Five Amazing Wedding Engagement Stories

A marriage proposal is a serious thing -- and not just because it takes a relationship to the next level. You see, the moment a couple becomes engaged, friends, family, and even strangers are all eager to know: "So how'd he do it?"

In honor of Valentine's Day, Holidash spoke to five couples whose "I do" moments easily earned our stamp of approval. A Mid-Air Engagement
After months of planning their paragliding outing, Amanda Harden and Daniel Keller of Renton, Wash. set out for Tiger Mountain in Issaquah, Washington. The two daredevils put on their paragliding gear and, with the help of two instructors, began sailing into the wind.

"We got close to each other in the air and Dan yelled out, 'Can you hear me?'" explained Harden. "I yelled back that I could and then, out of nowhere, he yelled, 'Will you marry me?'"

She continued, "I was so shocked! I yelled back, 'Certainly!' and then we finished our flight. Dan landed first and was down on one knee with the ring."

Keller's family was waiting on the sidelines with strawberries, chocolate and sparkling cider.

A Snowy Marriage Proposal
On a cold winter's day, Peter McLeod of Minneapolis, Minn. somehow convinced Jenna Bender (his now-fiancé) to have professional photographs taken on the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis. After dressing up nicely, the two walked down to the bridge with the photographer.

As they were walking, McLeod stopped and asked Bender if she liked the view.

"I agreed and turned to face the photographer," she explained to Holidash. "Then Peter redirected me to the Mill City Ruins and said, 'No, look, isn't that a pretty view?'"

When Bender turned her head to get a good look, what she saw stunned her.

"On the riverbank there were 20-foot letters dug out of the snow that read, 'Jenna, will you marry me?'" she exclaimed. "I turned around and he was down on one knee with the ring in his hand."

A Magical Wedding Engagement
Dave Collodel of Springfield, Va. and his (now) wife Amanda spent their 2008 Memorial Day weekend exploring the grounds of Walt Disney World. They ate good food, rode the rides, met various characters and celebrated the five-year anniversary of the day they met. One evening, Dave took Amanda to the Cinderella Castle to watch a parade.

"I was given a handful of Mickey-shaped fairy dust and was instructed to close my eyes, toss the glitter and make a wish," Amanda told Holidash.

So she closed her eyes and tossed the glitter high into the air. When she opened them, Dave was kneeling in front of her.

"I don't remember what he said, but as the tears began to flow down my cheeks I said, 'yes, yes, yes, yes!' and he hopped up and held me," she gushed. "It was a moment I had been hoping for, but nothing I could have imagined! It was all so very magical."
A Non-Traditional Proposal
On Christmas Eve in 2008, Caroline Ring of Durham, N.C. decided to take an non-traditional approach to wedding proposals.

"We'd always agreed that if the woman in a straight couple wanted to propose, she should do it," explained Ring. "So I decided to take the plunge and plan a proposal myself!"

And that's just what she did. After months of mulling over the best way to propose to her boyfriend Keith, she designed a wedding ring, wrapped the tiny ring box in shiny gold paper and placed it under the tree with the rest of the gifts. After a romantic candlelit dinner (prepared by Ring), she nervously handed him the present.

"He opened the wrapping and then opened the ring box," Ring told Holidash. "I kneeled in front of him and said 'Will you...do you want to marry me?"

Keith responded with an adamant 'Of course I will!' and the two shared happy tears and a bottle of champagne.

A Hard Rock Cafe Engagement
When New Jersey resident Shannan Whorley walked into a Philadelphia Hard Rock Cafe in June of 2005 with her boyfriend Andy, the only thing on her mind was a tasty supper at her favorite restaurant. The avid Hard Rock Cafe fan collects t-shirts and frequents the popular restaurant in as many cities as she can. In fact, Whorley is so serious about the Cafe that she even has an all access members pass. That's why she wasn't surprised when her waiter requested her pass so that he could enter the couple into a t-shirt contest. Moments later, the waiter returned to inform her that she was a lucky winner.

"I looked at the shirt and it had the Hard Rock logo on the front, but under the logo was Andy, my husband's, name," said Whorley. "I opened up the shirt and looked at the back to find a photo of Andy and me with the words, 'Will you marry me?'"

Once Shannan set the shirt down, Andy presented her with an open ring box.

"Of course I said yes!" Shannan exclaimed.