Savannah Guthrie of Today told the world that she dumped her now husband the morning of the day they got engaged. The hosts told their engagement stories in the context of this story about a photographer trying to find a mystery couple getting engaged. When it got to Savannah, she started by saying that all her friends knew the story. She then confessed that while in the Turks & Caicos with her then boyfriend, Mike Feldmann, she broke up with him that morning and accepted his proposal that night, which prompted Al Rocker to reply, “that’s a quick comeback.”
With the help of the internet, a photographer finally finds the mystery couple he took a viral engagement photo of and @alroker, @SheinelleJones, @SavannahGuthrie and @craigmelvin share their own engagement stories. pic.twitter.com/1ivn1TFHmn
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) October 30, 2018
I probably should have warned you that Savannah refused to explain what happened because the story is too long. Since she and Mike supposedly tell the story together and often (and over drinks), I assume it’s not some sordid tale. However, a sordid tale is always fun and since Savannah won’t tell me the real one, I’ll make up my own. I’m thinking she was captured by a peg-legged pirate who threatened to destroy Mike if she didn’t disavow him but then he bested the pirate with a coconut and Savannah ran into his waiting arms, pledging her love to him forever. As much as I like my story, I’m still really curious what the real one is. I get breaking up and back together in a day but to go from dumped to betrothed in 12 hours? That has to be a good story. Let’s start one of those petitions to force Savannah to tell it.
However, it does provide us with the perfect opportunity to tell our own engagement stories. Mine was pretty standard: The Mister got swept up in a moment while we were in New York and proposed in our hotel. Giddy, we joined my co-workers down the block at The Plaza, where we spotted Robert Plant at the bar. The Mister sent him a beer so he came over to our table and officially became the fifth person to congratulate us on our engagement.
Okay, now you go.
Photo credit: Avalon
I wonder if it’s one of those things where the trip was supposed to help them decide the future of their relationship and he planned on proposing, but she misread him and decided he wasn’t in and broke up with him??? Though I also like the pirate theory.
I have a boring engagement story. My husband proposed Christmas morning by sticking my ring in the toe of my stocking and we announced it to his family at dinner.
I proposed to my fiancee after the final day of a lengthy, exhausting, and extremely successful estate sale (we were leaving our college town and all of our roommates had left their stuff and never bothered to move it when they graduated). It was 2 in the morning and we weren’t even sitting near each other, but charging our phones in different outlets on opposite sides of the massive living room. It had been a successful challenge, and despite how stressful such an event (three days) can be, it went brilliantly for us. It demonstrated their true character, and showed how well we would pull together in life. I was just completely floored by them, and by the self-confidence they had helped me achieve (this is one small example – our first date was me tabling for a club I wasn’t even a part of, which was amazing!), and I just looked over and asked. They immediately accepted. It was as unromantic as possible, just two exhausted, dirty people sitting in a furnituteless house. No rings, no flowers, nothing. Nevertheless we have been together for nearly 4 years now, and every day they wake up smiling at me and saying, “I love you.” Siiigh. Now my heart is all a flutter and I can’t wait til they wake up so I can kiss them!
Um, who is “they” you keep referring to? Are you married to conjoined twins?
@ChillyWilly – could you let ppl choose the gender pronouns they prefer please And @StallinOnMyWork – that’s awesome Congrats! <3
I’m sorry, but I’m still stuck on the Robert Plant bit of your story. My Dad was a HUGE rock and roll disciple and he raised me on Led Zeppelin, so that part alone makes it one of the best engagement stories I’ve heard in quite some time.
I know. I’m reading that and thinking, “that’s not standard, that’s awesome”!
Wow! best engagement story every
I know, right? So cool, Hecate.
As for Savannah, I’m guessing she mistakenly thought he wasn’t ready to commit.
Can’t look at that I’ll fitting cream dress that reveals the saggy skin in the armpits
Oh, no. Her flesh is touching her flesh.
/s
You just helped me decide to wear a short jacket to my son’s wedding this weekend. (Why don’t I feel more grateful?)
@Nikki – Because you know people like Mishka aren’t worth your worry?
If someone is scrutinizing you in the photos that harshly, they have the problem, not you.
Mishka maybe look in the mirror to judge yourself first. No excuse for shaming a thin woman for a bit of fat. Unless you are an awful person? We all have fat (unless you are a super athlete, ill, purposely starving yourself) including you dumpling.
I know I’m going to sound like THAT person, but I think getting married should be a mutual decision, not something “popped” on a woman. So we just kind of found ourselves planning a wedding. He did surprise me with his great grandmother’s ring, though, which was lovely and made it feel more official.
@lexilla – I agree – now that I’m a certain age I find myself gnashing my teeth when younger female colleagues are bewailing the “why won’t he propose?” and literally crying with relief when he does. Allowing one person (in these scenarios the man) such complete control over a relationship strikes me as extremely problematic. A decision of that magnitude should be mutual. Fun or romantic ways of expressing that are awesome, don’t get me wrong, but the lack of control and absence of power it gives some women is very worrisome, especially in this day and age. I sometimes fear we are going backwards.
I read somewhere years ago, that the whole idea of the guy popping the question with a diamond ring, was made up by Debeers marketing, because they surmised that if the proposal was a surprise, the guy would feel pressured to spend more on the ring. They also came up with the idea that the ring should cost about 2 months salary. Crazy how willing we are to take fact-based seeming pronouncements as fact without asking why… Anyway, this Cliff Clavin moment brought to you by moi. 🙂
YES. My old douchebro boss told us how he “tortured” his now wife when he proposed by pretending at first he was breaking up with her. He thought it was a funny story while my co-workers and I stared at him in speechless horror. He loved having that power over her and it made me feel sick and sad for her. They are still married 20+ years later, though.
@Sue Denim: The idea of a diamond ring and that you should spend a lot of money on something that will lose most of its value very quickly does indeed come from the same people who sell it.
Just like they are now trying to say “Men should wear engagement rings too” Thats not about equality. Thats about selling more product.
Sue Denim, yes. The DeBeers ad campaign has got to be one of the most successful campaigns in history. That notion they planted has taken extremely firm root. It’s depressing af.
+1000 to not giving in to all the bullshit of endless years of a patriarchal society Your relationship should reflect YOU! xo
That’s how it went down with my husband of 23 years. We just decided to get married and there was no proposal.
I love “THAT person”; other ideas keep us thinking!! And yes, we should all rethink the whole business!! Of course, you can’t force someone to marry you, and some women may feel a biological or societal urge to marry before men. But mutuality sounds healthier.
Well, we had already designed the ring together so there was no surprise. Once it was done, he picked it up from the jeweler and we went on a “date” that night to make it official. He got down on one knee on the beach and sang a song that he wrote for the occasion and handed me… THE BOX. I said “You’re supposed to present me with THE RING so you’ll have to start all over’” So he did. I really just wanted to hear the song again because it was so sweet. We went out to dinner and that was that.
Hahaha I like this one! The idea of making him restart is hilarious!
yup A man I love singing sweet songs to me always makes me melt! Congrats!
With a poem he wrote on the balcony of the Cliff House Restaurant in Stowe, VT, under the stars one mid- December night 24 years ago.
Lovely!!! And are we all allowed to look forward to a happy post of your 25th anniversary next year??! Best wishes!!
Aww, thanks!
We, like so many others, had a string of rough years, but we got through it and I am grateful we both put in the work.
Engaged late ’94, married summer ’95, so a bit more to go before the 25th!
Agreed. I wasn’t going to let him decide whether or not we were going to marry. It was a mutual decision. I did tell him that I wanted a grand proposal story though and that he had to stage it, because I was the one who’d asked him out the first time (and then again, a year later, and then again, three years later, before he finally agreed). He stepped up marvelously and I love telling the story.
We were re-watching “Mad Men”, a show we had bonded over and would discuss every episode of. When we got to the final episode of season 1, “The Wheel” I found that he’d edited the video and instead of pictures of Don Draper’s family, we were looking at pictures of the two of us, while Don is saying “Teddy told me that in Greek, “nostalgia” literally means, “the pain from an old wound”. It’s a twinge in your heart, far more powerful than memory alone. This device isn’t a spaceship. It’s a time machine. It goes backwards and forwards. It takes us to a place where we ache to go again. It’s not called the wheel. It’s called a carousel. It lets us travel the way a child travels. Around and around, and back home again… to a place where we know we are loved.” The final picture was of him holding a sign that said “Will you marry me?” and he was beside me, holding out his mother’s ring.
That is stunning!! (And imaginative!!) . 🙂
That is a great story!
My husband proposed in Rittenhouse Square in Philly, on the grass, in the evening in August. He said so many wonderful things and neither of us can remember them. I held my hands over my face for so long with emotion that he finally stood up and hugged me and said “well are you even going to look at this ring?” It was beautiful.
Then an old Jewish lady came right over and gave us a blessing in Hebrew. It was all perfect and just as simple and honest as our whole relationship.
I love this story!!!! Especially the Jewish blessing!! My son-in-law explained he hadn’t asked us about marrying our daughter, because he felt like she should be the first one to know!! Like yours, they have an honest and simple relationship. Some proposals today almost seem like they’re for media export, but the real thing is powerful and uplifting enough!
You have a terrific story,the lady offering the Jewish Blessing-so sentimental ;in a way it was like she was some kind of guardian angel 😇
I love everything about this <3
We had already discussed getting married for a while, and he’d even asked my parents for their “blessing” while we were there for dinner, so it wasn’t like I didn’t know it was coming. However, he did manage to (with my mom’s help-she packed my suitcase) take me away for a night at a very romantic hotel (which was a huge deal-he was a broke grad student) and proposed there-so I was completely surprised when he did “officially” propose.
🙂
That’s the best engagement story, Robert Plant?!? My dad told me one of the proudest moments of his life was when I asked for the Led Zeppelin box set for my 13th birthday😄 I still play them often today, and my 11 year old daughter loves them too.
I got divorced after 12 years of marriage to an alcoholic who was abusive. I spent the next few years just laser focused on my little boy and my career. When I met my now husband, he’d never been married but was in his early thirties and had had plenty of life experience. We have very similar backgrounds. After a year of friendship, we realized we’d fallen in love, and pretty much as soon as we realized that, we knew we wanted to get married. So it was definitely a mutual decision.
But he still managed to surprise me with a very sweet proposal. We were in Iceland where we’d taken my kiddo and his nephew for a really cool trip. We’d rented an Airbnb in a hill at the edge of a glacier. The boys were outside running around and playing while we watched from the porch. My husband pulled out his grandmother’s ring (which is stunning) and proposed. It’s a beautiful memory. We told the boys when they came back to the house. They both gave us hugs and then started arguing about some character in a fantasy novel they both read.
Glad you found a healthy relationship the second time around!! So nice for your boys, too!
I was breaking up with my husband – because he hadn’t proposed in 3 years of dating – and he interrupted me, shouted: “Just wait a minute, will you?!” paced nervously for a minute or two, and then asked me to marry him! Not the MOST romantic proposal, but we’re besties and lovers 39 years later.
😀 That’s really funny and spontaneous. I’m glad you two have had such a long, wonderful partnership.
That’s sweet!
Congratulations in advance on the impending 40th !! 🎉
Thank you! (And Eternity too!)
I believe Savannah’s first husband, a BBC news producer, was still married when they got together. I know it takes two, but I’ve always side-eyed her knowing that.
Also, wasn’t she pregnant when she announced she was going to marry this guy?
My fiancé pretended to go on a bike ride early in the morning, then called to ask me to go grab us coffee at Starbucks. When I went out to my car, there were flowers, pirate-themed balloons, and the first of six treasure hunt clues in an envelope. My treasure hunt led me to places that were significant to our relationship, like the restaurant he took me on our first date and the first place we lived together. It was so cute because I kept finding people waiting at my clues to see who the fuss was all about. The last clue ended with him on one knee in this little getaway hotel that we loved. He had decorated our room with candles and rose petals. It was magical!
Congratulations DragonWise!
I will spare you all of the boring details,but my husband and I were dating,and we had a mayor something happen.I was sad because I believed breaking up was going to happen,I nicely packed all of his things that were at my place so he could come retrieve them.When he came by we talked and he confessed that he was tired of us living in two separate places ,he wanted more.I asked him what was he getting at,he stammered around,and I said*look I already do enough in this relationship,I’m the strong one.I’m not proposing to you,if that’s what you want just say it *He said it-I want to marry you and be together every day and share everything.Three days later I found out I was pregnant with our daughter.Sixteen years its been,and praying for many more.
Best wishes for many more years of happiness! 🙂
Aww thanks and I really like your screen name
My now husband blindfolded me and led me to this elaborate candlelit picnic. The amusing part is that, even though we’d been dating over a year, being blindfolded for a car ride and then led into the woods, really gives your imagination a LOOONG time to question whether this is a proposal, or a serial killer who has been carefully biding their time.
That literally made me lol Congrats!
I’d just been diagnosed with breast cancer and was awaiting surgery. It was my 64th birthday and needless to say I was a bit down in the dumps. I’d never been married and none of my ex-boyfriends had ever raised the subject or given me a ring of any kind and Mr. Jaded couldn’t believe it. So on my birthday he gave me a big box with smaller and smaller boxes inside and the final box contained an emerald and diamond ring that had belonged to his mother. An emerald, he explained, is the most calming of all the colors on the color wheel. It encourages growth, reflection, peace and balance. It also represents healing…needless to say I was unbelievably touched.
@Jaded The best things comes just when we need them Congratulations and much love!
We had picked out the ring together so I knew it was going to happen. But he surprised me with the timing. I was away on a girl’s weekend in Toronto (more than an hour from where we live) for a half marathon. At the end of the half marathon I was tired and sweaty and a bit heat stroked (as it was an incredibly hot day). When I crossed the finish line the guys handing out the medals wouldn’t give me mine. They said my boyfriend had it and pointed. I saw him and was so confused (again, exhausted and heat stroke) but just thought he was being sweet by surprising me at my race (he had a habit of coming to my races when he could). So he gave me my medal and then got down on one knee to propose! It was the BEST surprise! Our friends were in on it and took photos of the proposal for us.
He works nights too so it was extra amazing that he got up so early to drive to Toronto to surprise me at about 10am at the race.
We had a whirlwind romance which is a bit nuts as we are both so level headed and responsible. But we met when I was nearly 35 and he was 37. We just knew almost immediately that this was it. We had discussed getting engaged at 6 months. I thought that was responsible seeing as my parents got engaged at 6 months and are still together 45 years later. But DH surprised me and proposed just before 5 months. We got married about 8 months later and now we are expecting a baby 1 month after our first wedding anniversary. 🙂 love this man and our little family and I love our engagement story.
I love it too! 🙂
That was some lovely reading—thank you to everyone for their stories.
We had already been together for 8 years and mutually decided to get married. I didn’t want an engagement ring but I did enjoy picking out my wedding band. Married now for 3 years and expecting our first kid.
Happy for you! <3
We had pick the 1st ring out together but i thought it would come later in 2018 or something lol.
This happened on MLK day this year, 6 months in. My fiance hid the ring in the glove compartment of the car while on a road trip (just the 2 of us) at 1am and right when i was trying to sleep on the passenger side he annoying kept asking that I open the glove department to get his special tools —- to which i was like 1. WTF is that?!?! and 2. Im fking trying to sleep man (in my head i didnt say it aloud LOL)…. I open the glove compartment and the box fell out and i was like HOOOOOOLLLY ISHHHHHH and he while he was driving held my hand and said i want you to be my wife…. you know whats next —>tears and traffic lanes and texts to family and ring selfies and stuff HAHA.
I’ve been married for 23 year but if Robert Plant had been the 5th person to congratulate me on my engagement I’d still be telling that story to perfect strangers on a daily basis, basically to anyone who would listen…so jealous!!