The proposal

Under normal circumstances, it's the bride-to-be who either plans or is in charge of overseeing the planning of the wedding, but before she can even begin the planning, the man has to step up to the plate and pop the question.

There are several factors to be considered when planning a proposal - from finding the perfect ring to finding the right occasion and picking the right time and place to execute this life-changing event. Today, we take you behind the scenes and share the engagement stories of couples Brian and Basillia Cuff; and Tafari Forbes and Jodian Duhaney.

Cuffed by love

When Brian decided to pop the question to Basillia, he chose her birthday as the occasion to give her the best gift ever.

"I wanted it to be really special and surprising, being her birthday and all. Because I like to be unique and create moments that will last, coupled with the fact that I didn't want her to have a clue, I figured if I chose this unconventional route, a proposal would be the last thing she would ever suspect," he told the Flair. The unconventional route? A fake robbery attempt.

With the help of close friends and family, he staged an attempted robbery of her and her brother's cars. The plan was for her to wake up to find that the cars were partially out the driveway and had been ransacked.

Brian would then be her knight in shining armour and ultimately ask her to marry him. One thing he hadn't given much thought to was the state of panic she would be in.

"Surrounded by friends and family who were pretending to be 'concerned', the police were said to be on their way. While it was being played out, I kept thinking to myself, suppose she called the police for real? Suppose some neighbour tried to help and intervened? Suppose she faints? And I could tell she was pretty upset because she kept calling my phone, which I refused to answer, and she always said that I'm to answer in case of emergencies, and this was an emergency. It played out great, though. My brother and I drove up and I popped out with a bouquet of roses, with John Legend's Stay With You blazing from the

speakers. I held up a placard which read 'Happy birthday', and when I flipped it over, it read 'Will you marry me?' I expressed my love, got down on knee and asked her to marry me. She said yes!"

In the end, it was all worth it because she was happy. Since then, they have lived happily as husband and wife and have added a new addition to the family.

Take two:

Destination proposal

"I had already proposed to my girlfriend, so she never saw another one coming," explained entertainment coordinator Tafari Forbes. He did not provide the fairy-tale proposal before. He went into town, got the ring, visited Duhaney at her workplace and proposed then and there. While it was not what she expected, said yes to the love of her life and they were officially engaged.

Duhaney kept dropping hints here and there that she had desired a grand gesture - the proposal of her dreams.

Feeling disappointed that he didn't make her dream a reality, he decided to 're-propose'. They were already planning to go on vacation in

Mexico, and while she thought they would only be celebrating his birthday, he created another celebration for the occasion.

"I could've done it at home, but I wanted it to be extra special. I had bought the ring two weeks before we left and hid it. When we reached the hotel in Mexico, we stuck to the plan, celebrating my birthday, but she pulled a surprise on me by getting me a cake, so I had to step my game up. When we arrived in Cancun, while she showered, I left the room to put the plan in place.

"I wanted something bigger than doing it at a private dinner, and they asked if I wanted to create a slot in their entertainment package to make her the centre of attention. I accepted. I spoke to someone in entertainment and they were very accommodating."

GRAND PROPOSAL

The plan was to excuse himself during dinner, and the entertainment coordinator would get her to be in the middle of the excitement, and then he would appear and make the grand proposal in front of all the guests. He had even asked the hotel team to redecorate the room, topping it off with a bouquet of tulips - her favourite flower.

But things took a turn for the worse on proposal night, "She was upset with me because I had been missing in action for the entire day, and she refused to go to dinner or leave the room for that matter. Now, knowing we both needed to be out of the room by a certain time so the staff could work their magic, and that time was drawing near, I had to think of something. So to cheer her up, I presented her with a pre-engagement gift. That lifted her spirits, and we were off to enjoy the evening."

The night went better than expected. He assured her while at the dinner table that he would not be ditching her this time around. He was merely heading to the rest room. When the coordinator arrived at the table, he got Duhaney to speak about Jamaica and told her to make her way to the middle of the room. He told her that they had a surprise for her. Out of nowhere, Forbes appeared, interrupting the festivities for a public announcement. He got down on one knee and asked her to be his wife.

"She was definitely surprised. Many people don't know, but when I asked her to marry me, she actually said no, before saying yes," he confessed with a laugh.

Then it was time to return to the room. The couple of was greeted with a honeymoon banner across their door, and when Duhaney entered the room, she couldn't hold back the tears as she followed a trail of rose petals and made her way to the tulips. The first chapter of her nuptial dream had finally come true. Now they are looking forward to embarking on a new journey as

husband and wife.

krysta.anderson@gleanerjm.com