I have been dating Tawanna for about a year and a half. Once I knew she was the one, the next step was to decide how to make the proposal happen. There’s a creative side to me that wanted to do something that had never been done before, or something elaborate and entertaining. I also considered maybe it would be best to keep it private and personal. I struggled with a decision, but I had bought her ring and I was ready to make it happen.
I was lucky to have great support and people trying to help me through this challenge. I’m a writer for BMWK, so I see fantastic proposals on our site daily. I was sent a link to a site (https://howheasked.com/) that also highlights amazing proposals. One of my friends often tells me he’s glad he’s married, because guys are stepping it up on the proposals these days. He’s right! There are so many great marriage proposals; it’s difficult to keep up.
Eventually, I followed what should have been the only consideration, “What would she want me to do?” That made it a lot easier! Tawanna is a big-time Chrisette Michele fan. I know people have proposed on-stage before, but it’s not necessarily about being the most original, it was about making her happy and I was convinced this would make her happy.
The Plan
I called Chrisette’s manager to find out if proposing on-stage could be a possibility. She was fantastic! She checked with Chrisette, and they were onboard immediately! The challenge was the concert was in Atlanta (250 miles away), and it was not finalized yet. There were some things behind the scenes which had Chrisette’s appearance in doubt until the day before the show. It was also Grammy week (congrats on the Grammy nomination, Chrisette!), so she was extremely busy that week.
They confirmed the show was happening, less than 24 hours before showtime. I booked a hotel which was gracious enough to extend me a penthouse mini-suite with a fantastic view of Atlanta. Then, I called her sisters, who live just a couple of hours drive from Atlanta. They were supportive enough to make time to head to Atlanta to help with the surprise.
The Execution
We drove to Atlanta and I didn’t tell Tawanna where we were going or what we were doing. She had a previous engagement at home, so she wasn’t completely happy with me. I told her we were doing something fun and she trusted my judgment that the trip was worth it. When we got to Atlanta, we changed to prepare for the show. As we arrived to the arena, she still had no idea what was going on—even after I left her for a short time to pick up the tickets from will call.
The Surprise
We were escorted to third row seats. The usher accidentally handed Tawanna the tickets, and then she found out it was Chrisette’s show. About halfway through Chrisette’s first song, I left the seats, and told Tawanna there was something I had to do. The next time she saw me I was walking out on stage. The rest is on the video for you to see. When Tawanna comes off-stage with me, she discovered that her sisters had come in town for the surprise and she was ecstatic!
I’m so glad I followed what I believed my fiancée would have wanted. I think she was extremely happy and surprised and it couldn’t have gone any better. Thanks to our own Lamar Tyler and Phil Stevens for making the video happen. Thanks to the staff at the JW Marriott for the awesome service. Thanks to Chrisette Michele for being so gracious to help make this a very special day for us. Finally, thanks to Tawanna for making me a very happy man!
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BMWK – What was your proposal like? Or, what would be your dream proposal?