As is always the case in the first half of February, Valentine’s Day is approaching speedily. Nowadays, the percentage of ladies who are proposing to their gentlemen has gone way up. It’s still not through the roof, but I thought I mention it being that I know a goodly handful of my readers are individuals of the female persuasion who are not actually engaged. Back when I started enjoying the mass of wedding blogs out there (and writing my own) I was nowhere close to being promised, though I wanted to be ever so badly.
In fact, I’d even tested the waters by asking The Beard what he’d say if I did propose, but the Eight Ball in his heart was all, “Ask again later.” He swears that he doesn’t remember this ever happening, but he does have a mind like a colander. Perhaps things would have been better if I had simply presented him with one of these awesome boxed proposal bowls from Paloma’s Nest.
The tiny text bowl, with its special message, comes nestled in a natural wood box filled with what looks like easter straw and topped off with a handmade wooden tag. The bowl itself is customizable (though not in time for V-day) meaning you can add your and your beloved’s names or some significant date to the bowl.
If I was giving one of these to a guy who doesn’t usually go in for jewelry or watches or things like that, I might let the message stand on its own. For a girl expecting some engagement bling, I suppose one would want to place something sparkly in the bowl. In either case, I think something like this would make for something slightly classier than the played out red rose with a ring around it but far less cringe-worthy those awful Jumbotron proposals. Yay for the middle ground!
In Slovenia, it’s said that the birds in the trees propose to one another on February 14th. Now dish, people. Are any of you expecting (or perhaps even dreading) a Valentine’s Day proposal? Or perhaps planning to propose?
I’m married already (and pregnant!) but my husband proposed along those lines. He gave me a piece of the art pottery I collect, and put a note asking me to marry him inside, along with a ring. He’s a sweetie.
Aw, that’s awesome, Pencils — and big congrats on the bun!!
I love it! I wonder if I can convince my DH to get me one for a special occasion 🙂 Shameless, I know…
If you ask my fiance, he swears I proposed to him. I didn’t, but I see nothing wrong with a girl asking her man to marry her, and I love this idea.
Those bowls are so pretty! They’d also make a great anniversary present — a custom one with your names and wedding date on it. Perfect for holding your rings on the dresser at night.
Mr Polka Dot is getting an I Love You one from PN for Valenine’s Day (hence me not posting!) I a singular word like joy so it could hang around the house nonchalantly but alas love yous were left!
The proposal ones are gorgeous and so sweet though
I hate to say it, but that bowl looks like a diaphragm…
Um, what better way to say I love you than an inscribed diaphragm?
Well, that’s the first time some one has said THAT about my work!
I will never be able to look at my tiny bowls the same way ever again. . .
I suppose a custom handstamped diaphragm may be just the perfect romantic gift for some lucky lady.
Thanks for the feature!
xoxo
🙂
I think the Will You Marry Me Bowl is so cool and unique. My fiance just proposed to me a couple weeks ago, and he has such a since of humor. On my birthday, he gave me an enormous Fortune Cookie (like seriously a foot long!) from GraciousBridal.com with a message in it that said, “Will You Merry Me?” It was so romantic!
Oooh! My boyfriend (oops, fiance) took me to dinner on Valentines Day at our favorite sushi restaurant. After the meal, they brought over some sake and a covered dish. When I opened it up, it was a giant white iced fortune cookie. I broke it open and it was a poem about when we met and ended with “Will You Marry Me?” I was so teary eyed that I didn’t notice, he had popped down on his knees and had a ring in his hand. Our server said they would never serve fortune cookies in a Japanese restaurant, but they were proud to present this one! I’m telling you, this was one killer size fortune cookie, it was about the size of a football, and I still have pieces of it in a ziploc bag! BTW, he got it at http://www.graciousbridal.com also.
I have a kind of a Valentine’s Day problem. (Or a problem with Valentine’s Day.)
We’re getting married on 11.2. next year, which is a special date for us. It happens to be a Wednesday, so we thought we’d have a party the next weekend, with only the closest relatives present at the registry office. I must say I was shocked when I noticed it would be Valentine’s. A proposal might be sweet and cute on the day of pink heart-shaped chocolate boxes, but I can’t imagine being serious about a wedding (my feelings on the damn day are, why can’t we be romantic 364 other days of the year as well).
Do you have any ideas? There’s bound to be visitors from out-of-town, and most people have jobs to go to, so I figured Saturday would be the only option. Will I just have to make the day a lavish pink circus show or try to ignore the international meaning of the day? We’d really like to keep our date but I really think Valentine’s day for the big celebration would be mostly embarrassing, not sweet. Does that make any sense?
Thank You Never teh Bride and Twistie for this blog, I love it to bits!
Thank YOU for reading, Johanna!
If it happens that Valentine’s Day is the best day in terms of scheduling, then that’s a big plus in its favor. Please do not make the day into an unnecessarily pink circus, however. In the history of all things bridal, I am sure there are many, many couples who celebrated their marriages on Halloween, Christmas, and other holidays that traditionally call for decoration without actually resigning themselves to a regrettable theme.
Among your guests there may be those who absolutely adore V-day and they will likely think your wedding fest is romantic for virtue of your chosen date. There may also be those who can’t be bothered to remember any significant dates and they will likely think your wedding fest is lovely simply because it’s yours.
The way I see it, by eschewing lacy hearts and chocolate box aesthetics you’re not ignoring the international significance of the day. Far from it! For all the swoony couples out there who give each other candy roses, there are couples who give each other video games and couple who do nothing at all. You’re just putting your own spin on what is, when it comes right down to it, one Saturday among many.
If you find yourself wanting to give some sort of shout-out to V-day, just give out some silly candy (non themey, of course) 😉 If you’re worried that people will think something is wrong with you specifically because you didn’t deck the halls with strings of light-up hearts…well, there’s always one or two people at a wedding who have their strong opinions and it’s best to ignore them.
Just do your own thing, and popular opinion will sort itself out without your having to do anything. And if that seems like a tall order, you could always delay a week!
Thank You again for making things sound simple. Because, well, they are. As the day approaches, I assume it will become even harder to keep things in perspective if they are so wildly out of it already.
As a precaution, I have started to recruit my best friends, not to cut ribbons and hearts for invitations, not to judge the millions of dresses I have tagged, but to remind me every day that it will be OUR wedding, no one else’s.