A (decent) proposal

[Deleted User]

Well, the time has come in my relationship that I think it needs taking to the next level. With both me and my OH working lots and not many of our days off crossing over, I've finally planned a date to propose.. 4 weeks time!

I'm off, she's off, it's perfect. I do want to make the day very special and avoid any one she knows finding out about it - she's made this a stipulation of any proposal. Only her mum and dad shall know about it (we all knew how her bro was gonna propose 3 months before he did). The proposal should also be special, so none of this 'we went for a walk, stopped at a bench and he proposed' spontaneity.

She's a very canny lass, so the moment I start taking her anywhere 'special' she'll get whiff of my plans. This has got to be organised like a military plan (not the kind where you get captured by the Iranians though). It needs backups and backups of backups.

I'm not too poor, so I can splash a bit of cash on it, probably about 500 - 600 quid tops. Maybe a bit more if it's extra special.

We live in Hertfordshire. It will be a Wednesday. She's a late riser, so it should happen after 12:00.

My current plan is to take off / land at a country hotel like The Grove after/before lunch/dinner. Joke ring to be delivered mid-flight. I've emailed The Grove today but had no reply yet.

So.. has anyone else planned an elaborate proposal before? Got any tips on the planning (the proposal bit doesn't worry me one jot... quite looking forward to the look on her face)

mistresslenore

Sounds lovely, but what's the joke ring about????

[Deleted User]

Ok, not joke ring, fake ring. I'm gonna let her pick the ring, she's the one that's gonna be wearing it.

A fake ring would be a cubic zirconian / fake diamond for a tenner from Argos before we go to a nice shop in Radlett / Hatton garden and go spend 2 months of my salary...

melancholly

as soon as you get 'the plan' underway, she'll know what's coming......... hard to avoid really, but if you 'go out somewhere' and drive up to a very nice hotel, it'll be a giveaway. could you get a great cover story related to your work or something to throw her off the scent a little?

sounds so fantastic - i hope she appreciates whatever you end up doing!

[Deleted User]

Ok, cover was almost blown on 'Operation Purple Dinosaur' as I checked my emails this morning and had received a quote for the balloon flight from The Grove. She walked up on me looking at the PC but i switched windows pretty quickly.

Its a bit pricey (bit over 600 quid) and i'm wondering for the money it might not be better to go abroad. Sadly there aren't enough days off in the month for that. I guess it's only money and it very similar to another price I've seen for a private hire of a balloon.

I agree with you melancholly, she'll know the moment we drive down the path to the Grove that something is up. I've took her there for lunch before on her last birthday, so she might not be fully aware of what's going on.

I now need two additional things for my plan before I can book - an alternative Plan B (balloons can be canceled at short notice due to the weather) and a distraction - a nice white lie to explain my odd behaviour on the day...

MrsTinks

Balloons get cancelled often so I'd really try to not place any hopes on that - sorry As you say it's dependant on weather and the wind can pick up quickly!
The grove also does Spa stuff so you could tell her you're takign her for a special day - treat her to some Spa treatments and tell her to meet you in the bar when it's finished Speak to the staff there and see if they can help you arrange maybe a surprise party with you and her nearest family like the brother and parents and when she walks into the room greet her on one knee... that would be romantic to me... A perfect day infact
You have an excuse for takign her there - ie spoiling her with a spa day - and you could stay there in the evening if you wanted to make it extra special - or you could take her there for a spa day, romantic dinner - stay the night and in the morning at a slap up breakfast (in bed ofcourse!) place the ring and box on the breakfast tray You could even ask the staff to do a plate with just the words marry me and place it under a lid thingy so she'll see it when she opens the lid and there is the ring and a piped message on a plate saying marry me

melancholly

tine wrote: »

Balloons get cancelled often so I'd really try to not place any hopes on that - sorry As you say it's dependant on weather and the wind can pick up quickly!
The grove also does Spa stuff so you could tell her you're takign her for a special day - treat her to some Spa treatments and tell her to meet you in the bar when it's finished Speak to the staff there and see if they can help you arrange maybe a surprise party with you and her nearest family like the brother and parents and when she walks into the room greet her on one knee... that would be romantic to me... A perfect day infact
You have an excuse for takign her there - ie spoiling her with a spa day - and you could stay there in the evening if you wanted to make it extra special - or you could take her there for a spa day, romantic dinner - stay the night and in the morning at a slap up breakfast (in bed ofcourse!) place the ring and box on the breakfast tray You could even ask the staff to do a plate with just the words marry me and place it under a lid thingy so she'll see it when she opens the lid and there is the ring and a piped message on a plate saying marry me

i wish i introduce you to my OH!! a proposal isn't really on the cards yet, but he's anything close to that romantic!

i really like the idea of having the ring at breakfast - she'll have spent the whole day before wondering when it will happen, and then have resigned herself to the fact that it won't, so it would really be a surprirse!

[Deleted User]

I may need to undertake a feasibility assessment of Operation Purple Dinosaur if they do get canceled that often. I like the spa treatment idea but it would be nice to do something together. I haven't really spoilt her with things like spa days before (i'm not stingy, i took her to prague for her birthday, I just think they're a bit of a waste since she's not a very 'girly' girl)

Dammit, why only 4 weeks to plan this. Oh, and no party/public announcement - remember - none of her family/friends are to know about it.

I think I need a new plan - I think i shall have a brainstorming session over lunch today

*flutterby*

Fab thread! I'd like to introduce you to my partner too!

Could you whisk her away, somewhere in Europe just for the day? That would be sooooo romantic.... Maybe pass it off that you have to go for a business trip???

I think the element of surprise is key really, I seem to be very much like your gf, in your words a 'canny lass' There's not much that my bf can hide from me...

Oooh, you could get her to go to the airport to pick up a member of family and meet her there and then whisk her away to Venice for the day...???

[Deleted User]

When I say canny i'm not understating it. She's an A&E staff nurse, she has jedi-like people reading skills.

Now, her dad will know about the proposal as I'll be asking him the day before. Perhaps he could take us to luton airport and we could nip to Amsterdam for the day/night. For the cost of a taxi, I might just add an extra layer of secrecy by not telling anyone we are going anywhere

There is a slight complication, her friends are visiting on Friday for the weekend and i'm going to Magaluf for her bro's stag do early on Friday morning. We also have terrible luck with travel. We had a trip to Brussels booked the day the eurostar caught fire last month. Every time we go away there's some odd disruption!

The planning is going to be a nightmare! haha, i love it really

honeypop

melancholly wrote: »

i really like the idea of having the ring at breakfast - she'll have spent the whole day before wondering when it will happen, and then have resigned herself to the fact that it won't, so it would really be a surprirse!

I agree with this, take her to a hotel for the night and have a nice dinner etc... she will be expecting the proposal and like meloncholly says by the end of the night she will then resign herself to not getting it. A next morning proposal over breakfast would then be a surprise for her. You could explain the night in a hotel as a treat as you finally got time off at the same time as each other and wanted to make the most of it.

That suggestion about having the staff put 'marry me' on a plate with a cover, for breakfast in the room, actually made me shed some tears when I read it!! Yes I am a little soppy but I would LOVE this, I would love to be shown some real thought and planning went into my proposal. Not just about planning the surrounding events/location, but the actual proposal itself.

BTW do you know that she would like a hot air balloon ride? I've never mentioned to my OH that I wouldn't like one as it's never come up in conversation but I would actually be mortified if he planned it as a surprise as I would hate it. But if it is something you know she would enjoy, then that is good obviously.

Good luck with whatever you plan, I'm still waiting for my proposal every time we go somewhere special!!