Journey to Marriage 13 - A very surprise party?

We had earlier slated our introduction for the last week in August. Due to the potential unavailability of a major stakeholder from BH’s side of the family, under short notice, we moved the introduction to mid-July.

By the grace of God, the introduction was a success… slightly bigger and more dramatic than I envisaged, in my father’s living room.

At this time, anytime I remembered my proposalless and ringless life, I would vex small, though I tried as much as possible to not be bothered about it. I even blamed the unusual circumstance of how I met BH and how our relationship evolved into courtship.

The thing that pained me most was that I knew BH had a ring he could easily exchange to get me my heart’s desire, lol. He had also measured my ring size three weeks after our relationship, so he wasn't confused.

Also we needed to do our pre wedding shoot, so we could start working on soft copy newsletters and other stationaries, but BH kept giving excuses like the photographer shifted the date, the date is not convenient, etc., and this was also paining me, lol.

BH’s birthday was three days after our introduction. I had considered the possibility of his proposing to me on that day, but I felt it wouldn’t happen because

1. It would be too obvious
2. His previous birthday didn’t hold good memories
3. He wasn’t planning anything big.

So I decided to help him out, by presenting him options. I decided that I was going to take him out, just him and I… so if he had been considering a proposal, it would be a nice time for him to ‘surprise’ me, after all, I was the one who was taking him out. Don't laugh, I could be scheming at times. I need a saviour.

A week to his birthday, I was on the phone with BH one morning, when his business partner called me. I later returned his call, and he said he wanted us to plan a surprise party for BH on his birthday, but I wasn’t required to do much. I told him I was already planning to take BH out, so it means we would have to go out earlier.

Even though I wasn’t happy that my own plans had to be overridden, I was determined not to wave it aside. His business partner told me I didn’t have to do much, and I could just bring the cake I had ordered from Cakes to the party, instead of sending it to BH’s house. He had invited my sister, and told me since we were in on it together, I could invite my friends.

I called cakes to change the plans, and on the main day, I took BH out on a date. We got to the venue around some minutes to 5pm, because I had been told that the party could start anytime from 7.30pm, and I wanted to have enough time with BH.

I told BH that I would need to give Berry’s African Naturalistas products to cakes, and pick his cake from him, so we would need to get to his friend’s house on my way back to drop him. I kept using style to check my phone from messages from his business partner. The signal came much later than I expected because it took time for people to get to the venue.

Finally, we got to the venue, and I was praying that he won’t suspect. We finally opened the door to his friend’s house, which was dark, everyone came out of different corners, and shouted SURPRISE.
Wow, we were successful at surprising BH, and the party started. The cake showed up, juice, chicken, finger foods, water, etc. The party was in full swing.

Birthday cake by Cakesiena

I asked him if he was surprised, and he said to a large extent, he was, but started suspecting when his friend’s house was totally quiet. I then told him about how his business partner called me, and planned all these.

About one hour into the party, we were dancing and having fun. I was matching dance steps with his friend when I suddenly turned my head left, and saw BH on his knees.

I was so shocked and speechless, and guess what I did…

I ran away!!!

I didn’t know where I was running to, but I was just walking away, cos I couldn’t absorb the shock.
Why was BH on his knees… at the surprise party I planned for him? Where did he get a ring from? After all, we came in my own car, and he was empty handed.

In the meantime, his business partner had run after me, brought me back to the place where BH was waiting for me… still on his knees.

He was like “can we make it official?”

I couldn’t say yes, I was too weak and shocked to open my mouth. I couldn’t keep looking at him on his knees, so I knelt down to meet him where he was, and hugged him. All these while, a musician he had hired had been serenading us with “Money can’t buy me love.” The atmosphere was very emotionally charged, and some people had tears in their eyes.

After he slipped the ring in my finger and hugged me, I just went to sit down, while another phase of the party started, after they brought a second cake out, where they wrote "She said Yes", the exact words written on my vision board for 2016. Please read the post here if you missed it.

Second cake of the day

It was then people unravelled things to me. The surprise birthday party I thought I was planning for BH was actually my own surprise proposal party BH was planning for me. Everyone there except me knew, which is why I had been asked to invite my friend, an instruction I had ignored. My sister knew, even my mum knew. All the time I was telling his business partner we were on our way, he was also telling them the same thing. Berry, all the way from Atlanta, was in on the plan, and Cakes and BH were the master planner.

I also later found out that my lack of ring was the reason BH had been postponing our pre wedding shoot, cos he didn’t want me with bare fingers in the pictures… and to think I believed this guy didn’t send me.

Anytime I remember that day, I still smile, especially at the point when I turned left and saw BH on his knees.

Goofing around after the party was almost over

Question- For the married: Were you proposed to? If yes, how? Was it your dream proposal?
For the single: How would you like to be proposed to?