HE SAID ‘ YES’
Meet the Taupo lovers who turned the traditional engagement on its head.
Meet the Taupo lovers who turned the traditional engagement on its head
WHO SAID IT SHOULD BE UP
TO HIM to pop the big question? And why does the engagement ring more commonly go to the girl? In an age where – when it comes to celebrating love – anything goes (and rightly so), we caught up with a cool couple who made their commitment to marriage after a bit of innocent interrogation from their daughter.
“We’d not long had our second child, Max, when our daughter Charlie saw a picture of our friend’s wedding day on the fridge,” explains Marni Lynn, a school teacher from Taupo. “It spurred her to ask why people get married, which kind of got the conversation going. After Reuben and I explained why people make the commitment to marry, Charlie said, ‘ Well, why aren’t you and daddy married then?’ I replied, ‘Daddy hasn’t asked me yet.’ Reuben looked at me and said, ‘ Well, it doesn’t have to be the man [who asks]’.” Marni thought about it for a few moments before dropping to one knee. “Will you marry me?” she asked. Reuben responded, “Yes!”
The couple had been together for five years, and had two beautiful babies together. While they had talked about marriage it wasn’t always at the top of their minds, or list of priorities.
“We’re certainly not set on the traditional roles in our relationship,” explains Marni. “I do a lot of the jobs around the house that you may expect a man to do like mowing the lawn and doing the farm work, while Reuben – who is a chef – does all the cooking and ironing.”
She agrees there can be pressure on men to propose, and with the tradition of parental approval and presenting a ring, things can get overwhelming. “I felt like the decision for me to propose, while sporadic, actually relieved a bit of pressure, because for Reuben it may have been a nerve-wracking experience.”
Reuben says, “Obviously I was surprised, and ecstatic! It was definitely on my mind so I didn’t hesitate to say ‘yes’. It gave me another level of respect for my future wife, that she didn’t need to follow tradition.”