In an age of increasingly over-the-top marriage proposals, Matt Still just upped the ante when he popped the question to his girlfriend, Ginny Joiner, Hollywood-style. What do you think of the gesture?
[via Huffington Post]
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LTC039 May 20, 2011, 12:03 pm
I saw this! It was absolutely adorable!
MissDre May 20, 2011, 12:21 pm
I was talking to my boyfriend about this last night. While this is very sweet and I’m happy she loved it, I would NEVER want my boyfriend to propose to me in public. I want it to be an intimate moment between just the two of us, with nobody else around.
HmC May 20, 2011, 1:34 pm
Same. Super public proposals strike me as more to do with ego than love. Same with super over the top weddings, for that matter.
MissDre May 20, 2011, 1:58 pm
Agreed. I only want like, 40 people at my wedding, tops.
Quakergirl May 20, 2011, 2:03 pm
I wouldn’t necessarily equate a large guest list with a wedding being over the top, though. Some people have really huge families, so even a close-family-and-best-friends-only wedding is going to have like 120-150 people when you get both sides in the mix. I wish I could do like a 50 person wedding, but it’s just not going to happen. I mean Quakerboy has literally 25 first cousins, about half of whom are married. That’s like 45 people right there. Just going to have to work extra hard to keep everything else low-key.
MissDre May 20, 2011, 2:06 pm
That’s craziness. Can’t even imagine. I just grew up with my mom and my brother. No cousins or aunts or uncles or anything. My extended family is spread out across the country and I haven’t really met them or talked to them. Same with my boyfriend, he has just his mom and his sister and one cousin. His extended family is all in Trinidad/Tobago.
melikeycheesecake May 20, 2011, 2:10 pm
Ohhhh I just read your comment! Beach wedding in Trinidad/Tobago… yes please! :O)
MissDre May 20, 2011, 2:18 pm
Haha no, if we went to TnT we’d have hundreds of his family who would expect to be invited. But like I said before, both of us have very small families and small, close-knit groups of friends. I just did a mental tally, I can only think of 10 people I would want to invite (including my family) and my bf is probably in the same boat. So, add a few plus-one’s and we’ll have a lovely gathering of about 40 people 🙂 I think we’d probably just have a small reception at a restaurant.
melikeycheesecake May 20, 2011, 2:26 pm
Ok.. ok.. but I was really looking forward to getting to know that island(s)… I’m one of the 10 right 🙂 (sarcasm)
40 people sounds perfect!
MissDre May 20, 2011, 2:33 pm
He spent 3.5 weeks there last Christmas. I’ve already informed him that this year, I am accompanying him! No ifs ands or buts!
Quakergirl May 20, 2011, 2:28 pm
That sounds amazing… ::lulls off into daydream::
MissDre May 20, 2011, 4:38 pm
This is what I don’t understand about the thumbs. It’s one thing to disagree with an opinion, but I did not even state an opinion or point of view here. I said I grew up with a small family and so did my boyfriend. What’s to thumb down? Because you grew up in a big family? Well just pass over my comment then.
melikeycheesecake May 20, 2011, 2:09 pm
Sooooooooooo true Quakergirl!!!! MissDre you may as well have a destination wedding in order to have such a small wedding…. man it’s surprising how freggin fast the list adds up!!!
Quakergirl May 20, 2011, 2:25 pm
About 6 months ago we were running numbers on how much it would cost to actually throw a wedding so that we could get a savings plan under way, and when I came up with some average per-head numbers for the city where we want to get married (nowhere nuts– a small town near where we’re from), he replied “well, we can keep the guest list small” and it shouldn’t take that long. I did a quick add up of the essential people (parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, first cousins+spouses) and we were already at almost 90 people. That doesn’t even include extended family (and I’m pretty close with my extended family), family friends, or any of our friends. We could eeeeeasily be at 200 people without even trying too hard. I just don’t even want to think about it…
bagge72 May 20, 2011, 3:05 pm
Yeah it can get crazy, we are doing are wedding list now, and just with my immediate family, I have 66 people! So we are looking at inviting almost 200! Which makes it a lot harder to pick a place, because it is way to expensive with that many people.
bagge72 May 20, 2011, 3:07 pm
*our
TheOtherMe May 20, 2011, 12:22 pm
WOW how can any girl refuse “that” proposal ?
bagge72 May 20, 2011, 3:09 pm
You can’t with all of those people around, you have to wait until you get home haha.
TheOtherMe May 20, 2011, 3:18 pm
HAHA, I can imagine it HAS happened before with these extreme public proposals !
PFG-SCR May 20, 2011, 12:22 pm
This was amazing – it had me laughing and crying!
demoiselle May 20, 2011, 12:58 pm
Don’t like public proposals. They put too much pressure on the person being asked.
MissDre May 20, 2011, 1:24 pm
You could see all their friends and family come down and hug her and wanna see the ring and all that… I would hate that! I mean, let the girl breathe! Let her take it all in! That’s why I’d want my proposal to be private. An intimate, exciting moment between me and my man, where we can celebrate just the two of us, talk about our future plans, let it sink in, and THEN tell people.
HmC May 20, 2011, 1:35 pm
I guess that’s true, but really, I’d hope that the proposal wasn’t the first time they were discussing marriage…
Quakergirl May 20, 2011, 1:56 pm
Exactly. I’m always kind of baffled by this argument against public proposals (I’m not a fan, but not because I’d feel pressured. I just don’t like people looking at me, ever). A proposal is a lot of pressure to say yes, no matter where it’s asked. But I feel like a proposal should be like interrogating a witness on the stand– don’t ask a question you don’t already know the answer to. If you’re not 100% sure the person is going to say yes, why would you ask? It should confirm the intent you both have to get married, not catch someone off guard. I mean, yes, the timing/place of the proposal can be a surprise, but the actual question really shouldn’t be that surprising, nor should the answer.
MissDre May 20, 2011, 2:02 pm
I totally agree with you Quakergirl. I definitely would not feel ‘pressure’ at the question. I would just want the actual proposal to be a private moment between my partner and I. I’m sure it’s equally surprising and thrilling and exciting and emotional no matter how many times you’ve discussed marriage. And I think I’d be overwhelmed if I had a line of friends and family all wanting a piece of me in that moment.
Quakergirl May 20, 2011, 2:09 pm
Meee too– I get very easily overwhelmed. You’re totally right, it’s going to be so emotional even though it’s not a “surprise” really. The last thing I’d want at that point is everyone watching me cry and get all excited. A friend of mine from college got engaged in the park where she met her fiance, just the two of them with a picnic and a bottle of champagne, and then he surprised her after the picnic by taking her back to their freshman year dorm where there was a party with all their friends and a big slideshow showing them through the past 4 years. I always thought that was kind of nice, because you get to have the moment to yourselves and some time alone to enjoy it, then celebrate with your loved ones once you’re under control and no longer have mascara running down your face.
MissDre May 20, 2011, 2:29 pm
That would be nice 🙂
demoiselle May 22, 2011, 11:44 am
With a nice man, it probably wouldn’t be.
melikeycheesecake May 20, 2011, 1:02 pm
That is fantastic! Granted I’m not a fan of public proposals either but seriously think about the time and effort put into this proposal!! Having the talk with the father = priceless! It’s seriously precious.. public or not!!
spaceboy761 May 20, 2011, 1:08 pm
When I found out that there are ‘proposal coaches’ in Manhattan that charge upwards of $5000 to plan “the perfect moment”, I probably lost my last shred of faith in humanity.
TheGirl May 20, 2011, 1:17 pm
ANYTHING wedding related spawns that sort of nonsense.
spaceboy761 May 20, 2011, 1:17 pm
The $5000 doesn’t cover materials, btw. Let’s say that you get a horsedrawn carriage, expensive dinner, ballroom gala, et al, and all of that costs you $7000. You pay $7000 for the stuff AND an additional $5000 to the planner for being so brilliant as to come up with this. Maybe I should just stop bitching and start charging $4000 for the same service to undercut my competition and become a millioniare in six months. Now if I could only find a reliable way to direct market to rich, impressionable, douchebags…
PFG-SCR May 20, 2011, 1:22 pm
OMG, I’d be pissed if my significant other spent that amount of money just to propose to me…for crying out loud, that money could have been spent toward a bigger ring!!! [sarcasm]
spaceboy761 May 20, 2011, 1:56 pm
I’m sure that if insecure rich boyfriend is seriously considering this service, your ring already couldn’t get any bigger while still allowing you to lift your left hand off a table.
PFG-SCR May 20, 2011, 2:07 pm
Oh, spaceboy761, there are only a few things in life that can never be too big…and a diamond is one of them.
TheOtherMe May 20, 2011, 2:13 pm
@PFG-SCR: Although I find your comment absolutely hilarious, I have been in situations where too big was just … too big !
spaceboy761 May 20, 2011, 2:33 pm
You’d be surprised. I knew a family that ran a jewelry shop, and they always had this stash of huge glass ‘diamonds’. Whenever someone asked for a gigantorock, the owner gave them this huge fake diamond for a week to see if they could live with it. More than half opted for a smaller stone.
Budjer May 20, 2011, 1:31 pm
Whilie I agree it is ludicrous and facepalm inducing….I’m pretty sure the people paying $5000 for that service can easily afford the extras.
Budjer May 20, 2011, 1:46 pm
Which I guess also suggests you should absolutely undercut the competition and get rich.
bitter gay mark May 20, 2011, 1:47 pm
That was cute and sweet. From an artistic standpoint, the “trailer” could have REALLY been amazing if it was a minute or so shorter. That said it was quite amusing. I did love that he stopped off to buy popcorn — even though that bit ran a little long. 🙂
SGMcG May 20, 2011, 1:54 pm
The attempts to catch kernels in his mouth was cute too. 😀
Quakergirl May 20, 2011, 1:53 pm
Normally, I’m not a fan of public proposals, but this was really, really sweet and funny. He clearly put a lot of thought into what mattered to her (asking the dad for permission, etc.) and let their personalities show through. And the way she laughed when he stopped to get the popcorn, you could tell she was thinking “of course he would…” Must admit I thought he was going to stop and pick up the ring at the concession stand, though. Overall, one of the funnier, classier public proposals I’ve seen. Romantic but not cheesy.
LolaBeans May 20, 2011, 1:56 pm
man… this has gone VIRAL!! it’s everywhere!
cute… but a little too public for me.
Jess May 20, 2011, 3:13 pm
i would HATE this propoasl
brendapie May 20, 2011, 3:19 pm
I think it’s really cheesy! I find most public proposals to be really uncomfortable to watch and I can’t imagine being proposed to in front of a bunch of strangers or even worse, family and friends. I would hate to have that kind of pressure on me if I wasn’t sure if I wanted to accept a proposal at that time.
I do think it’s sweet that he put so much effort into the proposal and including her father’s blessing was really touching. I just wouldn’t like this kind of proposal for myself.
spaceboy761 May 20, 2011, 3:21 pm
The only thing great about my proposal was my best man’s hilarious speech at my wedding largely based on ripping me for how crappy my proposal was.
TheOtherMe May 20, 2011, 3:32 pm
Trust me, your proposal couldn’t have been worse than the one I got 🙁
demoiselle May 20, 2011, 3:39 pm
Was it Mr.-Collins-awful?
TheOtherMe May 20, 2011, 3:43 pm
Worse is an understatement. I still accepted though 😉
MissDre May 20, 2011, 4:41 pm
What did he do??
melikeycheesecake May 20, 2011, 5:16 pm
Or not do???
TheOtherMe May 20, 2011, 8:04 pm
Half drunken proposal, on the phone, from the bar.
PFG-SCR May 20, 2011, 10:50 pm
Mine sucked, too – not that I’d ever tell him that.
Tracey May 20, 2011, 3:38 pm
How did he get permission to use the Universal and MPAA logos? Did he work out an advertising deal with Ford? Public proposals aren’t my slice of wedding cake, but she loved it and he put a lot of effort into it, so I wish them the best of luck. Who knows? Maybe he’ll get some sort of Hollywood offer from this too.
abby May 20, 2011, 2:55 pm
I love this! I would die (in a good way) if my boyfriend proposed to me like this.
_jsw_ May 20, 2011, 3:41 pm
I thought that was pretty cool… but not nearly as good as the Muppet one… that one brought tears to my eyes.
sweetleaf May 20, 2011, 4:48 pm
Eww. That made me puke and it was way too long.
_jsw_ May 20, 2011, 4:52 pm
Seriously… look at the Muppet one and read the story on the page. I think it’s a lot less puke-worthy.
Unless you hate Muppets.
fast eddie May 20, 2011, 8:02 pm
I cried a tears of laughter and a few of joy then posted it on fb. No way she can back out now. After living together for 7 years on a new years day I said to my sweetie “Ya wanna get married this year?” She said “Sure, why not”. It was romantic as all get out.
sweetleaf May 20, 2011, 9:52 pm
Now that’s how I’d like it to go down.
Fairhaired Child May 20, 2011, 10:47 pm
There was one like this a few months ago that someone did the same thing. Where they did a collage picture thing and some “action scenes” for a upcoming movie and then proposed in the movie theater after the trailer played.
As for public proposals – this one was really amazing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQVoAWSP7k4
Fairhaired Child May 20, 2011, 10:49 pm
here’s the other movie trailer proposal : which I think is better put together than this one and gives more suspense/looks like a real movie, though the boyfriend looks like a weirdo wearing sunglasses all the time even in a theater
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBx3-A3mLD8