Marriage Proposals, Traditions, Quotes And Trivia

There are probably one million ways to propose marriage, but when your time comes, you may not be able to think of any of them.  And ladies, sometimes, even when you both know it's time, your guy may not be willing or able to pop the question.  He might need a little boost in the right direction.  So, I offer up a list of not one million, but 10 Unique Ways To Propose Marriage To Your Girl Or Guy.  Each of these suggestions is a viable one, though not always practical. Along the way I will share with you some interesting wedding traditions and where they originated.  And just for fun I've included a little bit of trivia and some quotations from some our brightest minds on the institution of marriage.

TRADITION:
For those of you who still remember sending and receiving letters, writing XXXs for kisses when sending a note to your loved one comes from the Middle Ages.  An X was drawn at the end of a note, by those that couldn't sign their name.  It was then kissed to show that the sender was sincere.

QUOTE:
A single man . . . is an incomplete animal.  He resembles the odd half of a pair of scissors.  - Benjamin Franklin, letter to a young man, June 25, 1745 -

PROPOSALS:

1)   If you know someone who works at the local T.V. station, coerce the anchor of your favorite show to announce your engagement on the air.

2)   Like wise, you can call in a favor at your local radio station, and ask your favorite D.J. to announce your engagement between two romantic songs.

3)   Take out an ad in your local newspaper classifieds.

TRIVIA:
The most expensive wedding in history was thrown by Shaik Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, for his son in 1981. The festivities lasted seven days and cost an estimated $44 million. Twenty thousand guests were in attendance.

QUOTE:
I think it can be stated wtthout denial that no man ever saw a man he would be willing to marry if he were a woman. - George Gibbs, How to Stay Married, 1925 -

TRADITION:
The tradition of asking for a woman's hand, dates back to the Roman custom of dextrarum juncitio or "joining of right hands". This was the act of handing the woman over from father to husband. The ceremony also involved the purchase of the woman. The groom would give the father of the bride a coin. The father would in turn give the woman to her husband. Today, the father of the bride gives the bride away at the beginning of the ceremony.

Quote: Marriage is our last best chance to grow up.- Joseph Barth -

QUOTE:
There are few women so perfect that their husbands do not regret having married them at least once a day.  - La Bruyère, Les Caractères, 1688 -


PROPOSALS:
5)  Hire an airplane to fly over the house or office, dragging your proposal behind it.

6)   Hire an airplane to write your proposal in smoke over the house or place of work.

7)   Parachute into the backyard and propose upon landing.
(Make sure you have good medical coverage first.)

TRIVIA:
The most married man, to one woman at a time, was by former Baptist minister Glynn Wolfe.  He was married twenty-seven times, and had forty-one children.

The most married woman, was Linda Lou Essex.  She was married twenty-two times, having fifteen different husbands.

Giovanni Vigliotto holds the record for the most bigamous marriages.  He had one hundred and four wives.  He died in prison.

QUOTE:
It is a woman's business to get married as soon as possible, and a man's to keep unmarried as long as he can.  - George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, 1903 -

TRADITION:
Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. The old and the new in a bride's apparel symbolize going from the old unmarried state to the new married union of the couple. The borrowed item is a symbol of community involvement in the marriage. By the bride wearing something that is not owned by either her or her husband to be, the union of the couple is approved by family and friends. The blue has different connotations but may have had its origins in ancient Israel where a ribbon of blue worn by the bride symbolized purity, love and fidelity.

PROPOSALS:

8) Write your proposal on the computer screen saver.

9) Send a telegram, singing or otherwise.

10) Send an E-mail at work.

QUOTE:
The married state is the completest image of heaven and hell we are capable of receiving in this life. - Ricahrd Steele, The Spectator, Sept. 9, 1712 -

TRIVIA:
Cupid is the mythological Roman god of love and beauty. He was the son of Venus, the goddess of love and Mars, the god of war. He is most commonly shown with wings, a bow and a quiver of arrows. It is said that whomever was struck with Cupid's arrow would fall madly in love.

I will leave you with a final quote from Susan B. Anthony

Marriage, to women as to men, must be a luxury, not a necessity; an incident of life, not all of it.