Mind if I share two? My co-worker got engaged last night....
Her partner of..12 or so years, has never shown an interest in home improvements. Last week, he started working on a deck for their backyard....and last night, insisted on going to Walmart and buying a new grill, and new outdoor furniture...
When they got home, she went to the kitchen to make dinner, and he called for her to come into the living room, he had something to discuss with her....and he was holding the box.
He also let her know they are getting married over the July 4 week, (courthouse) and turning the yard into a campsite for friends and family (they each have grown children) and that her sister agreed to bake a cake.

My proposal was a bit odd. We are both owners of black VW New Beetles with tan interiors, and both are members of New Beetle .org... and had been to several GTGs at the same time...but never talked to each other, or remembered what the other looked like (knew each other's cars though....) ...until the failed GTG at Groundhog Day 2003, when we were the only 2 bugs to show up. Jump forward to 2005, at dawn....the fireworks had just finished, Phil's prediction  was just made when he drops to both knees in the snow. I thought he lost something. A girl behind me screamed "Oh my God!" I thought something happened behind me...when she grabbed my shoulders and spun me around to see him kneeling in the snow, holding a box...and a reported from the Post-Gazette right behind him with a notebook. I heard not heard a word he said...so I just nodded and grinned...and got interviewed on the spot. He later asked me what my answer was.
Oh! I was wearing a huge beaver coat, a hat with eyes, ears, and an upright tail, and brown paws..while holding Scooter.
The ring? A silver and garnet that I pronounced quite ugly, and worst of all, it had a full round shank...which felt really bad against the pinky finger I broke a little later...so I was sporting a silver splint and a silver and garnet ring. He is still apologizing for that ring .

Here's mine.  We had only been dating for a month, but we were talking very seriously about getting engaged, and I knew he had gotten the ring from his mother (I was actually waiting in the bank while they went into the safe deposit box together to get it.  Bizarre, but that is another story).  Anyway, I had been working very hard, long hours and knew we were going out for a surprise, which he had told me was not going to be a proposal, and I was so exhausted I asked if we could postpone going out.  He got very upset and finally gave up with a cold "It would have been worth it."  Well, I figured it out and then had to calm him down and convince him to go on. 

So we drove to a hotel nearby and he had reserved the penthouse.  We had a beautiful dinner, and then he turned on the tape player he brought with him.  He had been writing a song for me since our second date, but up until that point I had heard the music but not the words, other than the chorus, which is just my name.  He had made a recording of himself playing the music, and we sat on the couch and he sang it for me.  The proposal was sung in the middle of the song.  I actually thought he was going to continue singing, so I didn't answer at first, which he still gives me a hard time about.  When we got married he surprised me again by making a full recording of the song, which we used for our first dance.

Ok guys, I am heading to work in a bit with wet eyes, great stories!

Sam, we don't drink either, but we do match sodas to food, and have discussions over which meats go with which color birch beer LOL

Such lovely and romantic stories!  Mine doesn't remotely compare but here goes......

DH and I had been dating just 2.5 months when he was posted to Bosnia for 3 months.  I was beyond bummed.  When he came home, I was thrilled but he was quiet.  I didn't know why.  Anyway, the next day we were milling about at his house and he said to me, "I have something to tell you".  Well I could tell by his face that it wasn't good.  So I said, "You have to go back, don't you?".  He nodded.  "Are you going to be gone for my birthday and Christmas?"  He nodded.  "New Years?"  He nodded.  "Valentines?!"  He nodded again.  Well that was it!  I burst into tears and ran for the bedroom.  I was sitting on the edge of the bed just sobbing.  He kneels down at my feet and says, "But I have something good to ask you?  Will you be my wife?"  I don't think I said yes but I remember not knowing whether to continue crying or attempt a smile!

The next day he took me ring shopping and as soon as we walked into the jewelers he said to the assistant, "Where are your pear shapes?"  He had remembered that I had a thing for pear shapes from a discussion when we first started dating!

Great proposal story DL--nothing like a good belly laugh I always say

I hear you DL--my SW can bring me to my knees. There are literally times I can't breathe--her timing is impeccable!  We have a framed print in our library that says "we laugh to survive".

  Keep these stories coming!!!!!!!!

And you get to add yours soon Ace......................YAY!

Here's mine...

I asked my wife to marry me without a ring (which is sacrilege on this site!!!)

Anyhow, she was a year behind me in college and I was heading to medical school. She always said that the ring did not matter--it was being together that mattered most. When she told her friends and family that we were engaged, they questioned it because she didn't have a ring. I felt so badly for her that I practically sold everything I owned(which wasn't much) including my car to buy a diamond.

I went to a wonderful restaurant and gave the diamond to the wait staff three hours before the restaurant opened. (Can you imagine doing that now?)
I asked the staff to present the ring on a plate before our appetizers. After cocktails, the waiter presents the ring on a 1 foot fruit tower with cascading bean sprouts, grapes, avocados and strawberries. It was a work of art. At the very top they put the ring in a crystal case and added a small card that said...Will you marry me?''. The presentation was beautiful and quite spectacular--I never expected the restaurant to do that!!

DW looked at me and asked "Did you order the fruit plate?'' LOL!

Eventually she saw the ring.

The entire restaurant applauded.

Fast Forward: After 15 years of marriage, DW had her ER and WR stolen by a chambermaid. It took me another 10 years to get the nerve up to buy her a replacement (long story).

Here's how I re- proposed to her on our 25th:

With the help of some of you here, I purchased a RB solitaire replacement ER.

DW and I flew to our hometown on the weekend of our anniversary. We checked into an exclusive hotel/spa and I arranged for a couples massage. Before the massage, I spoke to the hotel staff about my plans and made arrangements with my masseuse to help me pull it off. Here's how it played out:

I secretly handed off the ring to my masseuse, after having my wife's masseeuse put cucumber slices on my wife's eyes so she could not see what was going on. (This is not something that they usually do so I had to make sure they had cucumbers available--anyhow, they thought it was kinda neat that I thought of it). I also arranged to have her masseuse end the massage with DW's L hand and to change places with me at the end of the massage. I stressed that we had to do it very quietly and without any interruption of the massage. The two masseuses arranged non-verbals with each other to communicate. My cue to switch would be when my masseuse placed the ring in my left hand. When I felt my masseuse place the ring in my hand I knew it was time for the ol' switch-a-roo. 
 
I very quietly changed places with my wife's masseuse and after some gentle hand stroking I placed the ring on her finger. I removed the cucumber slices, kissed her eyes, then her hand and asked if she would marry me all over again. DW hugged my neck and started crying. While still in the hug, I looked up and saw the staff quietly backing out of the room to give us some privacy. One of them winked at me and I saw a tear run down her cheek as she closed the door behind her.  DW was sobbing at this point. 

Afterwards, I arranged a manicure for her (so that she could admire her new ring without being obvious) while I returned to the room to place the champagne on ice.  We completed the evening with a romantic dinner at the original restaurant that I proposed to her.

(Edited for spelling)

What wonderful stories....**sniff**  My story pales in comparison as my husband is not that romantic.  I mean that in the kindest of ways!   
    Mindi,  your proposal story is probably at the same restaurant my husband and I ate at the night he proposed.  (border of Kentucky and Ohio)
   He was too shy and nervous to propose to me at the restaurant, so we went to a place more private.   I remember his proposal as if it was yesterday... He had the most genuine and wonderful sparkle in his eyes as he was down on one knee, taking my hand, and asking me to marry him.   I have tears in my eyes just thinking about it.    He is one of the most genuine souls I have ever met.   He may not say alot in words, but he truly shows his love in his actions.   (No...., I won't put up the "sex" smiley...get your minds out of the gutter!)   

    keep them coming ladies and gents!  beautiful stories!

I too am loving this thread.  Great stories from all !!!

Mine certainly is not exciting, but sweet the same.  My DH and I had dated since I was only 15.  We were each others first love.  Our first date was a triple blind date, as my DH was the only one who was old enough to drive, so the others "fixed us up" so they could have wheels.  It only took a few dates before we started talking about marriage.  Being from such a small town, going to the mall, holding hands, and walking around was a date.  Once we looked in the window of a mall jewelry store and saw a little RB solitaire on sale.  I just remember saying how I thought it was pretty, and how I didn't want a big diamond.  He went the next day and secretly bought that ring with his little savings account.  He proposed on his 18th birthday, inside his truck, at one of our favorite spots.  We married 8 months later, just a few days after my 18th bday.  It will soon be 24 years ago!  Lots has happened over the years with 2 beautiful daughters, one who is now 20 and married.  We have had a wonderful life together so far, and never once would I have guessed I'd be a preacher's wife!