Our Favorite Funniest Engagement Stories

Guys! I'm sorry I've been gone so long. You would not believe the chaos here this week. Carpet is in, bird kits are out, house is in shambles, and Remy (a.k.a Mumsie) arrives in five minutes to be dogsat for five days, so this will be quick. But here are our favorite funny engagement stories!  It was sooooooooo hard to pick -- there were so many great stories -- but in the end, after we each had read them all separately and then told each other the ones that made us laugh out loud, for whatever reason (sometimes it's the story, sometimes it's the telling, what can I say?), these were our ten faves. (But honestly, thank you for sharing them -- we really loved them all.) Be warned, some of them are a little bawdy! But without further ado, and in the order they were received, here they are:

1. You Just Can't Make This Stuff Up

3/25/05 was good friday and my family (in NY) goes to this rustic buckwheat pancake house every good friday. it's my favorite tradition. ben flew from CO to NY to surprise me, and stayed with a family friend who is disabled. I was really confused because we got priority seating because of our disabled friend. We've always had to wait 1-3 hours for pancakes and never got priority seating. I thought my dad was cheating (because he often does)and I yelled at him as we were being seated. Then my dad handed me 6 plastic easter eggs. While drinking my maple milkshake (and later choking on it), each egg included a note from Ben which got progressively sweeter. The last egg said to turn around for my real easter gift and he was there! hiding in the kitchen! I didn't know he was proposing, and bent down at his level when he got on his knee, giving him the wrong hand. Everyone cheered and we got heart-shaped pancakes and they remember us and have a picture hanging in the restaurant- it was a great day."

Posted by: Emily | March 16, 2009 at 01:58 PM

 

2. Hotel robe: $60. Puppy shampoo: $4. This kind of romance: Priceless.

Ok - our engagement story was a night and morning we will never forget.
I refer to these memories as "doodle-gate"
Ben took me to a beautiful chalet in the hills and we had a romantic meal. It rained, we had a fire, chocolates, wine - the works.
Ben and I got into the one size fits all white fluffy robes. I soon discovered that one size doesn't fit all, as when I opened my eyes (after my hubby told me to close them) there was my soon to be hubby on one knee with his weener hanging out of his gaping robe. Of course he did not know this and went into a beautiful, heartfelt will you marry me monologue and I was trying not to laugh, or stare.
The next morning we went home to see our new puppy. Hank had been with us for exactly 4 weeks and this was his first night unattended.
Ben went out into the yard and I was on the phone calling my Mum to tell her our news. Mum wanted to speak to Ben, so I handed him the telephone and Hank ran in to greet me.
I was patting Hank and giving him kisses and while I was doing this I was saying to Ben "why is he all wet?" and Ben was waving madly at me from the phone.
When he finally hung up, he said "I pee'd on the dog. I was out in the bush and the dog ran between my legs".....
You can't buy this sort of romance.
:)

Posted by: Toni Brockliss | March 16, 2009 at 04:22 PM

 

3. Andy Said, "Yeah, Pick the 'Popcorn Bob' One. I Don't Know Why, I Just Like It."

My (now) husband and I had been dating for a while and I knew we were going to get engaged because we had looked at rings together. I'd actually already been planning the wedding, but he hadn't actually asked.

So you would think that there is no way that I would be surprised, right? Ha! You just don't know how slow I am.

I was living in a house with my little sister, on the other side of a tri-plex (yes TRI-plex, that's a whole other story) from my honey and his roomie. We spent all summer, the four of us, working in our garden like some tiny commune. I worked at a preschool during the day and when I came home I'd make dinner for everyone while they all hoed and pulled weeds and hung the laundry out (what can I say, we were in college) in the backyard.

I'd had a particularly bad day at the preschool and my sweet honey took me to a place we'd been on one of our first dates, but it was closed. I still have no idea why they were closed on a Thursday night. It should have been my first clue, because he was terribly disappointed. Instead we went to another restaurant, that was very nice and then we came home. I asked him to let me go change clothes and then I would meet him to go for a walk. While I was in my room changing, Josh went out into the backyard and lit about fifty tea lights all around the backyard and into the garden, leading to our scarecrow, Popcorn Bob. There was a reason why we named him that, but I can't remember what it was now.

Just as he finished lighting all these candles his old roommate drove up and flattened a few. He didn't stay long because he caught on pretty quickly as to what was going on.

Josh left a note outside my bedroom door (like I said, I hadn't caught on so I was taking my time) and called me after I didn't come out for a while. I read the note and it was a poem about all the weird names of people we knew and it instructed me to come outside to our scarecrow (the aforementioned Popcorn Bob). I came outside (still clueless) and found all the candles and my sweetie standing in the middle of the garden next to the suspended overalls. He gave me another note telling me to look in the pocket of the Bob's overalls and I did. And I dropped the ring in the dirt. In the dark. After some scrambling we found the ring and Josh proposed.

Posted by: Chara Watson | March 16, 2009 at 09:23 PM

 

4. "I Do," but First a Little Profanity

Ok, so this is the story of my little sister's engagement (just happened on New Years Day!)

My sister and her boyfriend had been dating for about 7 years. He had joked around with her numerous times about getting engaged without ever proposing (example, a few months back her boyfriend's brother was planning on popping the question to his girlfriend. The ring was at their parent's house. My sister and her boyfriend were over there visiting when he opens up a drawer and throws a ring box at her. She opens it up and gasps and says "what's this?" he says "well, what do you think it is?" she's about to ask if it's an engagement ring for her when he tells her that it's his brother's ring! How mean!)

Anyways, New Years Day - we have a family tradition of eating Chinese food and getting excited about our fortunes. My sister's boyfriend gets up to help grab the fortune cookies and passes them out to everyone. Everyone is cracking into their cookies when my sister says "oh, look I've got two fortunes" then she yells (in front of our parents, aunts, uncles, cousins and grandpa) "#&%* Off!"

It turns out her fortune cookie said "Will you marry me?" and she thought her boyfriend was playing a trick on her!

Lo and behold, he wasn't this time, she turned next to her and he was on one knee!

The only regret of the night was that my brother wasn't able to get to the video camera fast enough to witness the cursing!

Posted by: Michelle | March 16, 2009 at 10:07 PM

 

5. Note to Self: Check Calendar First

We got engaged after my exams at the end of second year and phoned home all excited and giddy to let my mother know our good news. She had a strange reaction - was not pleased at all. She told me to stop with the joking around and that it was not funny. I insisted we were serious and she said,"So this is not an April Fools joke?" and I thought,"OMG is it April 1st ?" and then I turned to my boyfriend and said, "April Fools"? feeling suddenly sick and that maybe he was pulling a joke on me. He mistook my reaction and said April Fools!!!" looking stricken, thinking I was telling him that my acceptance had been a joke. But then I really thought he was pulling a very unfunny joke on me. Both of us thought the other was fooling around. It was terribly confusing, sort of like an Abbott and Costello routine. We sorted it out eventually, but everyone we told also thought it was a joke. No one believed us...Do not get engaged or tell people about it on April 1st. But most people know that don't they!!!

Posted by: Karen | March 16, 2009 at 10:17 PM

 

6. When You Forget There's Been No Proposal . . .

My husband and I had been together for a few years, had been cohabitating for 6 months or so. We had talked a little bit about staying together forever. I apparently used to bug him just a little bit "when are you going to ask me to marry you?" etc. In fact, Christmas 2004 I had said out loud, while in the presence of his entire family "It's odd that I married someone who isn't a miner, given my family history of doing that" and he said "Uh, Donna, we're not married." Right. . . .

(Editor's note: They did get married later, but I just busted out laughing when I read this paragraph :-)

Posted by: Donna | March 17, 2009 at 05:07 AM

 

7. When the Crazy Old Drunk Lady's Husband Is Just Too Slow . . .

Matt proposed to me on top of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis after a gorgeous dinner. It was a starlit night, ducks were quacking, and Matt got down on one knee.

I could tell that he'd worked so hard, saving money for the ring (we were poor, slightly insane 20 year old college students) and picking the most romantic engagement setting he could find.

He gazed into my eyes, popped open the ring box and then... before he could say anything an older woman reaking of beer came out of no where, grabbed his shoulder and leaned into my face.

"Is he PROPOSING???!!!!"

Everyone on the roof stopped what they were doing and stared at us and the elderly drunk woman with blue hair.

I stood there with my mouth gaping and Matt (bless his heart) said softly, "Well ma'am, I'm trying to."

It was so awful it was funny. Drunk lady's husband came running across the roof, apologized profusely and led her away as she yelled, "They're gonna get marrrriiieeeed," to anyone that would listen.

Matt shrugged, looked at me and said, "Well?" I said, "Ok." And that's our engagement story.

Posted by: Liz | March 17, 2009 at 06:26 AM

 

8. Napping, but With One Ear Open

Larry and I had been together for nearly a year. One afternoon I was "napping" next to him. I heard him ask if I was sleeping, but just didn't feel like talking so I did not answer. I was too exhausted. Next thing I hear him say is "Marsha, will you marry me?" "What?" I immediately said as I was sitting up. He said he was just practicing. Who practices that with the person right there? Of course who "fake sleeps" too? Needless to say that was my one shot at a proposal and I took it. We have been happily married 12+ years and are the proud parents to 5 wonderful kids.

Posted by: Marsha Roberts | March 17, 2009 at 11:16 AM

 

9. Aw, thanks, Dad -- but what are you talking about?

My engagement story: my long-time, cohabiting boyfriend decided to propose to me, but thought it would be polite and old-fashioned to tell my parents about it first. My dad, being a pretty modern guy, naturally thought that Michael was telling them AFTER the fact, since why on earth would he tell them that he was GOING to propose before asking me? [I'd have to insert a long paragraph here about how soft-spoken and, well, shy my spouse is to make it more clear how this misunderstanding could have happened]. Anyway, I was at home, wondering where on earth Michael was, when my dad calls and says, "Oh, my little baby, we are so happy for you!" Then I hear my mom in the background saying, "JAY! Hang up right now!" (apparently she hadn't misunderstood). There was some rustling around, and then "click." It didn't take me long to figure out what was going on, and as soon as Michael got home I told him about it--he ended up "proposing" with a red face, and now almost ten years later I love to tease him about how romantic it was when my dad proposed to me!

Posted by: Katie | March 17, 2009 at 11:23 AM

 

10. What Happens If You Wait Too Long

Okay, here goes. My boyfriend and I came to the mutual conclusion that we wanted to marry each other at about the same time. It was about Christmas, 2006. We went ring shopping together, which (admittedly) did take some of the element of surprise out of things, and picked my ring out sometime in early January.

What ensued was three months, that's right, THREE MONTHS of torture! I knew he'd picked up the ring, I knew he had it, I just didn't know WHEN he was going to finally propose! I was dying to share our good news with our family and friends! During this time, we would have a game we played:

Me: Sure would be nice to be engaged...
Him: Oh yeah? What makes you think I'd want to marry you?
Me: Well, we picked out the ring...
Him: Mmmm, yes. About that ring. Where do you think I could've hidden it? It could be anywhere... I could be looking at it RIGHT now!
Me: Aarrrggghhhh!

It was March before he finally got around to things. On a nice, sunny Saturday, completely out of the blue he made a suggestion to head up to a state park where we'd gone on our first date. Patrick is not the type of guy who typically suggests plans for a day, so my suspicions were roused.

I said, "That sounds like a great idea. Actually, I'd been thinking about how nice it would be to go to [insert name of state park here] and get engaged."

He immediately deflated, and I realized, shoot, he's actually planning on proposing.

And of course, that's exactly what he did.

Posted by: Kristina | March 17, 2009 at 02:57 PM

Comments

[Tisra]

Hanna, in one of the other comments sums it up perfectly: "Reading all this little stories made me feel happy – love is the best!".

What a cheerful way for me to start my day! Makes me want to call my sweetie at work and keep him on the phone just to hear his voice.

Tisra
married 10 1/2 years
www.bdhq.net

[Nita in South Carolina]

Please, oh please, give the weener lady an extra prize. Cannot stop giggling.

[emily ruth]

those were so fun! maybe this should be an annual thing...:)

[Liz]

Thanks for picking my story, I'll be sure and tell Matt he did not suffer that humiliation in vain. :)

[Jessica]

What beautiful stories! It's nice to feel that there are funny, light-hearted ordinary people out there like us!

Crossposted to my blog.

[ter]

hi, I came here from Liz's (Mabel's House) Blog and when I saw your dog at the top of the page, I said aw look at that doggie! and my dog, who was sleeping on the other couch made a mad scramble to the window to see the doggie! I tried to convince her that the dog isn't outside! haha! Anyway, cute pup. I'm going to check out the rest of your blog while I'm here. :)

[Shelley (Pink House)]

So delightful to read. thanks for coming up with the idea.

[Evy]

Oh my, I LOVED all of those! Haha, makes me feel too ordinary... you guys are great! I am still laughing.

[Samantha]

Oh my gosh! The drunk lady story cracked me up! The April Fools story was just painful. Ouch!

[Toni Brockliss]

Thank you for picking my story.

My hubby always hoped he would be known for his manhood and now he is.

I loved the stories and they made me laugh. It's a great way to start and end a day.

[erin]

I almost died when I read Doodle-Gate. I'm kind of immature. Nudity always scores with me. LOVE IS GRAND!!!!!

[Mamaphunk]

These are all great, but #2 had me falling out of my chair.

[Puanani]

Thanks for sharing the love! Very cute...

[Debbie]

Hi, I loved all of the stories and wished that I had had a fun story to share about our engagement when you initially posted the challenge. As I was reading the stories, I was reminded that I indeed did have a story and couldn't believe that I hadn't thought to share it. So, I hope you will be reading this and indulge me my telling of my engagement story. My husband and I got engaged when he was a junior in college at Christmas time. I had already graduated and was "waiting" for him in our college town. We were poor college students and I got a beautiful but very small sapphire ring with two tiny diamonds on the side as my engagment ring. I was very happy and loved it. I thought some day I might want a diamond but didn't care at the time. Flash forward 5, 10, 15 years... I never got another ring. I started wanting one after about 12 years, but there was never extra money for something like that, that wasn't essential. We had gone through some infertility treatments around the 7 to 10 year mark that took our extra funds then, and we bought a house or two. You know the drill. So, at our 20 year anniversary, we actually talked about getting me a real ring, but it didn't happen that year either. Then in our 21st year, we actually picked out a setting and thought maybe this year, it will happen. But, I wrecked our brand new car, and I remember telling my husband, that I really shouldn't get a ring after that. So, I figured I would maybe wait until 25 years and see what would happen then. Well, that Christmas, after all of the gifts had been opened, my 9 year old son, said that I had forgotten a gift. It was very heavy and I was concentrating on opening it and not paying attention to my husband. It was a very nice crystal vase. Inside it was a tiny box, with a placeholder ring in it ( like the kind that jewelers put in the place of rings that have been sold from the display). Still not looking at my husband, I said "is this a promise that maybe this year it will finally happen?" I was actually pleased that he was thinking about it. I turned around and he is on one knee with the most beautiful diamond ring in his hand, and he asks me if I would marry him again! I was so shocked and pleased and proud of him and my son for keeping this wonderful secret. My parents and grandmother were there, and were crying along with me. It was fun and very romantic. Thanks for reminding me of that special day. We've been happily married 25 years.

[jen]

love #2!

[patricia]

These make me feel so young and in love all over again.
21 years later, I remember it like it was yesterday.
Love them all, all the posts - especially that LIZ!

[Lauren (in PA)]

I love the weener one. Just the word weener cracks me up, but the story is so funny! I also like the april fools story!

[Emily]

We were picked- and on our engagement anniversary, too :) I'm so sappy. Speaking of, I got maple syrup in my hair tonight for our annual pancakeaversary and he didn't tell me until we were reading these just now. Loved #8 especially :)

[Sarah]

Isn't it amazing that anyone actually gets married with some of the stories you hear?? Those are funny :)

[ashley akers]

Great stories! Thanks for sharing them. That last one sounds about like our engagement. I had to wait til my birthday for a proposal.

[Amy Nieto]

No, I'm sorry, Drunken Lady WINS. That would have me laughing for ETERNITY.

These are all super sweet and awesome though! *sigh*

[charlotte]

I'm only as far as 2 and laughing so flippin hard that I've decided to take these one day at a time for many days of amusement. seriously, how could it get any better? (ok, just cheated and read 8, but still think 2 is a favorite forever.)

[Marsha Roberts]

My post is here. I am number 8. My email is larryandmarsha@hotmail.com
or you can leave a comment on my blog.

[Lisa in Toronto]

Thanks for reminding me of some of the most laugh-out-loud moments of the bunch.
I am not married, and am not planning to get married (Canada is much looser on common-law relationships), but I read every single comment ...

[Donna]

Thanks for picking my story . .I was so surprised to see your email tonight as I hadn't made it all the way through the post with the winning entries. (darn cryin' baby!)
:)
- donna