Almost everyone has heard of a hopeful fiancé who has taken an innovative route to popping the question. They might hide an engagement ring or a love note in an unlikely spot for their beloved to find. The more ambitious among them may take to skywriting the big question, or some such dramatic gesture. There are some people, however, who go to extreme measures to propose. They risk or fake arrest, bodily injury and even mutual destruction in the hope that their intended says yes. The following are a few examples of tactics employed by would-be fiancés on the edge.
Deportation
Canadian Keaton Hatch arranged for friends in law enforcement to feign his arrest. The performance was realistic, with the officers cuffing Hatch and loading him into a police car, headed for jail and deportation. In the back seat, he put on a coat and tie and came back to ask his presumably traumatized girlfriend to marry him. It worked. Later on, she confessed that some time earlier, she'd told Hatch she'd prefer a less traditional proposal. As the saying goes, be careful what you ask for.
Put Your Head Between Your Knees and Say 'I Do'
One fine autumn day, Carlie Kennedy went for a plane ride with her boyfriend to take in the Chicago skyline. When the plane began to fly erratically, Ryan Thompson, the boyfriend, told her that he feared the plane was headed for a crash. He instructed her to consult the emergency checklist. It read, "Pilot in command: Determine if he is a good mate. Note: he will always love and honor you...Will you marry me?" She did, despite the possibility that the biggest risk he took was presuming to honor her ability to weather a practical joke of astronomical proportion.
An Engagement Rises From the Ashes
Alexey Bykov wanted to illustrate just how desolate and lonely his girlfriend's life would be without him, so he gave death a dry run to prove it to her. Irena Kolokov watched what she believed to be a fatal car crash. The ruse involved a fake medic pronouncing her boyfriend dead.
Incredibly, this proposal also ended in yes.
What the Heck?
There are plenty of detractors who are quick to disparage the shock method of proposal. However, the incidents, while not indicative of a trend, have their proponents. Enthusiasts cite the following as reasons for their support:
- Extreme proposals are crazy-romantic.
- They provide a shared story that will carry over throughout a life together.
- They demonstrate commitment to both an idea and to a task.
Gilda Carle, who writes about relationships, thinks extreme proposals are a good indication that one will never be bored in a marriage. If someone is willing to go to all that trouble, she reasons, then it is likely they will expend similar energy to keep things fresh after the wedding.
The Real Danger
Of course, one might also argue that if someone is too heavily invested in the performance aspect of the proposal, he or she could be more interested in the immediate rush rather than in the act of commitment to another person. Adrenaline is not necessarily limited to the proposer, either. The one who is asked may be so swept up in the spectacle that he or she may mistake a thrilling moment for true and lasting love. Also, a person could feel coerced into yes by the extreme and possibly very public nature of the proposal. What goes up is likely to fall back down to earth, and sooner rather than later.
Spice of Life
Still, there is something genuinely romantic and thrilling about an unusual proposal. When someone organizes a flash mob at the mall or arranges to ask for their beloved's hand on a sports arena scoreboard, he or she is going above and beyond expectation. That in itself may be grounds for yes.
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