Proposal

[Hans]

It's truly great to see guys here getting married one after one!  I'm on my way there myself now with a Chinese wedding planned for August. Getting married in China is of course a completely different thing than doing it in Sweden. We will do both but the wedding in Sweden will happen next year. About the Chinese wedding, well I am still trying to figure it out (Nik's video helped, though!).

My fiancée told me she expect me to propose to her. It seems a bit weird after we have already decided to marry and are making plans for the wedding, but tradition is tradition. I could ask her about what I am expected to say and what is considered a romantic proposal in China, but since she's told me several times that she is so excited about what I am going to say to her in Chinese I don't want to spoil it.

I am therefore looking for some kind of inspiration. I've googled the topic and found out different things. Such as the families getting together, exchange of presents, the guy's father giving a speech and so on. Is this really what a traditional proposal is like or can people choose freely nowadays? I had hoped for a more private proposal just between me and my future wife on a restaurant, on a romantic spot or such. 

How did you guys do it?

[Arnold]

I'm not going to be of any help to you Hans , but I tell you how I did it anyway .

Through writing before I ever saw her Face to Face , after that meeting off to the Registry for the Red Books . Doesn't sound Romantic .. but don't be fooled . I knew what I was doing .. haha   so did Qing . At the wedding I only had to  learn the Chinese Sentence " I will now call for my Wife " and she came in to the room with all the Guest's and I went to give her her Bouquet .. went don't on my Knee and kissed her Hand .. that was pretty much all . Then , the wedding Co. took over the rest and we just followed .

[Peter]

I also don't know if I will be any help but a couple of days later after getting the red book we had a wedding at a restaurant with a lot of guests. At this wedding I had to bend down to my knees and ask my wife's mother if I was allowed to marry her daughter. Before she said yes I wasn't married even if we already had the red book... I also had to make a little speech about my expectations of our future and telling the guests how I found my wife.
I guess your fiancée want to have a western proposal so I guess you will have to bend down on your knees and ask her.. Don't forget to give her the ring 

I am told that there are different traditions in different parts of China so I guess you have to ask your fiancée....

Peter

[Neil]

Yeah, mine was a little unromantic as well.  We were in love, and we knew we wanted to get married.  We had discussed it a lot.  We went to a nice jewelry store or two and looked at some rings with my wife's cousin who could speak some English.  That night I asked my wife if she wanted to wear the ring.  She blushed and acted shy so I opened the box, took out the ring, knelt and placed the ring on her finger. 

We got our Red books about a week before our actual wedding at a hotel.  There was some ceremony, some bowing and red envelopes, but no speech and no asking permission. 

Neil

[Hans]

Thanks for the replies! I guess I have to go ahead and ask her after all.

[Jingle]

OMG , if i was you ,I'd rather marry one who does not ask for a proposal ,its so annoying  LOL ,kidding .