I have to tell you about my engagement story. When i met my now husband he was very much a loner, and very much against dating and commitment. When we met we were both soldiers in the same National Guard unit. I was 18 at the time. We started hanging out at night with mutual friends, and became good friends that way. Then he got a job near the town that i lived in and had to find a place to live as his place was too far away, so i said we could be roomates. We soon became intimate, and for months he still said over and over that marriage was not in his plans. About christmas time that year, we were sitting alone after some friends left and we had had a few drinks, we headed to bed. After some rather intimate time, he looked at me and said "will you marry me?". Jokingly i said "are you drunk?" and went to sleep, as he had always been adamant that marriage was not in the works.. the next morning he looked at me and said you never did give me an answer... and i said oh you were serious.. and said a big "YES"...
He is still active duty, and we have 3 great kids, and come May 14th we will be married 19 years.. weve survived hard times and separations from war but I think being friends first is what really makes this work...

Abazias,
Recently I purchased a half carat diamond from Abazias Diamonds for the love of my life, to pop the magical, yet somewhat nerve racking question; “Will you marry me??” I am not sure if there is anything more stressful than finding the perfect stone for something so important and special. I had done research for months prior to purchasing from Abazias, and had talked to many different jewelers from Florida to California. All the while, I kept thinking of the perfect place to ask my Love to be with me for the rest of our lives.
We had been dating for 1 year and 7 months, but I knew from the moment I met her that she would change my life, and be the most awesome person in the world to cherish time with. One of our very first dates was to the theme park, Six Flags Over Texas! We absolutely loved going there, and even bought season passes for returning visits. Lots of great memories and even more to come from all of our visits to the park! It was in late October that I had decided Six Flags was our special place, and it was where I wanted that magical moment to be! To add to the romance of the holiday season approaching, Six Flags themes their park as “Holiday in the Park”, with thousands of Christmas lights everywhere, snow covered bushes and Christmas characters that we love and recognize every Holiday season! Andrea (my fiancée!!) loves the Christmas season, and particularly loves to see Christmas decorations everywhere. She loves the Christmas season so much, that she starts decorating immediately after Halloween! I figured Six Flags, Holiday in the Park would be absolutely perfect to take her to, enjoy and ask her to be with me!
The stress and anxiety that builds as you choose the perfect band and have the stone set in the ring, is all adding to the nervous and exciting feelings of the “moment of truth”. That moment that you find yourself practicing in the mirror over and over, reciting in the shower and as you are out Christmas shopping for the rest of your loved ones. I had it all planned out, the exact place I would take her to in the park, what I would say and do. I even knew how I was going to get down on one knee to ask her!
The day was here. December 9th, 2006 was the day I was going to ask Andrea to be mine! As we drove out to the park for the evening of festivities, rides and attractions, we stopped at the mall to grab a quick bite to eat for lunch. The whole time I was clenching the velvet box tightly, as I kept reciting my lines in my head, while making sure not to appear distracted by anything “big”. We ate our lunch, and continued our drive out to the park, as the excited/nervous feelings gripped my stomach as is if I were on a screaming rollercoaster!
We gathered all of our necessities, cell phones, wallets, and keys and I was positively sure to grasp the ring box in my coat pocket to reassure it was there, and then zip it shut so it was not to fall out on a whirling ride. We made our way into the park and towards the first ride that we were going to enjoy together called Yosemite Sam. It was a small boat tour and features an animatronic story line of Yosemite Sam stealing gold, only to be caught by Rangers Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Porky Pig. It was during this ride that I had made the decision to untie my shoe, because I knew that the place I had chosen to propose was not too far away from the exiting point of the ride and this would give me my opportune moment to get down on one knee. As I did so, I could only think of Andrea noticing that my shoe was untied when we got off the ride. She pays particularly close attention to detail, and I could only hope that she wouldn’t notice right away. Sure enough, once we got off the ride and walked towards the area that I had thought was the perfect place, she said “baby, your shoe is untied!” I pretended not to hear as I kept my eyes focused on the small gazebo area that overlooked a stream of water with a small waterfall shaded by lots of trees and bamboo. Again, she said “Rylan, your shoe is untied; here we can tie it at this bench.” I thought “Crap…” as my chance of getting on one knee disguised as ‘tying my shoe’ had been blown. I quickly tied my shoe, very loosely, hoping it might come untied again as we walked towards this romantic area that we had been many times to avoid the overwhelming crowds, and enjoy the peace and scenery for a quick moment as we had done so in the past.
I remember the feeling of getting there, to the place I had envisioned for months, as my legs felt as if they were numb and tingly. We walked over to a wooded fence that we both leaned on as we watched the waterfall and gazed at the sunset on a perfect night. As we stood there, I said to Andrea “You know this park has been here for a long time, and will be here forever! It was here when our parents were kids, and one day our kids will be here too! We will be able to share our memories with them as they enjoy what we have enjoyed so much, forever!” My hand went straight to my jacket pocket that I unzipped, as I got down on one knee, forgetting about the shoe lace ordeal, and keeping my eyes focused on Andrea’s beautiful blue eyes. “Andrea Michelle Devitt, will you marry me?? Can I keep you?” I asked, opening the velvet box to reveal the brilliant diamond, as her eyes lit up and a smile that could relight the day broke out. She jumped into my arms, “Yes!” she said, as I realized that all the stress and anxiety was completely worth her smile, her love and joy as we hugged each other tightly, and I placed the ring on her finger.
We enjoyed the night at the park, both excited that our relationship meant so much to each other that we were going to be with one another to cherish, enjoy and have fun with for the rest of our lives! Much like being at a theme park, the excitement, the thrills, the nerve racking moments and butterfly’s in your stomach feelings are all part of beginning your journey to marriage! It’s all worth it!!

I hope you enjoyed my story and experience, as I will never forget it!

Thanks for a brilliant diamond!!
Rylan Shavers

Hello-
Here is my engagement story....
Kyle and I had been dating since our sophomore year in college. A few summers ago, we went on a big trip across the country, to Aspen, Colorado with 20 friends and family. On the fourth day of our trip, we were hiking in the mountains. We stopped at a historic cabin that was hidden away in the wild, and walked through it. There we carved our initials in the wooden frame of the house, as many others had done before us. As we continued along our hike, I distinctly remember saying to him, "You are missing out on a lot of great opportunities to propose out here!" He just laughed at me....little did I know he was carrying a platinum sparkler in his pocket.
While in Aspen, we stayed at a quaint, gorgeous condo on the river. Later that same day, while relaxing at the condo, Kyle was trying to persuade me to go on a gondola ride up Aspen Mountain. I was just not feeling it, and said I didn't feel like going. Later I learned this was his second proposal attempt that I had ruined. Woops!
That same evening, Kyle and I were outside on the deck, overlooking the river and having a glass of wine. Suddenly, out of nowhere, he starts telling me how much he loves me (and I am thinking, "Yeah, I love you too, but you are acting strange!"). Then, out of nowhere, he gets down on one knee in front of me, and tells me he'd be honored if he could call me his wife. I jumped up, excited and completely surprised and threw my arms around him. I think I forgot to say yes initially, but I must have eventually, because we've now been married for over two years :) One year after that day, we made a second summer trip out to Aspen, with over 40 close friends and family, and were married on a sunny, warm, July day on top of Aspen Mountain. ~Shannon Osterholz

For our 2 year anniversary, my finance, Marc, treated me to a broadway show and dinner. I had no idea that he had something else in mind. We knew that we wanted to get married but didn't have a set time or date. Since we come from different backgrounds and cultures, my parents had a difficult time with my dating him. Despite the criticism we got from my family, we continued to see one another.
After seeing the show, we headed to the restaurant for an early, yet uneventful dinner. Since I live in NYC, we took the subway as our transportation. After dinner as we made our way to the subway station it started to rain. As we huddled under a small umbrella he started telling me how much he loved me and how he couldn't wait to marry me. Annoyed by the rain, I told him that I knew how he felt and felt the same way and wanted to get out of the rain as quickly as possible. He asked me if I was sure that I wanted to marry him because he had something "shiny, burning a hole in his pocket and had to give it to me immediately." I stopped, looked him in the eye and asked him if he was serious. He smiled and I knew he was proposing.
Being the practical person that I am, I told him to keep the ring in his pocket (we were on Queens Blvd and about to enter the subway) and to give it to me when we got home. I couldn't stop smiling the entire way home. He, of course, was calm and collected. Once we got home, he showed me the ring, I put it on and said, "YES!!" We are currently planning the wedding. That's my story.

To Whom It May Concern-
The planning of my engagement began in June of 2006. I planned to take my girlfriend at the time up to Napa Valley, Ca. I was reserved a room at a bed and breakfast called The Hennessey House. The night was to start off by us going to dinner on the wine train of Napa Valley. I was going to purpose to her after dinner under the moonlight on an outside deck of the train. This was all to happen November 5th, 2006. On November 4th I started experiencing stomach pains. I brushed them off thinking it was just nerves. The next day, November 5th, we left for our trip. I told her we were going to my dad’s house in Lake Isabella, to throw her off. On the way up there, my stomach pains progressively worsened. It was so bad by the time I arrived in Napa Valley, I could not stand the pain any longer. We went to the emergency room at Queen of the Valley in Napa, where I found out I had appendicitis and needed to have an appendectomy that day. At that point I was so frustrated because of all the planning and thought I put into the trip. I had Leslie, my now fiancé go outside and bring my luggage into the hospital. I told her I needed my socks, but to bring the whole suitcase. She brought it in and I pulled out the box the ring was in and sat up in the hospital bed and asked her to marry me, right before surgery. She said yes and we are due to get married at the end of 2007. I never did get to go on the wine train, nor see the inside of the bed and breakfast.

Thanks,

Ryan Kincaid