Grooms Reveal When They Decided to Pop the Question

When did you realize you had found The One?

Whether it was during a romantic getaway or a quiet night at home, every groom has a moment when it becomes clear that the woman by his side should be his partner for life. Perhaps he knew after the first date; or, maybe the challenges of work or an illness helped him realize how much he appreciated the love of his life. The stories are always completely unique to each couple – and we love hearing them! 

Whenever we at Inside Weddings share a couple’s wedding story in our magazine or website, we always ask the grooms to describe the moment they decided to pop the question. These 12 men had some of our favorite responses, shedding light on the strength of the love between them and their brides-to-be. Warning: serious cuteness ahead!

"I realized that I wanted to propose after moving away to business school. Being cross-country from one another made me realize how important and special Stephanie is to me, and that I wanted to spend the rest of our lives together." - Chris

"One day while visiting her family in California, we were watching TV and a commercial came on that made some reference to Mount Everest. I remember getting this feeling that if we really, really wanted to, we could climb Mount Everest. That if we both decided together at that moment that this was a goal for us, we could without a doubt do it. However, it went above and beyond just Mount Everest, it was a feeling that together we could do whatever we set our minds to and handle any challenge that life threw at us." - Ryan

"We had broken up during college and I realized I had lost my best friend. I spent the next several years trying to win her back and knew I wanted to be with her for the rest of my life." - Parker

"When I realized that there was SO much more to her than just a pretty face. She was someone that could not only challenge me, but also offer a level a comfort that I greatly appreciated." - Landry

"It was the last night [of our trip to Las Vegas] and we were having margaritas on the strip. Britt and I left to play a few hands and realized both of our phones were dead. But we didn’t care. Because, in that moment, no one else in the world even existed." - Aaron

"Well, I knew after the second time I got to see her and realized she was just as amazing as when I met her the first time. I wasn’t worried about how long it would take to be the right time, I just didn’t want to look like a weirdo and ask her to marry me after knowing her for a week!" - Ryan

"When I took her to an art museum for Valentine’s Day, that’s when I knew for sure I wanted to be with her always. Something just “clicked” and it was oh-so-clear… You always hear the cliché, 'When you know, you know.' The feeling I got that day was indescribable. It felt like a load was taken off my shoulders. I could relax. I had found the one person I was meant to be with." - Tom

"I remember taking a shower and thinking to myself, 'I am so happy right now. What am I waiting for?!'" - Stephen

"I took Tracy on a trip to Spain and Morocco for her birthday. We were having a cocktail outside of La Mamounia, a beautiful hotel in Marrakech. I knew from that second on I had to have her as my wife." - Chris

"A few months into our relationship Hannah and I took a weekend trip to New York. Things had been going great between the two of us but this trip changed the trajectory… I couldn’t get enough of her and realized then that I wanted to keep hanging out for the rest of my life." - Luke

"What made me realize that it was time was when we attended her sister's wedding back in September of 2012. Listening to the exchange of vows, watching their first dance, and laughing together when the bride and groom put cake on each other’s face is when I knew that I wanted to share every one of those moments and the rest of my life with Dana." - Jimmy

"I knew I wanted to propose when I began to care more about her happiness and well-being than my own. I never imagined that I would meet someone for whom I would care about more than myself, but when I came to that realization, I knew that I could not let her go." - Vincent

Opening photo by Braedon Photography