Valentine’s Proposals
With Valentine’s Day approaching I wonder how many anxious men and women there are out there awaiting the moment they ask their soul mate to become their wife or husband..?
Why and how they used to do it!
Folklore has is that Valentine of Rome was a priest who refused to acknowledge a law enforced by Roman Emperor Claudius II, which allegedly ordered young men to remain single so that his army would grow as he believed married men did not make for good soldiers! Valentine, however, secretly performed marriage ceremonies for young men and women. How true this ancient tale is we do not know. Valentine’s Day became a date in the calendar that is celebrated in many countries around the world with some variations to how we celebrate in the UK. Predominantly it is a celebration of love and affection! The commercialisation of Valentine’s Day dates back to the late 18th Century when the first anonymous hand written Valentine’s cards were posted. Below is an example of a slightly later traditional Valentine’s card, which was also a proposal!
“Weddings now are all the go, Will you marry me or no”
Esther Howland Valentine circa 1850
The modern day proposal
Valentine’s proposals can be as imaginative, simple, public or private as you like!
With a Valentine’s gift of a lovely sterling silver jigsaw puzzle! Not the most romantic gift, but wait until the puzzle is complete…
With a “Marry Me” Love heart…
With a walk along the beach if you’re on holiday (or in England all wrapped up of course!) and writing it in the sand…
With a techy twist by proposing online, as happened on Groupon, a social buying site…
A real Valentine’s Day Proposal
A close friend of mine experienced her very own Valentine’s Day proposal 2 years ago. Mr B woke up casually on the Saturday morning of Valentine’s Day and gave my friend a Valentine’s Day card, on the front of the card were the words “To my fiancée on Valentine’s Day…”. She re-read the card and exclaimed “Are you joking!?”, to which he said “No”, then the tears came (which of course meant “Yes!”), so sweet! Mr B hastily got up and requested that his fiancée (!) get dressed. She asked why and he said “Well to go shopping for your ring of course!”. The future Mrs B promptly and excitedly got up and ready and they headed off to Hatton Garden for a truly romantic day together! The modern day version of the Valentine’s card proposal from the 1850′s above!
Mr and Mrs B were married 9 months later and now have their first baby on the way!
If you are planning a Valentine’s Day proposal we would love to hear from you after you have ‘done the deed’! Wishing you lots of happiness and of course that all important “Yes” response!
Main banner: Digital Trends
“Marry Me” puzzle: Asprey
“Marry Me” love heart: justanothersong
“Marry Me” in the sand: Hawaii Pictures
