Engagement Tales -- My Three Sons and How they Won Fair Princesses

'Tis the season of romance! And boy-oh-boy-oh-boy, it's ringing wedding bells around here! I love hearing engagement stories, how-we-met stories, and the stories of romance lasting decades, don't you? Our two eldest have each married in the past two years, we have the next two weddings coming soon, and we wouldn't be at all surprised by a final engagement announcement yet this year.

Our two unmarried sons both got engaged the first week of this new year. Cade is getting married in March, and Beau in late summer or early fall.

In honor of the occasion and of Valentine's Day, here are my boys' engagement tales. It's been such a thrill to observe the creativity they each used in asking for their sweethearts' hands. I'll start with son number one who just celebrated his and his lovely wife's second anniversary the same week of the other boys' engagements. Winter in the Northland makes for warm hearts I guess!

Quinn proposed on a golf course. He'd never been a golfer, but during his courtship of Brandi, she taught him a thing or two about her favorite sport in which she'd won some tournaments. So on a spring day in May of 2010 -- on the one-year anniversary of their first date -- Quinn decided to celebrate by taking her golfing. Unbeknown to Brandi, a sparkly ring lay nested in its box in hole #4.

Quinn, a natural athlete, never golfed so poorly as he did that day. With each hole, it got worse. He was all over the green and in the woods, and he was certain she'd get to hole 4 way ahead of him and he'd miss his own engagement. Each shot grew more stressful as his insides began to flutter. But when the time came, he managed to stay close enough to catch the puzzlement on her face when she looked into the hole. As understanding dawned, she dropped her club and started crying, "No way... no way... no way..." She stood in disbelief until he came over, dropped to one knee, and popped the question.

To our delight, a friend employed at the golf course captured shots of the big moment (while also making sure no one else found the ring first).

What's that in hole #4?

They both cried.

Thumbs Up!

Quinn and Brandi married Dec. 31, 2010

Son number two, Cade, could hardly wait to propose to his girl Beth. They'd known each other since they were in their early teens playing Ultimate on the Frisbee/disc field. But for a few years adulthood took them in different directions. When Cade went to the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota last summer, he was afraid he might lose his opportunity to win the girl who was quickly finding a home in his heart, so he and Beth started a long distance friendship that quickly grew to love.

On New Year's Eve, one of the coldest days of 2012 and also the last day of the deer bow hunting season in Wisconsin, those two bundled up to go bow hunting. Cade had a proposal in mind that didn't involve the four-wheeler breaking down and a long, cold hike. But he determined not to let that stop him from his secret plan.

At the deer blind, he asked Beth to go out and dump a little corn near a tree. She was worried she'd do it wrong because he's a fussy hunter. He coaxed her to go ahead. She had hoped a proposal wasn't far off, but she sure didn't expect that little box to fall out of the bag into the corn pile. When it did, Cade stepped out of the blind and, there in the falling light, with pink noses and rosy cheeks, in all of 11 degrees, he bent the knee and popped the question. We were all excited to find it captured on the trail camera. He'd set up a video camera in the blind to catch them "shooting a big one", but unfortunately a tree got in the way of the proposal.

She thinks there's only corn in that bag.

Cade bends the knee. She's excited!

Awe... in love... Hey, I think I just saw an 8-point buck go by!

Cade and Beth, marrying March 16, 2013

Son number three, Beau, is a musician, so we weren't surprised at all when he decided that a singing proposal was in order. His sweetheart Elizabeth works part time at David's Bridal (how convenient!) and he'd been thinking that the Olive Garden Restaurant near there would be a good place to set up his proposal. Imagine how he chuckled on the day before he intended to put his plan in motion when Liz called and asked him if he wanted to meet her for lunch at -- oh -- Olive Garden! So he said sure, dressed up for the occasion, and headed there early.

After conferring with the manager and staff, Beau arranged to have an employee hide his guitar in the kitchen and play along with what he was going to do. Beau set up a video camera in some greenery near their corner table. He barely had time to turn it on when Liz walked in the door. He was afraid it wasn't set up properly or focused on them, so he kept looking nonchalantly over at it while they ordered. It was working fine, but he wasn't sure. They were so cute! They looked like they were on their first date. He was all nervous and excited.

While looking over the menus, Beau casually mentioned that he'd written a new song and would play it for her if he only had a guitar. She was a little weirded out when Beau asked the waiter if they happened to have one, but she didn't catch on. In fact, she was enough stunned that he was about to play and sing at their lunch date that she didn't even realize it was Beau's own guitar that the waiter delivered. We giggled later over how surprised she was that someone actually had a guitar in the kitchen of Olive Garden.

As he got to the chorus, she finally understood what was happening. It all cleared up when he set the guitar aside and sang the last line "will you marry me" a cappella as he got down on one knee. After that it was kisses and hugs and clapping from the staff and other guests.

They haven't had their official engagement photos done yet, but we have one caught that day in the restaurant, and some pictures of them as the sweet couple they are.

Love Songs...

Sweeties!

After the serenade, she said yes! (At Olive Garden)

Beau and Liz, marrying autumn 2013

It's been fun as a mom of boys to watch them fall in love and plot special proposals for their fair princesses.

Here's to hearts full of love in your 2013!

Naomi

http://www.naomimusch.com