Over the course of the 10 years that I have been editor of MyNorth Wedding, I’ve heard plenty of Northern Michigan proposal stories and have loved them all. But I have a few favorites …
We featured Joseph and Kierstin in the magazine several years ago. Joe planned to surprise her with his proposal on a Caribbean cruise the couple was taking.
Mishap 1: Once onboard, Kierstin came down with an extremely unromantic case of food sickness. Eventually she felt better enough to go wading in the crystalline water where Joe tuned in a Tim McGraw love song on his phone.
Mishap 2: Not noticing a lurking shark and stingray, he pulled out the diamond ring—fumbled it—and into the ocean it tumbled. Showing her undying love for Joseph and her new bling, Kierstin dove in to get it. Only to find out it was a fake ring (hardy har-har) and Joe had the other one stashed carefully away in a pocket.
Mishap 3: Kierstin tried to kill him. Kidding. She and Joe had a huge, teary laugh as she said, “YES!” And then he snapped a photo of her posing with the real ring on her finger—and the stingray floating in the background.
Here are some more Northern Michigan proposal stories we love (maybe they’ll inspire your own memorable proposal ideas!).
We hope you’ll share your proposal story with us, too—be it humorous or sentimental. Share a photo of your one-of-a-kind proposal on Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #MyNorthProposals for a chance to be featured on MyNorth.com! Subscribe to our Weddings Newsletter at MyNorth.com/newsletter and check out the proposal stories.
Kristina & Justin
“We had plans to go Up North and hike Tahquamenon Falls with our good friends. Justin and I have gone there a few times together so I didn’t think anything of it. We got to the end of the hike and went down so many steps to this area that showed the falls. We all took a picture together, and then Justin asked to take a picture with just me. So when our friend was taking that picture, Justin turned around and started to get on his knee. I started freaking out, and she mistakenly took a video of it happening that I’m so happy to have now.”
Nicole & Jon
Expecting to enjoy a few quiet moments together on the beach before dinner, Nicole was escorted to the beach by a cool, (seemingly) calm Jon. But it didn’t take long for her to realize that something was up. After rounding the corner and spotting a circle of lit sparklers, a huge suspicious smile stretched across Nicole’s face as pieces started to fall in place. And then it happened. Jon was down on one knee, Nicole was beaming, family was hiding and the question was popped.
Chelsea & Stephen
“Steve’s family has a cottage in Charlevoix that we spend a lot of time at throughout the summer and go skiing up at Boyne in the winter. They have a large property and there is an area that they nicknamed ‘The Church’ where all of the pine trees were planted in long rows and are very tall with a walkway down the center. We walk this path every time we are up there. Steve told me that his dad wanted us to go up for a weekend to check on his boat launch … We got up to his cottage and it was pouring rain, but he still insisted on taking our usual walk through ‘The Church.’ He proposed in the middle of the woods there, and it was the perfect spot, even with all of the rain.”