I would like to share our amazing proposal experience with you (I hear we can win our honeymoon!)...
My fiancée (her name is Jeanique) and I have been dating for 8 months after we were matched by non other than our parents! We had been discussing marriage since the early stages of our relationship, but I still took her completely by surprise. We have started looking for wedding venues since the beginning of this month (as they fill up quite quickly) but I was yet to propose. I could see that she would have liked to be engaged while the whole process was going on, but she was under the impression that I agreed with the fact that our engagement should not last longer than approximately 6 months.
As the initial date for our wedding was to be March 2010, she assumed that we would get engaged by approximately August/September this year. However, we got engaged last weekend in an idyllic setting with another surprise – I want to get married in September this year!
I had found an amazing guest house in Bishopscourt (called Bishopsgrace) which we were to visit on the day to scout as a possible wedding venue (we are looking for something elegant but intimate). I contacted the guest house the previous week and arranged a viewing to determine whether it would fit the proposal – and it was absolutely sublime. The views of the rugged peaks with the lush green of Kirstenbosch simply take your breath away, so it was an easy decision on the place of proposal.
I arranged for them to set up a table on the veranda overlooking the gardens and mountains with breakfast ready for us when we arrive. The previous day (Saturday) I had white linen napkins embroided in burgundy with our initials (MJ and JM) with the date – as something we can keep to remember the day by. I also bought a luxury orchid plant (her favourite flower) as a table centrepiece (see details later), as well as 4 bunches of blood red roses. I then took some sepia and black & white photos of Scrabble letters (arranged on the playing holder) with words like “Marry me”, “love”, “peace”, “joy” etc with a grain wood background.
I delivered all these items on the Saturday for them to drape the table with. The rose petals were to be stripped and scattered on the table, with the napkins suitably placed, and the photos also scattered on the table and inside the orchid leaves. A bottle of bubbly was also requested in an ice bucket, with rose petals all over.
On the Sunday, I picked her up in the morning (we live in the Northern suburbs) and we headed to three possible venues that were booked for the morning (a restaurant in Hout Bay, a wine farm in Constantia and Bishopsgrace). Jeanique therefore knew that we were going to Bishopsgrace, but she was merely under the impression that we were going to scout it as a possible wedding venue. In fact, I had to organise with other venues that they “cancel” on us on Sunday so that we could just “happen to go to” Bishopsgrace!
The start of the morning (whilst looking at the first two venues) was obviously quite nerve wrecking for me as my attention was clearly elsewhere while she had no idea! I constantly had to remind myself that I had to act as if I didn’t know where the place was (I even took my GPS with as if to try to find it on there!). Jeanique is incredibly inquisitive and would have picked up the slightest offish behaviour on my part, so I really had to exert myself so that she didn’t expect anything.
Upon arrival at the guest house, I naturally had to act that it is the first time I am seeing the place. Also – I had to “introduce” myself to the hosts of the guest house, who also had to act like I had never been there before. In the entrance hall, I excused myself to the bathroom, while the hostess showed Jeanique the package information. This was done to keep her in the entrance hall while I run around to the patio to hang her engagement ring (that I had designed without her knowing) on the tip of the curved orchid plant (I didn’t want to have the cliché box). When I ran around to the table, a lady (whom I presumed to be a guest) was standing at the table looking at everything and quickly enquired as to if I’m the “groom”! While she quickly ran out (the guests politely vacated the house while we had the visit), she noted that she would marry me if my girlfriend declined based on the look of the table!
I slowly walked back to the entrance hall, now clearly engrossed in the biggest moment of my life. I took Jeanique by the hand, and she could clearly see that something was different, because she immediately asked what was the matter. I just said “I haven’t been completely honest with you…” and lead her to the patio. The staff were so wonderful, they had already strewn the rose petals from the living room to form a little red path to the table.
When we got to the table, I knelt on one knee and simply spoke from my heart (I deliberately didn’t have any speech prepared – I was going to mess it up anyway!). I later joked with friends that it was easy to go down on one knee as my legs were so wobbly they were about to collapse under me anyway!
She immediately started crying and accepted my proposal just about as I was finishing my question – after which I put the ring on her finger and we exchanged bursts of crying and laughing simultaneously. The amazing thing about it was that we were completely alone (the only background noise the sound of Josh Groban and Sarah Brightman) and could then enjoy a wonderful, leisurely breakfast together. Only after this did we phone the family and friends (who of course all knew that this was coming except her).
The reason why the proposal was a brunch is that she is currently busy just about every evening with a production at the Artscape. However, for the day, I organised that she didn’t have to be in the production that day, which meant no interruptions. She was completely dumbfounded that the whole day was just ours, as our schedules have been very busy with the show being on.
Ultimately it turned out so much better than what I imagined it to be – it was just the perfect day to a perfect start of our lives together.
My fiancée (her name is Jeanique) and I have been dating for 8 months after we were matched by non other than our parents! We had been discussing marriage since the early stages of our relationship, but I still took her completely by surprise. We have started looking for wedding venues since the beginning of this month (as they fill up quite quickly) but I was yet to propose. I could see that she would have liked to be engaged while the whole process was going on, but she was under the impression that I agreed with the fact that our engagement should not last longer than approximately 6 months.
As the initial date for our wedding was to be March 2010, she assumed that we would get engaged by approximately August/September this year. However, we got engaged last weekend in an idyllic setting with another surprise – I want to get married in September this year!
I had found an amazing guest house in Bishopscourt (called Bishopsgrace) which we were to visit on the day to scout as a possible wedding venue (we are looking for something elegant but intimate). I contacted the guest house the previous week and arranged a viewing to determine whether it would fit the proposal – and it was absolutely sublime. The views of the rugged peaks with the lush green of Kirstenbosch simply take your breath away, so it was an easy decision on the place of proposal.
I arranged for them to set up a table on the veranda overlooking the gardens and mountains with breakfast ready for us when we arrive. The previous day (Saturday) I had white linen napkins embroided in burgundy with our initials (MJ and JM) with the date – as something we can keep to remember the day by. I also bought a luxury orchid plant (her favourite flower) as a table centrepiece (see details later), as well as 4 bunches of blood red roses. I then took some sepia and black & white photos of Scrabble letters (arranged on the playing holder) with words like “Marry me”, “love”, “peace”, “joy” etc with a grain wood background.
I delivered all these items on the Saturday for them to drape the table with. The rose petals were to be stripped and scattered on the table, with the napkins suitably placed, and the photos also scattered on the table and inside the orchid leaves. A bottle of bubbly was also requested in an ice bucket, with rose petals all over.
On the Sunday, I picked her up in the morning (we live in the Northern suburbs) and we headed to three possible venues that were booked for the morning (a restaurant in Hout Bay, a wine farm in Constantia and Bishopsgrace). Jeanique therefore knew that we were going to Bishopsgrace, but she was merely under the impression that we were going to scout it as a possible wedding venue. In fact, I had to organise with other venues that they “cancel” on us on Sunday so that we could just “happen to go to” Bishopsgrace!
The start of the morning (whilst looking at the first two venues) was obviously quite nerve wrecking for me as my attention was clearly elsewhere while she had no idea! I constantly had to remind myself that I had to act as if I didn’t know where the place was (I even took my GPS with as if to try to find it on there!). Jeanique is incredibly inquisitive and would have picked up the slightest offish behaviour on my part, so I really had to exert myself so that she didn’t expect anything.
Upon arrival at the guest house, I naturally had to act that it is the first time I am seeing the place. Also – I had to “introduce” myself to the hosts of the guest house, who also had to act like I had never been there before. In the entrance hall, I excused myself to the bathroom, while the hostess showed Jeanique the package information. This was done to keep her in the entrance hall while I run around to the patio to hang her engagement ring (that I had designed without her knowing) on the tip of the curved orchid plant (I didn’t want to have the cliché box). When I ran around to the table, a lady (whom I presumed to be a guest) was standing at the table looking at everything and quickly enquired as to if I’m the “groom”! While she quickly ran out (the guests politely vacated the house while we had the visit), she noted that she would marry me if my girlfriend declined based on the look of the table!
I slowly walked back to the entrance hall, now clearly engrossed in the biggest moment of my life. I took Jeanique by the hand, and she could clearly see that something was different, because she immediately asked what was the matter. I just said “I haven’t been completely honest with you…” and lead her to the patio. The staff were so wonderful, they had already strewn the rose petals from the living room to form a little red path to the table.
When we got to the table, I knelt on one knee and simply spoke from my heart (I deliberately didn’t have any speech prepared – I was going to mess it up anyway!). I later joked with friends that it was easy to go down on one knee as my legs were so wobbly they were about to collapse under me anyway!
She immediately started crying and accepted my proposal just about as I was finishing my question – after which I put the ring on her finger and we exchanged bursts of crying and laughing simultaneously. The amazing thing about it was that we were completely alone (the only background noise the sound of Josh Groban and Sarah Brightman) and could then enjoy a wonderful, leisurely breakfast together. Only after this did we phone the family and friends (who of course all knew that this was coming except her).
The reason why the proposal was a brunch is that she is currently busy just about every evening with a production at the Artscape. However, for the day, I organised that she didn’t have to be in the production that day, which meant no interruptions. She was completely dumbfounded that the whole day was just ours, as our schedules have been very busy with the show being on.
Ultimately it turned out so much better than what I imagined it to be – it was just the perfect day to a perfect start of our lives together.
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