There is nothing more anxiety-inducing than witnessing a bad, weird, and/or just plain cringe-worthy marriage proposal.
But this week, when Reddit user Champagne_tatertots asked, "What’s the worst marriage proposal story you’ve ever heard?" the responses proved that, sometimes, a "bad proposal" can lead to a funny story and a very happy marriage.
Here are just a few of the silliest stories:
1. This romantic confusion:
"My parents were in the produce section of a grocery store when my dad said, 'All our friends are getting married, we should too.' My mom (thinking he was joking) just said 'yeah' and moved on with shopping.
A couple days later, she got to thinking about it and, with the serious way he said it, he confused her. She went to him and asked if he was serious or kidding around. He responded, 'Well yeah, I thought we were engaged now!' 34 years later and they're still married."
2. This spoiler:
"My cousin's marriage proposal was ruined because the person next to them at a booth told my cousin's girlfriend that he saw my cousin writing the marriage question underneath the table cloth while he was in the restroom (she was supposed to lift it up and see it later on)."
3. This sock stuffer:
"I'm on good terms with one of my ex-girlfriends, so I got to hear the story of how her husband proposed to her:
They were sitting around their apartment one day and he asked her, 'Hey, can you get my phone from the bedroom?' She got his phone for him. A minute passes. 'Hey, can you get me a glass of water?' She got him a glass of water. Another minute passes. 'Hey, can you bring me that pair of socks on top of my dresser?'
She got the socks...the ring was in the socks. He proposed. He actually thought he was being romantic. She thought it was weird AF. Even weirder, she said yes, and they've been married for more than 10 years."
4. This break-up(?):
"My buddy’s girlfriend kept telling him that he couldn’t surprise her. After college, they were planning to move in together in another town. About six months before graduation, he told her he wasn’t sure about the move or their relationship. She turned around to cry. He called her name and, when she turned back, he was on one knee. Did it just to surprise her."
5. This Have-It-Your-Way proposal:
"My cousin proposed in Burger King with an onion ring. She said yes."
6. This toilet love:
"I worked at a restaurant in the early '90s and a waitress told this story:
She was on a date with her boyfriend, and they both got back to her place. He went to the bathroom and then she went in after. While in there, he called to her 'Hey, did you see what I left you?' She said, 'I’m not looking in there, you’re gross!' She then opened the door to ask him what the hell was wrong with him and he said 'You ruined the surprise, I taped your engagement ring to the underside of the seat cover!'”
7. This New Years misunderstanding:
"My parents were celebrating New Years and my dad, in the emotion of the moment, told my mom that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her and said, 'Why don't we get married?' There was no ring, just the thought and the moment. My mom said she was going to think about it. After a month of not mentioning the topic again, my dad was all anxious and asked her if she had enough time to think. She asked, 'About what?' My dad responded, 'About us getting married.' To which my mom answered, 'Oh, that was serious?' She then took ANOTHER month to think about it and said yes. 30-plus years now and still happily married."
8. This goose assault:
"My husband and I had gone to our favorite lake, and he was beyond nervous. So we get to our spot and he just stands there, shivering, looking over the lake, watching a pair of geese mosey around near us. Eventually, he asked me if he should pick up a stick that was laying nearby to throw at the geese. My 'WTF? NO?!' startled the geese, so they flew away.
After a few more minutes, he stuttered, 'So...uh, you wanna marry me?' He later told me the suggested goose assault was his panicked mind's idea to get him on his knee. We were together six years at the time and had been discussing marriage for a while, so his fear was pretty unfounded."
9. This simple one:
"Mine is pretty bad. We just got done having sex and I rolled over and asked if she wanted to get married. We did. Still together today."
10. This "impatient" engagement:
"A female friend of mine got impatient. She decided to take the initiative and left a card on the dining room table that said, 'Will you marry me?' Her boyfriend sat down, looked at it, looked at her, opened it, read it, set it down, and just started eating. She was obviously ready to jump out of her skin, so she asked, 'What do you think?'
He said, 'Where the hell is my ring?' They've been married for 16 years now and have two adorable kids."
11. This flashlight of his life:
"My sister was working as a nurse and had just finished a double shift. She got home and her then-boyfriend asked her to change the batteries in a flashlight. She told him she was exhausted and that she'd do it tomorrow. He urged her on and she, annoyed, agreed. The engagement ring was inside the flashlight. The flashlight had no sentimental value (e.g., my sister lights up his life or guides him through the darkness) and was simply a flashlight."
12. This ~trashy~ couple:
"My own proposal: I got the ring, but had no real plan, and was too excited to wait. At the time, both of us lived like slobs, so there were garbage bags everywhere waiting to be taken out. When I asked her out of pure excitement, I didn’t notice it was right next to the garbage. But now we’re coming up on our fifth year, have a beautiful daughter, and most importantly, no more random trash bags."
13. And finally, this toss:
"My dad walked through the living room and tossed a ring at my mom. 27 years married, BTW."
Do you know of any proposals some people would consider "the worst"? What was your proposal like? Sound off in the comments below!
Some thread entries have been edited for length or clarity. H/T Reddit.