It’s no secret that I, like many people, am not too fond of the very public proposals that some couples opt for at sporting events like football games, but as I mentioned in my previous entry on the Keys to a Successful Proposal there is a right and a wrong way to do it.  If the sport in question is of particular importance between a couple, it’s something that might work, but the key thing is to incorporate things that mean something to both of you.

That’s what happened this weekend with the very public engagement of former fullback for Southern University Calvin Mills’ engagement to Brittany Ramsey this past weekend with the help of the Southern University marching band.  The marching band started off like any other marching band performance and then suddenly formed the words “Marry Me” on the field while a large white giftbox with green ribbon was wheeled onto the field.  A girl inside the box, who later turns out to be Ramsey’s daughter, pops out of the box briefly in front of cameras and passes a box to Mills as he approaches Ramsey.  The young girl comes out of the box and joins her mother’s side as the proposal event reaches its climax and Mills gets on one knee.  The first thing he asks though, is for Ramsey’s daughter’s acceptance to become his daughter and to allow him to become her father before turning to Ramsey herself and asking for her hand.  Ramsey excitedly said “Yes” after briefly “running away” because of the spectacle and shock, but it was a truly sweet moment and one that was something that did seem really personal and special.

What made this a “Yes” moment rather than the other stadium fails that we’ve all surely seen and are memorialized forever on Youtube though probably mostly lies in the make up of their relationship, which for the most part we as spectators don’t know anything about.  However, we can tell that there is something special about their relationship because Mills didn’t orchestrate the whole thing on his own without the help and presumably the approval of someone special in Ramsey’s life.  What really made this proposal sweet was because Mills was able to get Ramsey’s daughter to participate in the proposal to her mother and as a sweet gesture, also gave her her own piece of jewelry and her own proposal indicating that he has great respect for the relationship between mother and daughter, and understands that he has to get along with the other members of his future family and not just Ramsey.  Although it’s just a fleeting moment in the entire spectacle of this proposal story, there’s a lot of essential meaning in that one gesture that is something a single parent can probably recognize as essential when searching for new prospective partners.  It’s that recognition and understanding that really made the difference for this proposal and something truly special even for those who maybe might not like such a public proposal.

At deBebians, we recognize that it’s more than just the ring that makes a proposal special, so we enjoy sharing stories like this that we find interesting to help provide ideas for what you can do after you have the perfect ring. If you’re still in search of your own perfect ring though, please browse our collection of engagement rings for your dream ring.