he waited for the right time.
As days turned into weeks, the right moment still hadn't come after a month, so he started a challenge with himself. Okoro wanted to see how many times he could take a photo of himself with the ring in a normal situation without his girlfriend noticing.
Waiting Around
Okoro said, "the idea was to take as many photos, in more daring scenarios, until I found the perfect moment to propose, or until I got caught." If he had been caught he had planned to just propose at that moment, because what else could he do, right?
This challenge led to nearly another full month of Okoro carrying around the engagement ring and finding situations to photograph himself in.
Getting Antsy Waiting For The Right Moment
From sitting on the couch with Cally just behind him to the ring actually lying on her back while she was staring at her phone, Okoro seemed to get more and more confident as the days went on.
A personal favorite is the one where she's asleep and he sets the ring directly in her palm. A very risky one! He even shot a few longer videos when he was feeling particularly gutsy.
Taking Risks
Okoro said there were a few very close calls along the way, one of which was the photo where he holds the ring directly above the binoculars his girlfriend was looking through.
He said they were risky "because she could have just looked up!" Okoro also said that he actually bumped into Cally a few times while the ring was in his pocket, but she never noticed that it was a box.
The Moment Finally Happened
Eventually, after nearly two months, Okoro found the right time to propose, and she, of course, said yes! He shared the story of his antics leading up to the proposal on Facebook which became a viral hit in no time, receiving over 60K shares and nearly 80K likes.
He has yet to share the story of the moment he actually proposed though. He wrote on his Facebook page that fans should stay tuned for that story in the future.
Anne And Bill's Love Story
Now for those of us looking for a good ol' fashioned cry, let's talk about Bill and Anne Duncan. Anne and Bill have been married for 12 years, and Anne wanted to share a story of "something wonderful" that happened recently in their relationship.
Bill has been living with dementia for 9 of the past 12 years that the couple has been married, but unfortunately for the past year or so, Bill has been unaware of their relationship.
The Happy Couple
Bill, 71, and Anne, 69, have been together for 18 years total, but Anne said that within the past year Bill has forgotten more and more, and no longer remembers who Anne is, or even what her name is.
It turns out though, despite the fact that Bill doesn't remember that Anne is his wife, he still remembers how much he loves her, and he still feels the same way about her.
Bill's Proposal
On a seemingly normal Wednesday in August, Bill turned to Anne and he asked her to marry him. Anne said in an interview that they'd been to a family member's wedding a few weeks prior and "clearly it touched Bill as he turned to me not long after and said that he wanted to be with me forever."
Bill asked Anne when they would be walking down the aisle together, and he said that he "really really liked" her. Anne says Bill finds it hard to express himself now and doesn't typically speak much so it was even more special.
How Could He Forget About His Bride to Be?
Anne, of course, accepted the proposal, and she said she received a lot of hugs and kisses from Bill at that moment, which was very uncommon as he normally shies away from physical affection.
Much to Anne's surprise, the next day Bill yet again asked when they would be walking down the aisle. Anne had assumed Bill would forget his proposal by the following day, but she was delighted to find out he was still thinking about it.
Preparing For The Unknown
Anne was having some girlfriends over to their house on the following Saturday, so she told Bill they'd turn that gathering into an impromptu wedding, though she was still expecting him to forget since it was two days away.
Anne's daughter Andrea insisted she buy a dress for the ceremony, which Anne obliged to, though she wrote on Facebook that she was "expecting to return it unworn." The day before the wedding everything was coming into place.
Let Them Eat Cake
The day before the wedding Bill was still talking about the ceremony, so Anne went to buy a special cake for the day. That day she organized a few flower arrangements, and her friend Eva helped to sort out the ceremony details.
Anne decided they would structure it as a vow renewal ceremony for herself, but with a special section for Bill so that he would feel like they were getting married, since this was their first time getting married for him.
Newlyweds, Again
Anne and Bill's wedding went off without a hitch (other than the couple who did, in fact, get hitched!) Anne said they had "stunning weather all day," which was an added bonus considering the pair live in Scotland and could've easily been hit with a rainy or cloudy day.
They were surrounded by their friends and family which made the ceremony more real for Bill, but it was also a gift to Anne on this incredibly special day to know how much her husband means to everyone in their lives. Bill couldn't have been happier, nor could Anne.
Happily Ever After
The best part about it is that when Anne shared their story on Facebook, it was a few weeks after the ceremony had happened. She said two weeks after their "wedding" Bill still remembers the ceremony and believes that he and Anne are newlyweds (again.)
Even though Bill's disease took away the memories of their first wedding and of most of their relationship, he still remembers how much he loves Anne, which is all that matters.
When Ray Smith Plans, The Universe Laughs
If you think that two months is a long time to plan a proposal, wait until you hear about how long it took Ray Smith.
Smith had been planning to propose to his girlfriend Claire Bramley for quite some time but wanted to wait until he thought of a romantic way she would love. He said he even considered renting a hot air balloon for the proposal until they got some expected — but welcomed — news...
Moving Up The Proposal Timeline
Smith and Bramley found out that Claire was expecting a baby, and that gave Smith the idea for what is probably the lengthiest proposal ever.
The couple found out in June that Bramley was pregnant, and for five months that followed leading up to Christmas Day, Smith proposed to his girlfriend 148 times, and she never even knew it was happening. How is that possible, you ask? It was pretty genius.
The Perfect Proposal Idea
Smith says he searched online for other people's unusual proposals or ideas that he could use until he came up with the perfect idea.
Smith told Bramley that he wanted to document her pregnancy by taking progress photos starting on July 31st, sometimes with the couple or sometimes with just Claire and the baby. The kicker is that in every single photo, Smith would manage to hold up a card that reads "will you marry me?"
He Had To Get Pretty Creative
Some of the photos that Smith took are of himself with the card while Bramley was sleeping or turned away, or just generally not paying attention. For the ones where they were posing together though, Smith had to get pretty creative.
There was also the issue that sometimes Claire would ask to see the photos, because obviously she wanted to see the progress pics. In those cases, he would take two photos, one with the card and then one without that he could show Claire.
His Future Fiance Had No Idea
Claire says she had no idea what Smith was doing and that she was completely oblivious to it. She said in an interview, "he told me he was taking the pictures to create memories for the baby so I just let him get on with it." It seems like a legitimate reason, right?
Smith says the entire process was a little bit stressful as Claire almost caught him a few times, and he wanted to make sure everything came together properly.
She Said Yes!
148 secret proposal photos led up to Christmas morning when Smith finally proposed, using a video made of all the photos in chronological order from July 31st until December 25th.
Smith said Christmas Day was a bit chaotic getting everything set up, but in the end he managed to get the video set up and get down on one knee. It was all worth it in the end because she said yes, and they have a romantic keepsake for the rest of their lives.