I had the chapel reserved for our wedding for over a month before I proposed. I got the last open time-slot for the day that we wanted to get married.
I proposed because my mom told me to. Well, not exactly, but kinda. (*)
We had joked about dating at least 2½ years before we got married. We got married 2½ years to the day from the day we started dating.
We graduated from college in May, got married in June, and I started graduate school in July.
We moved from one apartment to another a year before graduation so we could adopt our first beagle (Jerry) who we adopted on our 2nd anniversary.
My wife was out of the country when I got my first official job offer (a Sunday afternoon). She arrived back in the country on Monday, we drove from New Jersey to Florida on Tuesday.
When we left our Florida, I sold my car (a 1997 Saturn SL1, which I loved), and drove with 2 beagles and my Dad from Florida to Ohio. Tracey and Ethan (then 1 year old) flew from Florida to Maine for her sister’s graduation. We then bought a car from her Dad, she drove to Massachusetts to pick up my Mom, and the 3 of them drove to Ohio together.
For our 10th anniversary, I saved for a year to buy her an anniversary diamond. About a week before our anniversary, we drove past a billboard which we had driven past for years advertising a jewelry store, and without any idea what i had planned, she said “I hope you’re not planning to get me something like that.” I later showed her the ring (still at the jewelry store) which she said was beautiful but something she’d never feel comfortable wearing. So, instead I sent her on a cruise with her mom, mom’s mom, and best friend from high school. Yes, her anniversary present was a week away from both of us. Those of you who know me realize that I could hardly get her anything better. Plus, can you say “Mother-in-Law Brownie Points”?!
(I threw in an extra just in case you already knew one of the other ones.)
() While we were home on Spring break in April, I told Mom that I was going to propose in September and get married in June. A few weeks later, when I was back at college, Mom called early on a Saturday morning (I have no idea what time it was in Real People Time, but in College Student Time it was *early).
Me (mostly asleep): “Uh… Hello…?” Mom: “Hi hon. Ellen [mom’s longtime friend] and I were talking at the IGA [grocery store] and we both agreed that you can’t expect her to plan a June wedding during her last year of college if you’re not going to propose until September. I called the chapel and they only have one timeslot left for the day you want to get married, so I’ve reserved that for you.” Me: “Uh… Ok.”
I don’t remember if there was anything else after that. I went back to sleep, woke up several hours later and thought “Wait, what?”
It seems to have worked out ok. We’ve been married 13 years so far.