How to propose… How I asked her to marry me.

I found this post in our drafts section. Ryan wrote it way back when we first started the blog. I just wanted to share it with you today! 

The moment I first met my future wife I knew something was different about her and I had a strong desire to know more about her…

You can read more about how we met here…

From the start our relationship was built on complete openness and honesty…

We were very serious yet there was absolutely no pressure and that allowed us to truly be ourselves without fear of what the other thought.

I don’t buy into the idea of talking about marriage and getting married before you propose… I don’t believe in going ring shopping before you propose…

Call me crazy but…

• I believe in knowing exactly how you feel in your heart
• Stepping out in faith
• Popping the big question and not being afraid of the answer
• I believe in the art of surprise…

Capturing a special moment in time that be the memory that will never be forgotten.

The summer of 2011 was when I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.

So I went and bought a “temporary” ring. Temporary meaning a $1 ring form the dollar jewelry and more store.

Let me explain…

I was once told that if you propose with a real ring… you run the risk of her not linking it… yet she has to wear it…

Honestly, I’m torn about that statement… if she truly accepted the ring as a token of your love it doesn’t matter what it looks like right?

Well I’m no woman… nor do I try to understand…

I’d rather play it safe hence the “temporary” ring 🙂

And like I mentioned earlier if we went ring shopping she would know it’s coming and eliminate the element of surprise.

So with the ring ready to go… Now it was all about timing…

• I had a few races that summer… How about crossing the finish line and doing it there?  Didn’t seem right.
• She had her 23rd birthday… How about romantic dinner and proposal? Didn’t feel right.
• She had mentioned she had never been in a hot air balloon… after trying to research didn’t find much local help…

Then I knew when I was going to do it… well at least which week.

I had the opportunity to represent the United States at the Duathlon World Championships in Switzerland the last week in September 2011.

Cassie and I would be in Switzerland for about 5 days and that was where the magic was going to happen.

We had a few days before the race… race day… then a few days before we headed back.

After taking pictures on our very last day before our journey back I popped the question at a scenic location.

And the pictures below will tell the story…

Ryan said lets take a picture and put it on action shot so it would take several in a row. This is what we came up with.

He previewed the picture and showed it to me. I was cracking up laughing because of my faces. Then he told me to look at his finger. He proceeded to get on one knee and say some of the sweetest things!

A picture with my temporary ring. When he told me it was temporary I was like, “What? Why?” I couldn’t tell it was fake!

You can check out a post I did a year after the proposal to see more pictures and details about our trip to Switzerland and get my thoughts on the proposal. 

Until Next Time- Truly Love,

Cassie