Cupid, Show Us What You've Got

By Kay Willis Burns

Friday, January 25, 2019 11:22AM

Researchers recognize marriage proposals as one rite of passage that couples experience as they move from being strangers, to a committed, married couple in American culture (e.g., Schweingruber, Anahita, & Berns, 2004). As a ritual, proposals involve emotions and bear significant meaning; they are affected by power norms, and they are also tied to gendered roles and expectations. Because of its status as a ritual, how a proposal is executed has emotional significance for each individual, for their identity as a couple, and for their broader social network. Marriage proposals are often performances, designed for friends and family.

Sand sculptures and Coke bottle messages are two super cute and creative ways to do a marriage pro- posal. Do you have a great proposal story? Send it to us and win!

In other words, a couple may have had clear discussions about their marriage plans, but they treat the proposal as a necessary formality that provides a clear signal to others that the couple will wed.

Even when the proposal is a surprise, it typically occurs when the couple has either explicitly or implicitly communicated a shared desire for a future together, happily ever after.

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, The Electric City News is looking for the best marriage proposal out there. When you proposed were your friends there? Co-conspirators? Were parents in on the plot and was it spontaneous or was it planned? Whether you were the proposed or the proposer, if you have a great story to tell, we want to hear about it. It can be a video of a planned secret proposal or a proposal that required a clue within a jigsaw puzzle. Whatever it was, we want to know. And the most original, most heart warming, the funniest or the most ridiculous will be crowned our Valentine's Day winner. Winners will receive a free nights stay at the romantic Bleckley Inn in downtown Anderson. Runners up will also receive a prize.

Submit your short stories, photos and videos to ElectricCityNews@gmail.com. All entries are due on or before ursday, February 14.

Enter now ... and may the best proposal win!