As wedding photographers , we get to experience many exciting moments with our brides and grooms, each with their own wonderful stories of how they met, and the most amazing and romantic proposals that some have put to their respective partners.
I have heard of proposals in hot air balloons, on secluded beaches, and other amazingly romantic environments and venues. And all these amazing stories seem to happen to someone else…..!
But let’s face it! We males tend to not be the most romantic creatures out, and sometimes we do need to try and step up and out of the box in this area, taking some pre planning and careful fore thought.
Let’s face it! You want your wife in the future to think back on this momentous occasion with tears in her eye, and certainly not from laughter at the feeble and botched attempt.
I remember well the thought process I went through, which entailed quite a bit of pre planning on my side as well as a bit of effort on my future wife’s part. I still stand by the belief that they need to work for it at the same time.
I was having a long distance relationship with my future wife, me living in Australia and my future wife in South Africa, and we planned to get together one December, with her visiting me in Perth. So with a bit of thought! I suggested that my future partner take up the same sport I love so much, and that is Scuba diving. Nothing worse than you and your future partner not having anything in common.
Well Nina agreed without hesitating, and so I set up her open water training with a local dive school I went too, everything was pre-arranged for when she arrived on holiday. When she arrived everything went well, and I accompanied Nina on her training dives and she had a great learning experience. Little did I know that she was in fact terrified of water, never mind that of the open ocean? So this was an opportunity to overcome her fear, which she did with flying colours. She didn’t once blink an eyelid and enjoyed every dive we did together.
So after her training I suggested we go and do a dive from one of the secluded beaches I used to frequent, and it took a bit of persuading on my part to get her into the water, as the ocean that particular day was a little ruff. So the water wasn’t as picturesque as I had imagined it would have been in my perfect proposal day dream.
I remember the swell on the sea bottom was a little ruff, making it difficult to just hover weightless as you would normally do. During our swim out I noticed a dark shadow dashing out from behind one of the rocks and into the distances, just out of visibility, and remember thinking, Oh hell that all we need is a shark or something else like this to ruin the day, but to my amazement and part horror it turned around and rushed towards us, only to realize that it was a huge seal. He/she came back to us just long enough to check us out, touching Nina’s mask and mine with its hairy nose, like a friendly hand shake. After which turning around he/she swam away. You could hear my sigh of relief…!
Anyhow hand in hand we swam further out into deeper water where I turned to Nina and indicated to her to watch me, as we sunk to the bottom of the sea bed on our knees facing each other.
I could see her questioning concern look as to what was going on, so blundered on. I pulled out a few carefully prepared laminated cards out of one of my dive pockets and handed her one at a time.
The first card explained that I was enjoying her company on our holiday together, and then handed her another suggesting that I would love this to continue for a very long time. After which I handed her another suggesting that I would love her to consider marring me and share our future lives together.
As Nina read each card, you could see the expression on her face change, even with the dive mask squashed up against her cute face, it couldn’t hide the biggest smile you could have without safely losing your regulator. Bubbles emitting from her mouth and mask as she laughed into it. It was an amazing sight, also her positive balance wasn’t as yet perfect so she sort of floated off the sea bottom like an inflated blow fish would in the rough water below.
Realizing that Nina wouldn’t be able to answer properly, so I gave her another card which was double sided, one side said YES! And the other Side NO! It was that special moment when nodding her head and pointing to the card that read YES helped change my life.
Then taking out the small little box with her engagement ring in and slipping it on her little pale finger will always be imbedded in my mind for years to come.
As for the rest of the dive it was pretty short and uneventful, and with great joy and excitement we waddled out of the ocean, hand in hand like two drunk sailors on shore leave.
The notice in the Local newspaper read:
Anetta (Nina) and Nigel Sparg are delighted to announce their engagement, which took place on the 24th December 2007.
The proposition made and accepted under the ocean during a recreational and engaging scuba dive.
Well it’s been a few years now, and I know Nina still keeps those proposal laminated cards in a safe place, and together we have had the opportunity and pleasure of scuba diving all around the world, in some of the most amazing waters with my life long dive buddy and partner..!
Oh Nina also love Photography and we make an amazing team, Who said you can’t have it all. ;o)
P.S So have you stepped up to the mark? tell us how it happened.