A MARRIAGE PROPOSAL STRAIGHT OUT OF A HALLMARK MOVIE

I love hearing a good proposal story, and since Dane proposed six years ago in December, I thought I would share ours! Not only is it a fun story, but I also wanted to share a little bit about my ring and the big risk Dane took.

SNEAKY, SNEAKY

Dane and I had been talking about getting married for a few months before he proposed. I was getting so excited and I really wanted to be engaged during the holidays because it just sounded so fun! But Dane was adamant that he did not want me to know when he was going to propose. It was a season of impatient anticipation. Thanksgiving came and went, and then Christmas break was drawing near… I had doubts that Dane would actually propose before Christmas.

By the time it was December 19th, I was convinced Dane wouldn’t propose before Christmas. My little sister was headed to Peoria to visit me, and I was fighting feelings of disappointment. However, little did I know that my sister and Dane had been plotting away behind my back!

Man and woman hugging

A BROKEN CAR

My little sister, Brittany, was making the seven hour drive to come stay with me for a few days. I was excited to show her my apartment and where I lived. However, when she was about an hour away, Brittany called me to say her car had broken down; she said she had stopped to get a slurpee (which is totally believable), and then her car wouldn’t start. 

I tried to stay calm. Dane was at his tutoring job, so I immediately grabbed my coat and headed out the door. On the way, I called my dad; I had no idea what I was supposed to do when I got there. He walked me through who to call and what not. Again, I had no idea, but my dad knew exactly what was happening, and had to go along with the whole thing.

Then, I finally got to Brittany, who was in a high school parking lot (which I didn’t think was weird at the time), and I started looking at her car. I tried starting it and, to my surprise, it fired right up. I looked over at Brittany with frustration, like “Really? You made me drive all this way?” Then I tried starting her car again, and again, it worked perfectly fine, but as I was getting out of the car, I heard a clicking, clacking sound and looked up.

A HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGE

There, coming towards the car, was a horse-drawn carriage, and Dane sitting in the back seat. Cue the tears. 

The carriage pulled right up to where I was and Dane stepped down to greet me. He asked if I wanted to join him for a carriage ride, of course I said, “YES!” Talk about a scene from a Hallmark movie! It was SO magical! We took a nice ride around town and then pulled in front of a historic mansion (which, isn’t that ironic now that we are renovating a historic building). 

As we were standing in front of the mansion, Dane got down on one knee and asked me to marry him, a memory I hope to never forget. It was after that that I noticed Brittany was there and some of our friends.

A RING (I THOUGHT) I DIDN’T WANT

A lot of girls spend time thinking about what type of engagement ring they want, and some couples even pick out a ring together. While Dane and I never went ring shopping together, I had strong opinions and knew exactly what I wanted. I was very specific and told Dane that I liked the simple, classic look: a yellow gold band, with a simple round diamond with no halo. Nothing flashy or fancy.

Also, absolutely no rose gold. 

So, you can imagine my surprise after Dane proposed and I wiped away my tears. I looked down at my finger. I could finally see the ring, and then I realized that the ring he picked out was pretty much the opposite of what I wanted. It was rose gold with a halo!

However, the best part is that it turned out to be even better than what I thought I wanted! Isn’t it funny, here I thought I knew exactly what I wanted and then Dane surprised me with a ring I couldn’t have even imagined and it was perfect; the ring he picked fit my personality and love for vintage to a tee! I’ll admit, he took a risk with the ring choice, but what a beautiful reminder it is of how well he knows me.

Hand showing engagement ring

THE BEST PLAN IS OFTEN ONE WE CAN’T IMAGINE

The same is true of God. Isn’t that exactly how God often works in our lives? His plans may not be what we thought would be best or even what we wanted, but they have a funny way of turning out to be even better than what we could plan (which isn’t by accident). 

So, as we approach Christmas and a new year, I hope this encourages you. Maybe life doesn’t look like what you wanted or planned, maybe God shut some doors, or opened ones you weren’t expecting. Whatever the circumstance be, I pray that you remember what I’m reminded of every time I look at my ring: that God has a plan and purpose for your life, and it is far better than we could ever imagine! (Ephesians 3:20)

2 thoughts on “A MARRIAGE PROPOSAL STRAIGHT OUT OF A HALLMARK MOVIE

  1. Love your engagement story and the encouragement to go with it! Thanks so much for sharing!

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