I Proposed – He Said Yes!
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Proposals are special. They’re an official declaration of love. Kind of like a stamp that says, “This person, right here with the ring on, is mine forever”.
Conventionally, it’s the guy in the relationship that’s supposed to utter those four magical words — “Will you marry me?” But, we live in the 21st century and it’s all about gender equality, right? Men and women are the same. Whatever a man can do, a woman can too. So why can’t a woman propose?
That’s the question I had been asking myself for months! I was in love. And I had been in love for a couple of years and deep down I knew that I had found “The One.” He was everything I had ever wanted in my life and, I kind of knew he felt the same way about me as he had hinted on getting hitched on more than one occasion. But, he hadn’t popped the question yet. And that was driving me crazy! Really, how long can you wait for? I was tired of wondering about when he’ll propose/if he’ll ever propose. The pressure is too much!
So I thought to myself that enough is enough. We’ve been dating too long, we love each other very much, we want the same things in life and there’s no rule book that says a woman can’t propose. Now is the time to take matters in my own hand. And if that means proposing to my man, so be it! Yes, I decided to propose to him!
When I started thinking about me proposing to him, it kind of felt really good! I’ve always wanted to do something extremely special for him — a moment that would testify my love for him and a moment that he’ll remember for the rest of his life. Proposing marriage to him seemed to fit the bill perfectly well.
However, there was this nagging doubt at the back of my head that just refused to go. A woman proposing to her man is, after all, unconventional. It’s still traditional for a man to ask his ladylove rather than the other way round. And, nobody I knew had ever asked her man to marry her anyway.
I was too chicken to ask my friends about it (more so because I knew that despite their good intentions, they wouldn’t think of a girl proposing as a good idea). So I did what we all do when plagued with doubts — I asked Google! And believe me, the articles I read were just downright discouraging with many suggesting that not only will the guy say no, but the relationship will also be ruined forever!
That made me panic. As it is, I was nervous about breaking the conventions and going against the tide. However, something about these articles didn’t seem relatable to our relationship. My guy didn’t seem to be the kind of guy whom I would be emasculating with my proposal. He’s a very chilled out person and really doesn’t mind doing a few ‘girly’ things with me — like painting my nails! So, I decided to dump all this negativity in the drain and just go ahead with my plan.
But first, I had to come up with an idea. And the perfect one struck me almost instantly! My boyfriend is a hardcore dog-lover. So I thought of getting a litter of 8 puppies with the words: “I love you. Will you marry me?” written individually on each of their collars. You know ‘I’ on one collar, ‘love’ on another and so on and so forth. And the 8th puppy would have the ring. Our 2 year anniversary was just around the corner, so I chose the same day to pop the question.
Have you ever proposed to someone? It’s nerve-wracking! And, it was not just because I was subverting common gender notions. That aside, being at your most vulnerable and dreading that heartbreaking ‘“No” for an answer is enough to crush the strongest! Besides, I just didn’t want him to think I was stealing his thunder by proposing to him.
I went ahead with my idea anyway. I rang the doorbell and left the basket full of pups on his porch and hid. He picked the basket up and looked at it and a broad grin broke out on his face. I crept up from the corner, got on my knees and asked if he would marry me. He picked me up with tears of joy in his eyes, hugged me and said yes! That was the happiest I’ve ever been.
Proposing to someone you love is an extremely wonderful feeling. I just want to tell all the ladies out there to contemplate doing the same instead of playing the waiting game. (That doesn’t mean I don’t like traditional proposals, I’m all for them!) But, don’t hold yourself back in fear. If the dynamics of your relationship ensure you that it’ll work, do it.
Also, don’t worry about the shock and questions that your friends and family will greet you with. Who knows, you might even become a trendsetter among your peers!
Yes, it’s very scary, being a woman and proposing to a man. But all I can say is that it’s worth it! I’m glad he said yes.
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