There are a myriad of ways a man will pop the big question to his fiancé. Asking your special lady for her hand in marriage should not be so complicated, so why do men go to great lengths for the most exclusive, exciting, romantic, or bizarre proposal? I “get it.” It is a special event, and let’s face it, this is something you want to do once in a lifetime. You want it to be memorable and romantic and beautiful, and maybe even spectacular!

That’s how I envisioned it. So I wrote a proposal sonnet and presented it, along with the ring, in what I thought was the perfect place and time. But my timing was a bit off. I realize now what I didn’t know then: We hadn’t known each other long enough or well enough. After meeting her objections (I was sweating it), she accepted my proposal. Approximately 7 months later, we married. That was 11 years ago.

If I had to do it again, I would be more patient. Timing is everything, and that’s the only advice I can offer. Patience.

For you guys who want it to be special, you may want to check out the “58 Most Romantic Ways to Propose” on the Knot website. I recommend making your marriage proposal romantic, memorable, and prudent–something you and your bride-to-be will cherish for a lifetime.

My proposal sonnet is titled “Gourmet Fare.” It is the forerunner to the best day of my life, when I married my lovely bride, Dawn Hamilton Lindsey–a day which is much more memorable than proposal day. Continue reading to see it. Thanks for visiting today!

-dbl

GOURMET FARE

Let me not to the marriage of true minds / Admit impediments. Love is not love / Which alters when it alteration finds, / Or bends with the remover to remove: / O no! it is an ever-fixed mark….—William Shakespeare, Sonnet 116

Vicariously, with desperation,
I seek His loveliness, His graceful state,
Surprised with joy to see what I’ve become:
A sinful man who needs a hand—a mate.

I feast his Eucharist in love and faith—
Commit to Christ and kneel for this appeal:
No sweeter recipe could carry weight
Than your consent for our conjugal seal.

Indeed, we add a dash of you and I
To blend a love in faith, but add us three,
What gourmet fare, my love, God keenly binds!
No finer mix for matrimony seen!

Therefore, my lady, please commit to me:
Let us partake of God’s sweet recipe.

— D. B. Lindsey Jr. © 2005