By Chuck Woodbury
Many, many years ago, when I was a young man — late 20s, as I recall — I received a marriage proposal. It was my first and last proposal.
It was from a woman I dated in college, nothing serious. We met at a party. She was very nice, attractive, too. And smart. I am embarrassed to say her brains were not what attracted me. I know better now. But I was young and stupid.
Anyway, years later she called me out of the blue. College was behind us. She was an airline flight attendant. She asked me to dinner.
We met, a nice place, romantic actually. We had a drink or two. Then she popped the question. “Will you marry me?” Well, I must say, I was shocked. Stunned. She sweetened the deal: “You can fly anywhere you want for free if we’re married.”
I won’t go on. But free plane flights weren’t enough to lure me into holy matrimony. I was already dreaming of traveling America in a motorhome as a roving journalist. So I told her no, I could not marry her. I ran into her a few years later in Reno when waiting for a TV crew I was meeting. They were filming me for the ABC Evening News with Peter Jennings. She was with a few of her girlfriends. I smiled and said hi. She barely acknowledged me. No big hug, no kiss on the cheek. Nothing. Zippo. Our marriage would never have lasted.
So that was my experience at being proposed to, but saying no. What about you? Did you turn someone down? If so, please leave a comment with your story. Hey, maybe you got proposed to many times. If so, then definitely tell us about it.
So here’s the poll.
##RVT1112b
The first person I asked to marry said NO without hesitation, we dated three years prior. My advice, at least take the time to tell the person asking you to marry, that you need time to consider it. Who knows what they threw away in that brief reply as no answer need be given on the spot to such a serious proposal.
My wife said No for 2 1/2 years. It’s been over 52 years since we eloped. Her idea.
Only ask once 54 years ago and got a yes. Best decision I ever made as she is a real keeper and beautiful on top of that even now.
Once, well actually I accepted and then realized it he wasn’t the one and ended the engagement. This year I’ll celebrate my 47 th anniversary with Mr Right!
I was engaged a few times in my “youth” and then called it off. At the time when the question was popped I was in lust not love and said yes. Then reality would set in. I was 31 when I met my husband and we’ve been married 35 years. We knew each other for four months before getting married which is something neither of us had interest in doing until we connected.
Yeppers one time, but she was crazy-like. She was a wiccan and said I have one choice to answer and it better be yes. I said “no”, she said she would put a curse on my life and I will never be happy for rest of my life, that was back in 1982.
If you’re happy she was a liar also.
Yep. I was 22 and working at a resort hotel in the Catskills, which even back then (early ’70s) was heavily staffed by undocumented migrant workers from Central America. I was asked if I’d marry one of the young women so she could get a green card. As I recall, one or two thousand dollars was also on the table, which proved momentarily tempting, but I quickly lost my nerve and declined.
DW and I dated for 4 months, then one day I got a “Dear John” text, but she still wanted to be friends. I accepted because I was in love with her and thought I might change her mind. She had been widowed 10 years, I was a widower of 1 year. She moved, but I still went to see her, one day we went shopping for a new refrigerator. While she was talking to the salesman I was standing off to the side minding my own business when all of a sudden she told the salesman “well we are getting married”. I almost fell over, she later claimed it was leap year and ladies were allowed to do that on leap year. Later I got on my knee and properly asked for her hand in marriage. That was 7 wonderful years ago
I graduated in 1964…during the Viet Nam era, a number of the guys I had been dating were going off to war. Some asked me to marry them before they left, some while they were over there and even a couple after they got back. I knew it was because of the war, and gently told them so. Wrote to all of them (luckily they all came home) faithfully, cheering them on. Those were tough times. Many years later, after my first awful marriage, I got a couple proposals, but told them I wasn’t interested in another serious relationship for at least 10 years! I was single for 13 and now have been happily married for 30. 😉
I dated a very sweet, kind young man when I was just out of high school (1972). He worked on his family’s dairy farm. I couldn’t stand the smell.
ok..I think I’ve already divulged too much of my private life here on RVTravel to go down THIS road..lol !
My wife will tell you I asked her more than once, and her answer went from ‘not ready to decide’ to ‘no, but ask again’. I asked for over two years. I knew when she was the one I compared other dates against, and the one I could visualize us as old. It took her awhile longer. We celebrated our 44th anniversary in June.
Well, I wasn’t really asked but when her mother showed up at my job, asking me about what kind of wedding I wanted, I put the brakes on the whole idea. I’d only known her for a few weeks but she told her mother that I was the first guy that ever treated her well.
My boyfriend proposed and I said I did not think we were ready to consider that yet. He said “but my mother thinks we are”. End of relationship.
I got a yes all 3 times.
My ex asked me at least three times before I said yes. It lasted 24 years.
I turned him down the first time he asked me out because I already had tickets to the rodeo at my college (UGA)…he wasn’t impressed. Later when we lived in (I was stationed in) MT for years he came to like rodeo. However, he would NEVER go camping so I am enjoying my RVing lifestyle by myself.
I replied no because technically I said “yes” but retracted that answer the following week. Glad I waited for Mr. Right!
Same here. I said yes, but he didn’t have an engagement ring. A week later, we went to pick out a ring together, then he asked me to pay for it because he didn’t have the money. I changed my mind. I also found my Mr. Right later on.
I was asked twice by a man I knew for years and was living with. He proposed at home with a gold ring from his mother’s antique shop. I never liked gold. He should have known that I only wear sterling silver. I saw that as a sign and said no. A few years later while we were still living together, he asked again. This time he had no ring and said he wanted to get onto my medical insurance from my job. I told him no and that is not a reason to get married. I eventually moved out.
A long time ago. A wonderful Dr. From Australia ask me to marry him. I had 4 children from my marriage. (Deceased)
He pretended to like my kids, but turned on my son, because he (son) helped himself to a soda without asking. I saw the writing on the wall and thank God, I had my own place.
#2 proposal later in life after kids were on their own. An artist, who needed a nurse 24/7. I held out for the jewel God put in my life. We are a perfect match….married, enjoying full time going on 17 years.
The “REVERSE” I (a man) asked my girlfriend to marry me. She said a “defiant – NO.” Then said ” You’re a nice guy BUT —-” WHAT, I got the “BUT.” GEEEEEZZZZZZ.
We still dated and I asked her again the next month. YEP, she said “NO.”
So I changed my toothpaste brand, deodorant, type of clothing and asked her again the next month. This time she said “Oh for crying out loud, OK, I’ll marry you (she was so romantic about it – HA). That was 49 years ago this December.
I knew she was a “keeper” when we 1st dated and no way I going to let her “get away.”
So your persistence finally paid off, Jerry. Or maybe it was your new deodorant. But whatever works, eh? Thanks for the cute story. I’m glad it turned out so well.👍 Have a good evening/night. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
She sort of asked me and I guess I said OK.
Couple of very nice guys over the years…but it just wasn’t there for me.Took a few years but I finally found the right one.
Someone I hadn’t seen for a few years asked me if I was uncomfortable seeing him with a particular woman, I said no, why. He said since I was once engaged to her and she broke it off. I don’t know why she told him that but even they had known each other since early childhood, we never even dated. She could be a little strange sometimes.
The girl that I was going steady with in high school decided that we should get married after graduation and I turned down the offer so we sort of went our own way. Then came the draft notice so after I got out of the service we got together again and did get married, We just had our 58th wedding anniversary this year and heading for 59.