With warmer weather just around the corner, love is in the air. Last year, more than six million couples were expected to get engaged on Valentine’s Day, the most romantic day of all. But regardless of what time of year it is, that proposal is all about the delivery of the all-important ring.
Some of the stories are filled with big, romantic gestures, while others are laced with sweet, subtle moments. The good news is that all of them ended with a resounding “yes.”Take a look at these sweet stories.
Here are 10 beautifully unexpected ways husbands proposed to their wives:
1. Choose your own adventure
“I stepped out of the shower to find him gone and an envelope announcing the beginning of a scavenger hunt that would take me 150 miles and nine hours to complete. There were clues at my parents’ house, inside a favorite book at the library, and even had to scale a 30-foot rock climbing wall inside a sporting goods store for one. For the last clue, I had to ask diners in the restaurant where we first kissed to stand up so I could look under their cushions. In the end, I found him in a mountain cabin with a ring.” – Carisa
2. Sparks will fly
“It was the Fourth of July and my mom asked my boyfriend and me to go to the backyard to get some chairs. Instead, he took me by the shed where we could see all of the fireworks, kissed me, took the ring box out of his pocket, got on one knee in the dirt, and proposed. How could I say no?” —Beth
3. Blended bridal bliss
“I have a blended family. Technically it was the 12-year-old daughter of my (now) wife’s idea for us to get married. I picked up the ring, came home, took my two kids and my wife’s aforementioned daughter into the back bedroom and we rehearsed our lines. The youngest girl nailed hers, the oldest two fumbled theirs, but eventually, they all asked my future wife: “Will you marry him and us?” Then I got down on one knee and she said yes to all of us in my kitchen. I cried the most. – Lance
4. The best prize yet
“On a regular Thursday, my boyfriend and I were watching TV at his house. He brought in a box of Cracker Jack he was eating and offered me some. I took the box, reached in, and put the toy packet aside. He said, “Aren’t you going to open that?” and then bugged me a little until I did. He had sealed an engagement ring in the toy packet with a clothes iron. It took me a couple of seconds to figure out what I was holding and it was a huge surprise.” – Beth
5. Romantic re-proposal
“I lost my beloved wedding rings given to me by my husband in a sweet proposal by the sea 16 years before. I was devastated and heartbroken. A year later and two days before Christmas, my husband orchestrated a “reproposal” at our favorite restaurant with our children present. They made a video with pictures of our lives together set to our wedding song and my husband asked me to say yes again with replicas of my lost rings. To have my children witness the love that was present 16 years ago was a gift to cherish.” – Christine
6. A great catch
“My now-husband and I like to do outdoor things. One day he put the ring on a fishing pole, we went fishing and I reeled it in and he proposed. Looking back he admits it probably wasn’t the smartest way to do it (he could’ve lost the ring!) but it was creative and a total surprise!” -Jessika
7. Standing at attention
“I proposed to my husband on my cell phone. We were both on active duty and I was in the process of separating. One Friday, he called me to tell me that he was deploying on Sunday. I called back, “I’m not waiting for a boyfriend. Do you want me to see if we can afford to get married today?” He said, “I was worried you’d leave me for that guy in readiness while I was gone, so yes.” On our lunch break, I was the judge’s first bride in camouflage and combat boots. March marks 10 years of marriage.” -Michelle
8. In rain and sun
“For my birthday my then-boyfriend gave me a day at the spa at a salon in Chicago. He said since he had spent so much money on the salon that dinner would just be casual and low-key. We were dropped off at Navy Pier for a dinner cruise on Lake Michigan. I should’ve figured something was going on when he didn’t eat dinner, but I was clueless. We went up to the top deck and it was misting rain and I made some comment to the effect of, “You better keep me warm. It’s nasty out here.” Then he fumbled over some nice sentiments but all I heard was “Will you marry me?” After the cruise a limo picked us up and took us to Wrigley Field so we could have pictures taken in front of the field – in the pouring rain.” – Laura
9. Alpine attraction
We were dating long distance Grand Rapids/Chicago and he was interviewing for a job in Grand Rapids. We had a planned ski trip in Mount Tremblant Quebec and I packed a ring in preparation. On the first trip up the ski lift he was very nervous being so high so I waited until we took the gondola up the second time and at the top of the mountain in Canada, I got down on one knee and proposed. He said yes! People share over-the-top engagements every day on social media so it’s hard to come up with something new and memorable but I succeeded in creating a treasured memory for us. – Justin
10. Boardwalk bended knee
“On our first date, my now husband and I went to a popular beach boardwalk. As we strolled the beach, we wound up talking on a jetty with waves crashing and a soft wind blowing. At one point, he looked over at me with his piercing blue eyes and I knew at that moment I’d marry him. Four years later, on that exact spot, he popped the question on bended knee. Waves crashed, people cheered and we cried. It was amazing and perfect.” -Burke