It’s a big moment in any man’s life – the moment he decides to ask his lady to be his wife. But, what exactly runs through his head in the lead up? I’ve caught up with some menfolk to spill the beans on their own proposal stories. Today Mitch shares his story of asking Hannah to marry him in tropical North Queensland:

Planning a proposal is HUGE – what initial ideas did you have about how you would propose?

I didn’t generally want to follow the same lead as other people I knew – I wanted it to be original and specific for Hannah and I.

I contemplated scuba-diving and writing it underwater on a board, setting up signs on beaches or tropical islands along with the typical romantic night out, however that didn’t particularly appeal to me.

How were you feeling leading up to the big question?

I was ok with the whole situation until the morning of Dec 15. I had planned it to be on that particular day, waiting on a break in the weather and so that morning we went to breakfast with friends. It wasn’t until then that I realised how nervous I was. I didn’t propose until around lunchtime, so those few hours were particularly tough.

Please spill on all the proposal details – we want to know how it played out, any hiccups along the way, and if she was surprised!

Hannah and I are lucky enough to do a lot of offshore fishing. She had identified an island with a beautiful beach and palm trees completely secluded and impossible to access without a boat. This was approximately 6 months prior to the engagement however I earmarked it as the place. That first day I made up an excuse that it looked too shallow and dangerous and we left it at that. This continued for a few months until she eventually conceded that we couldn’t access it.

I had packed champagne in the front of the boat the night before the proposal, however the rest of Dec 15 was a ‘normal’ day out on the water for us. We packed some lunch and snorkel gear and off we went. We snorkeled first and that was all I could think of. When we left the dive site I was so nervous and it was about a 15 minute trip to the secluded beach. When we eventually reached the beach, Hannah hopped off with some gear and by the time she turned around, I was down on one knee and thankfully she said yes!

Do you have any tips or advice for future grooms planning to propose?

Tips would be to do your research in regards to ring design and options available. Find out what she likes and don’t rush into anything. Stay away from retail stores because they are way overpriced and you can often get the same ring made for less than half the cost.

In terms of the proposal, try and find something unique and special for the two of you. I tell my friends that although it may not seem all that creative it was relevant and special for Hannah and I.

Hannah had no idea, I tried to keep everything as normal as I could to ensure that she was surprised. If I had have taken her out to a romantic dinner I think she would have expected it.