Proposal

After spending Christmas with both their families, Richard and Dawn Marie returned to Utah. Richard started Winter Semester at Brigham Young University, and Dawn Marie returned to work. They had discussed marriage several times, and a proposal seemed imminent.

Always one to plan ahead, Dawn Marie checked their respective calendars for possible wedding dates, and discovered that the only workable date before August was April 17th. She needed three months of planning and preparation time. She also knew that if the proposal happened in early January, she’d be able to front-load the many vendor visits before her teaching and tutoring schedule picked up at the beginning of February. Time was ticking.

The middle of January rolled around and . . . nothing. With each day that passed, Dawn Marie became increasingly stressed. She finally mentioned her anxiety about timing to an empathetic Richard.

On January 21, after making a reservation at P.F. Chang for a family dinner with both their families, Richard suggested ring shopping. He and Dawn Marie visited three major jewelry chain stores and did not find any piece that was truly extraordinary.

Then, inspiration struck Richard. He remembered that Dawn Marie had been head over heels for a uniquely architected diamond and onyx ring she’d spotted a month before. They quickly returned to the store and discovered that the ring was still there. She still loved it, partly for its design and partly because of how it seemed to represent their relationship—the black symbolized the darkness they’d each come from, and the sunburst of diamonds embodied the emergent beauty of the relationship they’d created together in a celebratory firework display.

Richard immediately and happily purchased this perfect ring, and they then rushed to a jeweler’s to have it sized. At the family dinner the next evening, neither Richard nor Dawn Marie mentioned the ring.

The following day was a Saturday. Richard and Dawn Marie picked up the ring from the jeweler’s at 5:30 p.m. Dawn Marie half expected Richard to have arranged something for that evening, particularly because of their discussion about the ticking clock and possible wedding dates. But nothing happened that evening.

Sunday rolled around. Nothing.

Monday came. Still nothing. The date was January 25, and January had almost passed, along with the most crucial time for wedding planning. Dawn Marie was definitely feeling the stress, almost to the point of panic. Worried, Richard asked her what was wrong, and reluctantly she told him. He was understanding and assured her that he did want to marry her and asked if she wanted to know the plan. In spite of her overwhelming curiosity and her need to know, she said she did not need to know, that she trusted him, because she knew how much he liked surprises.

Tuesday came. STILL nothing. By the end of the evening, Dawn Marie was indescribably distressed. After yet another heart-to-heart conversation, Richard took pity on Dawn Marie and told her that he intended to propose the next evening. He had made restaurant reservations and he’d thought that she’d rather have him propose on an odd-numbered day than an even-numbered day. He was right.

Richard proposed marriage to Dawn Marie on January 27, 2010.

The proposal happened at the Chef’s Table in Provo, Utah. Richard prepared ahead of time by ordering a dozen Black Magic roses and one additional fiery yellow-orange rose tipped with deep red. The thirteen roses satisfied Dawn Marie's penchant for prime numbers, recognized her love of the color black, and emphasized her uniqueness. The bouquet was delivered to the restaurant and placed on the center of the lone table in the turret room with stained glass windows.

After a phenomenal dinner, Richard knelt and proposed marriage with four simple, heartfelt words. Dawn Marie enthusiastically accepted. Afterward, the happily engaged and utterly relieved couple returned to Richard's apartment, where a box of Dawn Marie's favorite chocolates was waiting for her.

Richard loves Dawn Marie for her generosity, intelligence, and confidence; for her stunning eyes; for the way she sees everything in structures and structures in everything; for how happy she is when she wears black; and for her devotion to helping people learn.

Dawn Marie loves Richard’s empathy, thoughtfulness, and kindness; the way he anticipates needs and cares for those around him; his genuine and unabashed enjoyment of food; his mad tech-savvy and computer skills; and his dead-sexy watch.