This month, I proposed to my girlfriend of nearly four years; and though our chosen wedding date is a year away, planning has already begun!  Come with me as I document my experiences with the planning process; the agreements, the disagreements, the highs, and the lows (all from a guy's perspective)!  And since I plan on having more involvement in planning our wedding than most grooms are comfortable with, this is bound to be an incredible and completely unique experience!  Come enjoy the ride with me!

For my first installment, I thought I'd cover what's already happened: the proposal.

I had known that I was going to marry Robyn for a long time, but things like financial security had always kept me from actually popping the question.  Call me old-fashioned, but the last thing I wanted was to get married without being able to provide for my family!  Robyn, bless her heart, was so patient as I struggled with these issues, despite the fact that she so desperately wanted to take that next step.

Finally, my job here at the radio station went from part-time to full-time, everything started looking up, and I realized I was ready to get married.  More importantly, I also knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I wanted to get married.

I decided to propose in Las Vegas, the city where we first realized that we didn't just like each other, we like-liked each other.  My first idea was to propose by the pool, since that's where we really hit it off.  Then I realized I didn't want to ask her to marry me in my swim trunks.

That's when I had an epiphany.  I could propose at Nine Fine Irishmen, an Irish pub at the New York New York hotel, and one of our all-time favorite places to go in Vegas!

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So I casually suggested that we have dinner there, and we got all dressed up and ready to go.  We got a lovely table at the pub, but we were surrounded on all sides by other people.  So I waited.

We were through our entire meal by the time the surrounding tables were empty.  I don't remember what we were talking about at that point, but I abruptly changed the subject to how much I loved her and how we had been through so much together. Then I pulled out the ring (pictured above), got down on one knee, and asked Robyn if she would "do me the honor, the pleasure, and the privilege of being my wife." (I had been rehearsing that in my head for the past three days!)

Crying, she nodded, held out her hand, and I slipped the ring on her finger (which fit perfectly, thanks to the fact that I had finally agreed to go ring shopping with her a few months ago).

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We immediately started calling friends and family to tell them the good news, and they were all overjoyed.

All in all, I think I handled the proposal pretty well!  I feel like everything went perfectly, despite me not planning anything very far in advance.  We were at one of our favorite places, and we were wearing nicer clothes than just our bathing suits!  I'd call that a success.  What do you think?

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