A 21st-century proposal

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Supposedly, ’tis the season for engagement. (Read Brittany’s post.) Including my own.

My boyfriend proposed Christmas Eve, so I had the opportunity to tell the story over and over and over to friends and family during the holidays. I think I have my story down to 300 words (always a journalist). But in telling, I started to compare what made my engagement my own, different from my mom’s or grandma’s.

1. My boyfriend used an app during the proposal. It was a clear night sky, so he insisted I look at the Google Sky Map app on his phone. Pretty sure cellphones didn’t even exist when my grandma and mom got engaged, let alone smartphones. (Now stars — they’ve always been around. Maybe years ago a man might’ve proposed with a telescope?) When he asked me what this star was, pointing to the sky, he held a very special piece of jewelry in his hand.

2. Later that night, we discussed when we would post it on Facebook — yes, social networking was our first decision as fiance-fiancee. We wanted to make sure close family would find out before others. (Years ago, a couple might’ve discussed when it would appear in the newspaper. Since not all of our friends and relatives are FB stalkers, we’re still putting it in the paper.)

3. I signed up for wedding e-newsletters from theknot.com and Real Simple Weddings. (I also bought two wedding books. I guess some things haven’t changed over the years — I still like to flip through pages.) While I feel like I rocked the whole flower girl thing at 4 years old, I don’t know the first thing about being a bride.

Now I agree you don’t need a ring to profess love to someone and each person needs to know what’s right for him or her (see Sarah’s “Single People Do Exist” or April’s “I Believe in a Thing Called Love”). But for the next several months, I’ll probably be blogging about wedding endeavors.

I invite you to join me on the journey — but most importantly, to share your thoughts, tips and questions. We’re all in this chapel together.

Did you get engaged this year? Are you getting married in 2012 or 2013? Share your proposal stories!

Do you recommend any books or e-newsletters for brides-to-be?

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