There have been so many different, inventive ways that people have proposed to their partner. One Youtube search can show you countless proposals. But it's not just about the act of asking someone to marry them- it's also the events that lead up to that unforgettable moment.
ashleyhellsan asked: Happily married couples of reddit, what was the moment you realized this is the woman/man you were going to marry?
That's so sweet.
"It was when my husband clicked with my family. He wasn't afraid to spend time with them, and would actually suggest it. He greeted my grandfather with "hello there young man!" And then help him out of the car or walk from a restaurant. He never got frustrated with a slow pace or the crazy that is my family.
Plus my family loved him. They would call to talk with him or pull pranks on him. My parents even invited him to a cousins graduation in Wisconsin and paid for his airfare. It was his first flight and my dad and mom pranked him so hard about his "duties" on a flight. He took all of that with grace and smiles. He loved my family back.
It made me aware that this crazy we had going on could work long term."
So wholesome.
Giphy
"We had decided we were going to take a crack at homemade pizza. We found a recipe online. We made a grocery list. We were standing over the case in the deli that had the pepperoni. The recipe didn't list how much pepperoni to get.
I said, "How many packages?"
He said, "Two? One for us to put on the pizza and one for us to eat while we make it?"
It's stupid and silly but that's when I knew both because I realized that he knew that I (and him, but mostly me. I love pepperoni and he apparently knew it.) would graze the pepperoni as we cooked. And the mental image of the two of us together in the kitchen eating pepperoni and making pizza filled me with such warmth."
Amazing.
"I've posted this before but we were about 3 months into dating and I hadn't really told her what my parents did for work. Her parents own a successful business, I immigrated here and my dad was a cashier at a convenient store.
When she asked me, I hesitated to answer, and she immediately picked up on it and said "you should never be ashamed of your parents, they've worked so hard to get you where you are; I'm so proud of them" and honestly, I cried. I realized right then that I was going to marry this girl. No regrets at all. She makes me a better person every day."
Romance takes many forms.
"I was in bed with a bad flu and listening to his radio show when I heard him casually mention his "life partner" for the first time.
Confused, sick me was like "wait... what? Was that a reference to me? Actually, yeah, come to think of it, that does sound about right... I guess I am!"
Over 18 years later I can still remember that moment - me alone in bed with a stuffy nose, and my heart leaping. But hey sometimes romance isn't all that romantic by movie standards."
What an icebreaker.
Giphy
"We'd fallen out of touch, living in different cities, hadn't spoken in over 6 months. Not for any reason other than we just had other things happening.
I was bored at a friend's party and my phone buzzed. She'd sent me a text.
"If I were a bison, that would be neat".
I decided at that point I was going to make things work and move much closer to this bison.
We've been married 6 years."
Museum dates are the BEST.
"I was in love with my best friend for a long time and could tell he had feelings for me too. We had been on one outing that could have been considered a date and we spent long hours with just each other, talking in his car, but I was afraid to admit that the nature of our relationship was a romantic one by explicitly confessing feelings.
Finally, I realized that some things are worth taking a risk for and I asked him out with the oh-so-smooth phrase "Hey, uhh, would you uhh, maybe like to go to a museum sometime? Like, as a date?"
We held hands in the museum, went on a hike to a tower, and spent the end of the date wrapped in each other's arms watching The Fellowship of the Ring. While we were cuddled up, we both had a moment where we saw our reflection in his skylight and thought "yeah, this is the person I'm going to marry." I'm typing this with him cuddled up next to me."
She seems like a really strong person.
"I crashed a motorbike/scooter thing I had rented in Vietnam with her on the back. It messed up her foot for about a week, and was sore for longer.
She took it in stride, didn't get angry or let it ruin the trip at all. I know so many people who would have let that ruin it.
Instead we did some of the truly spectacular ruins in Cambodia with a combination of crutches and piggyback rides.
It really made me realize how special she is and always brings a smile to my face when I think of it."
What a mess.
Giphy
'Our first date went so wrong to what he had planned. I could tell he was trying so, so hard, and everything went bad.
He put his arm around me during the movie 5 minutes before it ended. The place he tried to take me to for dinner closed the kitchen before we got there. We went to Burger King instead and I had to pay because they wouldn't take his hundred dollar bill. He was the first guy to buy me flowers, and he had brought them at the start of that date, but I didn't have a vase.
So after Burger King, we went to Wal-Mart to buy a vase and as we are standing on the vase aisle he says, "Pick any vase you want, I don't care the cost." I grabbed one that was only about $20, and when we got to pay, he had left the hundred in the car. So I paid for the vase too. It was just comical by that point.
We have been married over 10 years now and have 3 beautiful children."
Double win.
"We had talked marriage, but I had bad credit and didn't want it to mess up his finances so he couldn't buy a house. One day he called me from work and he had a mortgage broker on the phone with us who explained that our separate finances would stay that way, and in fact my husband's good credit would help mine get better. At the end of the call my husband says, "so now will you marry me?!"
Well be married 20 years come October and our credit scores are both over 800 now."
So thoughtful.
"I met my husband at work when I was a single mum to a young baby. We were friends first for a few months before we really started dating because, you know, you have to be sure when you have a baby...
I was having a really difficult time, suffering a little with PND impacted by the fact my ex-partner was on a pretty severe stalking campaign against me. If it had been the other way around, I'm not sure I could have dealt with the drama so early on in a relationship. But he managed, because he's literally the best man alive. He let me decide the pace we went at, when he met my son, etc.
A few months into dating, things got really bad with the stalking and I was struggling to sleep at night etc etc. One evening he arrived to my flat and let me know that he had just bought a house a few miles away with us in mind. Before we met he'd been saving for his own place in a famous building in our town, but he'd realised that a city centre flat didn't suit the life he wanted to live now he had the two of us.
He was driving to work one day and saw the development selling houses, and he just knew that was "the one" and put in the offer. I thought before that he could be The One, but I knew then and there that this was forever. It was just a logical step in his mind to make us a new home that we felt safe in; he just factored us right into his life plans like it was nothing.
He proposed a few days later, we put my flat up for rent, and all moved in together into the new house. That was five years ago, we got married in 2017, and he's just adopted our son. Count my blessings every single day."
Taking care of each other.
Giphy
"I was really sick, going on day number four of high fevers and a bunch of other fun. She was taking care of me the entire time, running to the store to get whatever was needed and taking care of our dogs so I could rest.
I woke up just craving a sandwich and asked if she could make me one. Without hesitation she made us both sandwiches and brought and came up stairs to the bedroom, put on a movie and laid next to me while we ate a sandwich, then she fell asleep on me. We had already been together a few years, but this was the moment I knew I'd be a damn fool if I didn't marry her.
A few months later I took her to the ocean for the first time (we were living in Wisconsin where she lived all her life), and proposed. That was three years ago and we finally got married this past May at Mount Rainier in Washington. She's actually sick now laying next to me in bed, it's 3:26am and I'm going to run to the store shortly to get more soup and medicine. We've had a lot of great memories, but these moments matter most."
That's a strong bond.
"My sister's funeral.
He was just so amazing during the whole awful process. I knew one day one of us would bury the other.
An awful but amazing realization."
Never be ashamed.
"I've posted this before but we were about 3 months into dating and I hadn't really told her what my parents did for work. Her parents own a successful business, I immigrated here and my dad was a cashier at a convenient store.
When she asked me, I hesitated to answer, and she immediately picked up on it and said "you should never be ashamed of your parents, they've worked so hard to get you where you are; I'm so proud of them" and honestly, I cried. I realized right then that I was going to marry this girl. No regrets at all. She makes me a better person every day."
That saved the trip.
Giphy
"I crashed a motorbike/scooter thing I had rented in Vietnam with her on the back. It messed up her foot for about a week, and was sore for longer.
She took it in stride, didn't get angry or let it ruin the trip at all. I know so many people who would have let that ruin it.
Instead we did some of the truly spectacular ruins in Cambodia with a combination of crutches and piggyback rides.
It really made me realize how special she is and always brings a smile to my face when I think of it."
Aww how thoughtful.
"He had been working all day, and was on his way home for some much deserved sleep. But then I drunkenly texted him asking him to pick me up McDonald's. He not only turned around and bought my food, but he texted and asked if the friends I was with wanted anything while he was there.
Unsurprisingly they all did want something. Because you cannot ask a drunk, basic, b*tch if she wants fries and not expect her to say anything other than of course she wants fries. He then drove it to the bar we were at and made sure they all had Ubers or DD's before taking me home.
I told him I loved him on the way home and never looked back."
When we're intoxicated, or even the slightest bit tipsy from having a little too much to drink, our immediate perspective on things is hazy.
But there's nothing like a bit of alarming news or a jarring incident to snap us out of the fog and focus on the moment.
Sometimes alcohol isn't always to blame for our impairment.
It can be a state of mind, like a perpetual numbness from being complacent in life, and all it takes is one shocking moment to rattle us back to our senses.
Curious to hear from strangers online about this type of scenario, Redditor Known_Challenge_7150 asked:
"What’s one thing that sobered you up real quick?"
These individuals were witness to shocking events that sobered them up right quick.
Bleeding Out
"Got out of a taxi and found a naked man profusely bleeding from his head crawling up the driveway in my condo. Called him an ambulance completely forgot I was absolutely wasted until 45 minutes later when I'd helped him translate and in to an amublance and stepped in my front door."
"Later a few days later learned he'd slipped in the tub and literally crawled out for help. Poor dude. He was fine but I genuinely thought he was going to die there."
– DongLaiCha
Tragic News
"At a bachelor party and we got a phone call that the groom’s father had suddenly passed."
– accountnameredacted
Bottom Of The Barrel
"I went to visit my parents back in July. I was homeless and deep into fentanyl addiction so I lost a lot of weight. My folks could see it. They knew something was up. Anyway, I spent the night and I was getting ready to leave in the morning and I looked at myself in the mirror for a good long time. I finally had enough and told them everything. They took me to detox, from there I went to rehab. Graduated in August and been living with them ever since then. I have 160 days clean and sober."
– Crotch-Monster
A reality check can be enough for some people to snap out of it.
Like Father, Like Son
"Was driving a drunk friend home, he had been on a bender again and was smart enough to call me for a lift rather than try and drive. As I helped in to his house his mother came down the stairs and said 'your as drunk as your father' and went back upstairs. I haven't seen him drunk since then, he still drinks but the thought of turning into his dad scared him out of hard drinking."
– psycospaz
Busted
"Flashing blue lights."
– FiddleOfGold
"This sobered me up just thinking about it."
– redmaple_syrup
Losing Sight
"Woke up to no sight in one eye. I had cataract surgery so just thought one of the lenses had slipped and it was an easy fix. Eye doc says nope, you had a stroke. I loved soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and salty food, which caused high blood pressure, which caused retina damage. Over six months was able to get most of my eyesight back with medication, and all back within a year. Trying to navigate life with one eye was very sobering. Started taking HBP much more seriously."
– MissHibernia
Quitting The Bottle
"Looked up someone I went to highschool with who was an awesome guy. Found out he had been dead for 3 years from alcoholism, at age 33. I made an overnight change. I hadn't started drinking that night yet, 10 months ago. Haven't touched it again since."
– omgtater
These disturbing moments were enough for Redditors to immediately come to their senses.
Unplanned House Guests
"Me and a buddy Woke up in someone’s living room, realized neither one of us knew the people, they were just nice and let 2 drunk guys sleep on their living room floor. We didn’t even say goodbye."
– Oneinsevenbillion75
Serious Health Warning
"Elevated liver enzymes."
"And the knowledge that this sh** was gonna kill me and I just couldn't orphan my family over it."
"So I opted for recovery, instead."
"Clean and sober since June 5, 2009."
– Far_Meal8674
The Joyride
"Grew up in a rural area. The little town hosted dances at the hockey arena, everyone (adults and kids) went and they overserved everyone, regardless of age. I was maybe 16 or 17 and was absolutely sh*tfaced, and jumped in the back of someone's truck with about 8 other people to go back to someone's cottage for after dance drinking. The driver (still don't know who it was) started racing one of his buddies and we whipped around small dirt roads, flying around blind corners on the wrong side of the road, going god knows how fast. It was basically a disaster waiting to happen. It was crazy scary and I was sober and thankful to be alive when we finally arrived."
– foxfood9116
The human psyche is a fascinating thing, isn't it?
How we can automatically focus on something urgent at a crucial time, even after getting buzzed from drinking too much alcohol.
But as we're in the thick of the holidays, it's a good reminder to drink responsibly and stay off the roads if you drive to your celebratory destination.
Cheers. Stay safe. And happy holidays.
We've all complained or vented about something in our lives which, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't exactly a problem, or is very easily solved.
Then there are those who complain about things that others almost hope will happen to them at some point in their lives.
These are known as "first world problems", as they are problems that pretty much only the world's one percent faces.
From having to fly business class instead of first class, or being served Roederer instead of Dom Pérignon, these complaints are often met with amusement, bewilderment, or even anger.
Redditor jennimackenzie was curious to hear the most absurd "first world problems" anyone ever complained about, leading them to ask:
"What’s the most ridiculous 'first world problem' you’ve seen people get worked up over?"
"Tale As Old As Time..."
"I once knew a mom who was legitimately devastated, to the point of tears/grief, because a doctor predicted her 8 year old daughter's final height to be around 5'2","
"Which wasn't tall enough to get cast as Belle at Disney World."
"That was the child's (and her mother's) only dream in life, apparently."
"Didn't appreciate my suggestion that she could be Minnie or Mickey."
"Lol!"
"Only a face character would do!"- TravelLovingMom
"Must Be Funny, In A Rich Man's World..."
"My boss from about a decade ago was this insanely rich dude who always went to the bank to get fresh and crisp currency."
"He'd call the bank in advance to make sure they had some on hand."
"I think he was a germaphobe."
"He had a trash can that he'd throw $1 and $5 bills in that he thought was 'dirty' and regularly just donated it vs spending it."
"I asked him why he did this and he said it was too much trouble and asked if I wanted it."
"I said f*ck yeah dumped it into my bag and when I got home it was close to $400 in singles and fives.
"Another time, he wanted to upgrade all the computers in his studio, so we went to a store and bought 10 PCs."
"They all had $150 mail in rebates and he wasn't bothered to go through the trouble of mailing them in."
"3 weeks later I received $1500 after spending a whole afternoon filling out all those goddamn forms."- azninvasion2000
Money Burn GIF by nog
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Who Wore It Better?
"When I was about 19 years old, I was at my boyfriends family BBQ."
"I was wearing this pretty floral sundress."
"His cousins girlfriend showed up in the same dress and she was SO mad that she went and changed."
"I will never understand being upset when someone is wearing the same thing as you.'
"Did you really think that your shirt you bought off the rack is going to be unique to you?"
"No."- mertsey627
Seeing Red! Or Blue In This Case...
"The blue of the balloons wasn't quite the same as the bridesmaid's sashes."
"Years ago my wife and I attended a wedding."
"It was very low key."
"The dinner was in the dining hall at the university where the couple met, cinder block walls and all."
"It was a Baptist wedding - no booze and very serious."
"The dark blue balloons attempting to liven up the hall were a slightly darker shade of blue than the sashes on the bridesmaid's dresses."
"The bride lost here sh*t and absolutely raved for nearly an hour."
"I can't remember how they finally managed to talk her down."- mechant_papa
south park wedding GIF
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See You In Court!
"Rich neighbors who end up in expensive court battles because they disagree about where a tree can be planted or whether the color of a fence fits in with the street’s 'amenity'."
'These disputes get really heated and rack up huge lawyers’ bills."
"The most pathetic part is after the judgement when they are arguing about who should pay the other party’s costs."
"Lots of affidavits filed citing the 'emotional distress' they had to endure, or painting themselves as brave warriors who were forced to take a stand to fight for 'justice'."
"Also lots of pompous litigants insisting that the judge refer to them by their 'Dr' title."
"An absolutely insane dumpster fire of entitled rich people problems."- ElectrocRaisin
It's Always People With Money Who Don't Want To Pay!
"I work in a public library."
"People will get so so mad if they have to be put on a wait list for a book."
"A popular book that just came out."
"Ok our services are not only free but so are the books."
"You’re welcome, a**holes."- Switchbladekitten
A Warm Butt Is A Happy Butt!
"My own."
"We have a bidet toilet seat (Fabulous! Everyone should have one!) and not only does it wash your bum and blow dry it, but the seat's heated!"
"It's shocking how much a heated toilet seat makes the whole process more agreeable."
"Except: We had a power outage and I went to use the toilet and the seat was cold!"
"Unacceptable!"
"This shall not stand!"
"I was really upset because it didn't feel good."
"Then I stopped and thought: This is the most first-world problem anyone's ever had."
"I was really pissed because my heiny was tepid."
"I got over it."- DeathGrover
homer simpson episode 23 GIF
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Holy Matrimony!
"Weddings are a gold mine for this question."
"People get so hyped up over their 'most important day of their life'."
"They'll destroy friendships, go into debt, and have crazy expectations."
"It's not always the couple who go crazy, either."
"Sometimes, it's the parents or another family member who feels entitled to control the wedding."
"It's just a party."
"Be considerate of guests, have plenty of food and drinks, and enjoy it."- magicrowantree
When Fast Food Isn't Fast Enough...
"Having to pull off to the side to wait for a drive-thru order to be brought out to you because your food isn't ready and there's a line building up behind you."- demanbmore
In Case You Don't Think Customer Service Employees Are Undervalued...
"I was working the return desk at a Target next to a military base so I have so many stories."
"One of my favorites was a lady who had her baby shower before revealing the gender and was livid that she had received floral newborn diapers when she’s having a boy."
"It was a huge box of super expensive, all organic diapers, that we didn’t carry and therefore could not return."
"I cannot accurately express her fury and disgust."
"How dare either suggest her boy could wear feminine diapers."
"I suggested she donate them if she didn’t want to use them and she instead threw away the entire box."
"When she left we pulled it out and threw it in our donate bin."
"There have also been multiple times where mom’s order massive toys and when we bring them out to the car they get furious that they aren’t wrapped."
"We don’t offer wrapping services."
"Here’s the thing, if you don’t want your kids to see the toys you got them for Christmas or their bit to day DON'T BRING THE CHILD WHEN YOU PICK IT UP."
'I’ve had multiple women scream and curse me out that I had ruined their kids Christmas by bringing the toys they ordered out to the car like they requested."- clever-mermaid-mae
Customer Service Waiting GIF by Juno Calypso
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Happiest Place On Earth!
"I used to work for Disney."
"That in itself should tell you everything."
"However for fun I'll give you two specific stories one form our tech department and one from my wife who worked bookings."
"I specifically worked for their call center to help with technical issues with magic band and the website."
"Suddenly got worse huh?"
"A right of passage call everyone has at least one story of is the 'Dome call'."
"Basically there is a subset of Disney Guest (TM) that believes if it rains at Walt Disney world there is someone that will push a button to encapsulate the whole of Disney property in a dome to keep out the rain."
"I'm not kidding."
"If this button is not pushed they call our tech department to angrily ask why."
"My wife worked booking."
"Pretty much everything including Bibbidi Bobbidi boutique and Pirate's league."
"These two things did roughly the same thing difference being price and theme."
"BBB was expensive did more and was focused on princesses, pirates league did a bit less and focused on mermaids and pirates."
"Lady called up my wife, and got pissed about BBB being booked up (It goes FAAAAST)."
"Karen: 'Im going to give the phone to my daughter and I want you to tell her how you are ruining her vacation by not letting her do BBB'."
"Wife proceeds to explain how pirate's league is so much cooler and how she can be a mermaid or pirate and basically gets the kid to start demanding to their parents about how they want to be a mermaid instead of a princess."- trollsong
Disney World GIF
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The horror!
Being booked into a junior suite at Disney World instead of an executive suite!
It's almost as bad as having no money for groceries, or no food to feed you children...
Said absolutely no one.