Taking the Plunge
For couples in love, the words "Will you marry me" set the tone for a lifetime together.
Just as no two couples are alike, their styles of asking also vary.
This Valentine's Day, the following couples recall the day the question was popped.
3rd time's a charmIn August 2004, Jason Huntsman was more than 10,000 feet above the Earth with a parachute strapped to his back, ready to take the plunge.But jumping out of the plane was the least of his worries.Jason, 28, of Butler and his girlfriend, Darilyn Gregor, 27, of Chicora were preparing to make their third dive. Skydiving had become an annual summer event for the couple over the past three years."It's something we both enjoyed and one of the first things we did together," Jason said.But this year, Jason spent two months planning the dive, as well as the perfect proposal to Darilyn.The two instructors diving with the couple were aware of the plan, as were Jason's brother and others on the ground.Though Darilyn jumped first, Jason had to be sure to open his parachute first to beat her to the ground. "It took some experienced guys to make it happen," Jason said.Darilyn's gentle descent back to Earth turned into a rush to land when she saw a huge banner reading, "Darilyn, will you marry me.""I was very shocked," she said.When she finally hit the ground, Jason was already on bended knee, having retrieved the ring from his brother when he landed."I had no idea," said the flushed, blushing bride-to-be."I knew how it was supposed to go: the girl is supposed to be standing and the guy is supposed to be on one knee. But I still had all my gear on (and couldn't stand up) so I'm basically sitting on the ground and he's on one knee," she said.For all his careful planning and execution, Jason admitted his nerves were as inflated as his parachute."He wasn't nervous about jumping out of the plane, he was nervous about proposing," Darilyn said.
Darilyn and Jason were married Oct. 1, 2005.
Two weekends before Christmas in 2005, Theresa Boehmig and Eric Kriberney of Butler journeyed to Gibsonia to see the Celebration of Lights at Hartwood Acres, as they had for the past four years.But that year, there was a change in the atmosphere."I knew something was different because all the windows were cracked in the Jeep and he was biting his nails the whole way down," said Theresa, 25.This was not the Eric she had come to know and love since they met at the McDonald's drive-thru where she was working when she was 16.Two days after first seeing her through the window, Eric confidently walked into the restaurant and asked for her phone number.Now, Eric had a new question for her, and he was not so confident."I was extremely nervous," admitted Eric, 27.In past years, he said the couple waited for snow to fall before driving through the light show, but that year, anticipation and adrenaline took over."I was like, 'Nope, we have to go today,'" he said. "I was feeling like we needed something more and that was the next step."As they pulled up to Hartwood Mansion, anxious Eric told a suspicious Theresa there was a present for her in the back seat. At the suggestion of a friend, he had placed a stuffed reindeer in a gift bag as a red herring.Theresa pulled out the deer "and out pops the ring box on my lap," she said.Marriage had been discussed in the past, but they had agreed to wait until Theresa finished college."We knew we were going to be together forever," she said.But one week after graduation was a little sooner than she expected."He said. 'Will you marry me?' and I said, 'Oh my gosh, yes,'" Theresa said.While his relief was visible, Eric said her response was never one of his fears."I knew she'd say yes," he said.<I>Eric and Theresa were married Sept. 23, 2006.</I>
Like a student just released for summer vacation, Matthew Pawlowicz could not wait for Kennywood day.The Butler resident had been planning the trip for weeks, and the Thunderbolt was not the only roller coaster he was ready to ride.After about two years of courtship, Matthew was ready to propose to his girlfriend, Lindsey Bender, also of Butler."We knew we were going to get married, it was just about when we were going to get engaged," he said.The night before Kennywood, Matthew went to dinner with Lindsey's father and two brothers, and shared his plan to propose in the park.With their blessing, he returned home at about midnight to make sure everything was ready.But his nerves were already jumpier than the Jack Rabbit. So Matthew went into the bedroom, woke up Lindsey, who was asleep, and told her that he'd spoken with her family about the engagement."I went up to the room and woke her up and did it," he said."She said, 'What did they say?' and I just got down on one knee and said, 'They said I should ask you to marry me.'"Lindsey said she was "pretty surprised," because she knew it was coming, just not in the middle of the night."I think he just got too excited," she said.Matthew described the event as both the "greatest" and "most nerve-racking" of his life — but it also made him a leader. Both of Lindsey's brothers proposed to their girlfriends following Lindsey and Matthew's wedding."Apparently, we're the trendsetters," Matthew said.<I>Lindsey and Matthew were married Sept. 2, 2006.</I>
On Nicole Malinski's list of great birthday presents, the best has to be the diamond ring on the third finger of her left hand.It was an early gift from her fiance, David Dunkerley, 33, of Grove City, said Nicole, 23, of Butler.For several months, he planned the operation, even choosing and purchasing the ring himself. David then approached Nicole's family and asked for their blessing, which they gave without hesitation."They were very supportive,"he said.The night before Nicole's birthday, David picked her up so they could go out to dinner. Unfortunately, she said, he "forgot" his wallet at his parents' house and they had to turn around.When they arrived, he asked her to sit down, he said. He returned with a full bouquet of red roses and wished her a happy birthday."It took a few seconds and then she noticed the ring," which was carefully displayed among the blooms, he said."Then he came on one knee and then he asked me," said Nicole, who immediately said yes.She was overjoyed as well as surprised, she said, because David didn't mention that he had been ring shopping.Equally thrilling was the ring itself — exactly the design Nicole said she would have chosen for herself."It's like he read my mind or something," she said.<I>Nicole and David will be married July 14, 2007.</I>
According to the Rev. Bill Mumaw, it takes someone special to be a minister's wife.To him, Laura Pisani was that and more."Just when you're not looking, that's when it happens," he said.Bill, 35, was beginning to question whether he would ever find his perfect mate when he was introduced to Laura, 25, through a family friend. Laura was also a member of Bill's congregation, the United Presbyterian Church of Freeport.After less than a year of courtship, Bill, a resident of Sarver, was preparing to go on an annual summer vacation to the Outer Banks with his family. He invited his girlfriend, who was living in Saxonburg, to go along.In planning the trip, Bill said he was including an engagement proposal along the beach, under the cover of a starry evening sky. He even asked her parents for their blessing before they left."I wanted to be old-fashioned," he said. "We just really wanted to have a Christian courtship, do all the right things."Laura said she suspected something would happen on the beach because they had looked at rings together.But, not wanting to set herself up for disappointment, she set her mind to "whatever happens, happens." If it was not to be on the beach, it would happen at the right time in the future.Which turned out to be a good thing. While the love of her life was ready and waiting, the ring was not.Suspecting that Laura was anticipating a proposal on the beach, Bill was even more nervous for fear of disappointing her."There were even jokes like, 'I can't wait for the Outer Banks, it's going be a special trip,'" he said.While there were moonlit walks along the beach, there was no proposal and, luckily, no disappointment.Because Laura was in graduate school, the couple ended their vacation early so she could attend class. That day, Bill got a phone call — the ring had arrived.After he cooked Laura dinner that evening, Bill suggested they go out for ice cream. Before they could go, he said had to check on something at the church, which was not an extraordinary occurrence.They walked into the empty church and Bill brought her down to the sanctuary, where he bent to one knee."In front of the altar, I told her the Lord brought her to me," Bill said, and he finally placed the ring on her finger."He surprised me," Laura said. "I didn't think he'd do it there, but there was something really perfect about it."It just felt like the best decision I ever made."<I>Laura and Bill were married Dec. 31, 2006.</I>
When Kelli Jo Shuler and Dereke Lovich became a couple, they had drivers to chauffeur them on dates — their parents.Kelli Jo, 23, and Dereke, 26, both Butler residents, were introduced more than a decade ago by their mothers, who were co-workers — so it was no surprise to friends and family an engagement was looming."I kept bugging him, saying, 'OK, when is it going to happen,'" Kelli Jo said."I kind of had the idea I was getting a ring but I didn't know when I was getting it."Dereke had a pretty good idea as he had invested about a year in planning.Kelli Jo's idea stemmed from a window-shopping trip, on which Dereke asked her to pick out three different diamonds she liked.Of the three, Kelli Jo recalled that one was much more expensive than the others, and she told her future fiance not to buy that one just because it was on her list."But, of course, that's the one he bought," she said.Finally, on Christmas Eve in 2004, with Kelli Jo's family gathered at her mother the matchmaker's house, Dereke asked Kelli Jo to be his wife.And to no one's surprise, she said "yes.""I had a pretty good idea she was going to accept it," he said. "It just happened to be the time."<I>Kelli Jo and Dereke were married Oct. 7, 2006.</I>
