He said...

I proposed and she said YES! Well at least she shook her head nodding YES! Emphatically, I might add, she nodded YES! I am now engaged to my best friend who I love dearly. She is my better half and all of the best parts of me. I sometimes wonder if I deserve such a loving and caring individual who has consistently put me before herself. To return the favor, my only goal was to make her feel like a princess on our engagement night.

Here is how it happened…
I have often been accused of not being the best planner, but I was determined to show Michele how loved and cherished she is by me. Michele has old school values, so I knew before I asked for her hand in marriage I had to receive her father’s approval. There was no a chance that I could bypass this step -- not that I wanted to, her Father is quite the man’s man and I knew he would respect me for going about this the right way. Also knowing that Michele’s mother likes to be involved with everything, I wanted her to feel like she was a part of the process. I figured I would ask her when the best time would be to take Mr. Bailey out for a drink to ask for his blessing to marry his daughter. Mrs. Bailey pretty much told me anytime would be good for this occasion and she was right; he accepted my offer without hesitation. After drinks, an appetizer and a great conversation about life in general I felt it was the right time to discuss my future plans with Michele and tackle the task at hand. Mr. Bailey offered a few words of wisdom about marriage and emphatically gave me his blessing.

Now before I could plan a wonderful surprise for Michele, I had to purchases a ring or should I say THE RING. I knew she deserved something special and I did not want her to be disappointed in my selection (though she would never say). I decided to take her ring shopping to get an idea of what she might want. I also looked online with her to get an idea as well. But each time I made sure I gave the impression that we were just looking that I was not ready to buy an engagement ring. After a spontaneous trip to the jewelry store I knew exactly which ring to purchase for her. I had never seen such a glow from Michele as I had when she tried on THE RING. Of course I let on that I thought it was a bit too expensive but I knew at that moment I needed to look no more. Months later, I went back to the store to buy THE RING. Of all days to go out and buy an engagement ring I did so on Super Bowl Sunday!

After the big game it was time to put a plan together for our engagement night. I knew that there was only one place to pop the question… Ruth’s Chris Steak House. Our favorite place to dine! But how could I do this without Michele having an idea that I was going to propose? I knew that I had to choose a date that would not arouse her suspicions. I figured Saturday, February 27th would be the right night to ask since Michele would be home that weekend for the blessing of our god child, Honour, on Sunday.

I also figured I had to enlist the help of others and that could be a little tricky with Mrs. Bailey because it is so hard for her to keep a secret from Michele. Ultimately, I had to fill her in because I wanted her parents and mine present at the proposal. I knew they would want to be there for our celebration and that Michele would truly love that I thought to include them. Both sets of parents ensured me that I had chosen an acceptable date and that they would be available for the surprise. Then, I called Ruth’s Chris to make a reservation and to tell our favorite waiter, Daniel, about my intentions for the evening. He was all on board even suggesting a wine that would be perfect for the occasion. The plan for the proposal was to have dinner and for our parents to arrive as I propose over dessert. I’m thinking this is a pretty simple plan.

The Proposal, how it all went down…
A couple of weeks earlier, I asked Michele to an early dinner on Saturday with a couple of friends of ours at Ruth’s Chris. All along I knew I would later have to make up a story about why they couldn’t attend. Michele arrived at my house looking very pretty in a dress that I had previously never seen her wear. Before arriving, I told her that our friends had to bail on us and that we would be dinning alone. She didn’t hesitate a bit to say “their loss” as she would never turn down an awesome dinner at Ruth’s Chris.

I also provided a teaser. As we were getting ready to leave the house, I give her a tiny box to open. She has a look on her face of excitement as if she wanted to ask “you are supposed to get on your knees to give this to me.” All the while, I’m smiling inside knowing that it is just a necklace I had already given her that I had taken to have cleaned and added a white gold chain. At the same time, while teasing Michele I was able to tease my mother who watched with a long stare wondering if this was the proposal. I knew the best was yet to come.

Shortly thereafter, we arrived at Ruth’s Chris and were seated immediately. I had to give our waiter Daniel, THE RING, so I told Michele that I was going to use the restroom. Upon giving it to him for safekeeping, I ran over the plan letting him know Michele’s parents, her brother and his girlfriend, and my parents would be arriving after dinner and right before I propose to Michele over dessert. At this time, I was a little nervous hoping that my plan would work out. I returned to the table and Michele and I enjoyed great conversation over dinner. I remember telling Michele over and over to save room for dessert which we never order because the food is just so good. That should have been a clue! Also the New York Strip we had for dinner was delicious which Michele told Daniel was “the best steak ever” to which he replied “it only gets better.” Clue number two! I could only smile inside thinking to myself that he was so right. I believe I should have been anxious but wasn’t… maybe the wine calming my nervous a bit.

Dinner has now come to an end I have received text messages from our parents stating that they are standing outside of the Ruth’s Chris doors. I tell Michele that I have to call my brother because he is having issues picking up our gift for Honour’s blessing. I leave the table to greet our parents at the entrance and check with Daniel about dessert. He has the ring placed neatly on a plate beside a small mousse cup with a candle. We all head back to the table at this time.

While walking, I am overcome with emotions that I do not think I have quite felt before. I feel like I am gliding across the room. All eyes were on Michele and I as I arrived to the table with the ring and our families behind me. It was a surreal feeling that I still remember very well. I dropped to one knee and professed my love to Michele. I told her that she was my best friend and asked if she would do me the honor of becoming my wife. She said YES! Well at least she shook her head nodding YES! Emphatically, I might add, she nodded YES! Before finally saying, “YES!” I will never forget this evening.