By Becky Easter, Staff Writer
At first, Oct. 25, 2008, was just another ACU Homecoming for Sara Beckett.
It was not until her boyfriend, Jordan Bunch, popped out of her Homecoming float and began singing to her that Beckett considered this day might be extra special. Suddenly, Bunch dropped down on one knee, and Oct. 25, 2008, became Beckett’s engagement day.
Proposals are great stories to remember and share with others. They can be defining moments and will hold special meanings for years to come.
“I was shocked and completely surprised,” said Beckett, sophomore speech pathology major from Sugar Land, who is engaged to Bunch, senior interdisciplinary Christian ministry and music major from Sunnyvale. “I suddenly didn’t feel like a little girl in pigtails anymore. I was so overjoyed knowing that the person I loved beyond my understanding would actually be the one I got to share the rest of my life with.”
Men should get creative when planning proposals, said Michael Rasa, stepfather to Jessica Weersing, junior graphic design major from Carrollton. He planned his proposal to Debbie Rasa for three or four months. The plan was to go to a four-star restaurant in Dallas called III Forks. He suggested they get something to eat after a day of looking for town homes. He asked her to order her favorite appetizer and knew it would be shrimp cocktail. When the shrimp cocktail arrived, it had an open velvet red box sitting right in the center and displaying a sparkling, custom-made ring.
“I wanted to do something she would never forget,” Rasa said. “Everyone in the room started applauding for us. The guys next to us even ordered us the most expensive bottle of champagne as a gift.”
Choosing a familiar, meaningful place to propose is what Logan Watts, junior psychology major from Georgetown, decided to do for his fiancé Becca Frei, junior communication major from Richardson.
Tuscany’s is the coffee shop where Watts and Frei visited numerous times on dates, and is a place where Watt’s band, Thus Far, frequently played. Watts and Frei were enjoying a familiar night at Tuscany’s when Watts began singing a song he wrote for Frei. As Frei listened to the song, she received a letter that said, “Will you marry me, Rebecca Lynn Frei?” as well as the lyrics to the song Watts was singing.
“I sat looking like a deer caught in headlights, while all of his friends took a bazillion pictures of me,” Frei said.
When the song concluded, Watts came over to Frei and officially asked her to marry him.
“Then I started bawling and hugged him along with everyone else in the room,” she said.
One way to get creative is to propose on the other side of the world, which is exactly what Michael Reno, junior early childhood education major from Abilene, did.
Zambia, Africa, to be more exact.
Reno and his fiancé, Michelle Neese, junior speech pathology major from Peoria, Ill., had met two years previously on their Zambia medical mission trip. They once again were together in Zambia after not having seen each other for five months. On the free day of their trip, they decided to visit Victoria Falls, a large, beautiful waterfall. Victoria Falls also is one of their favorite spots in the world.
Reno wore a tuxedo T-shirt under his sweatshirt and was prepared to pop the question. After they were able to separate from the rest of their group, Reno complained of being hot and took off his sweatshirt to reveal his T-shirt before proposing.
“Nothing came out like it was supposed to,” Reno said. “I couldn’t tell you for the life of me what I said, but apparently it was good enough. She said, ‘Yes.'”
What if your engagement took place on the very spot where your wedding will happen? Jay Swinney, junior marketing major from Round Rock, and Laurel Williams, junior health promotions major from Ovilla, will discover what it is like to have one place carry special meaning for two events.
Swinney surprised Williams by coming to her home in Dallas, when he previously had told her he was not going to be able to make it. He had told one of Williams’ friends to make plans with her and then to cancel them at the last minute. He also had given her mom the first clue to a scavenger hunt he had set up for her around town. Williams received the first clue when her friend cancelled their plans. The scavenger hunt sent her to places that had sentimental value to the two of them and included notes about aspects Swinney liked about her and memories related to the different places on the scavenger hunt. The ending mark of the hunt was where their wedding would take place, and Swinney was waiting for her with a picnic and candles.
Swinney’s advice to men planning to propose in the future includes making the proposal personal to the girlfriend.
“I did my best to include things that she likes and finds romantic,” Swinney said. “Also having help is a good way to make sure every detail goes as planned. You hopefully only do this once so you want to make sure it goes right.”
