Mormons Like the Creative Marriage Proposal

When asking another to consider marriage, some--but not all--Mormons feel compelled to find a creative and/or memorable way to pop the question. The standby example of this is to arrange to pop the question on the jumbo tron at a basketball arena. This, however, has become so commonplace that it is really only truly memorable when the answer is "no". Others will go to great lengths to engineer surprise or a romantic atmosphere--jumping out of nowhere with a string quartet and a dozen roses, getting down on one knee, and having Howie Mandel come from behind a corner and say, "Deal or no deal?"

What is behind this? Well, some may argue that this is a result of Mormons putting such a great importance on marriage. I mean, if you are going to be with the person forever, the moment should be memorable, right? This may sound sentimental, but there is also practical thinking behind this: a few years can blur a memory, so just think what an eternity can do. Without some flare, Mormons have reason to fear that memories of the proposals in A Princess Bride or Pride and Prejudice will outlive their own. "No Honey, I did not do that. You must be thinking of Edward from Twilight" is not something Mormons want to say in the hereafter.

Others might argue that the Mormon commitment to high-effort proposals is in part due to the fact that Mormons marry so young. When a Mormon marries fresh out of high school, the Mormon proposing runs the risk that the proposal will pale in comparison to the creative antics your sweetheart's last romantic interest performed just to ask for a date to a school dance called "Monster Mash."

Still others will argue that Mormons did not always put so much energy into proposals. But, since Mormons did away with polygamy in the 19th century, the importance of the proposal has increased. "Hey, if I get one shot of this, I might as well do this right," the logic goes.

I think, however, that Mormon proposal antics relate to the Mormon desire to stand above the crowd. Although Mormons can't excel in all things, they strive to excel when the chips are really on the table. (Is it just me, or shouldn't Mormons say "when the chips and dip are on the table"?) In the Mormon mind, it is a way to say, "Yeah, so what if I am not the greatest dentist in the world or have the most distinguished middle initial in my name?! When it really matters, I've got game." Unfortunately, due to years of church basketball, the phrase, "I've got game" is too often followed with the reflexive "Face! You friggin' fetcher."

* For those of you who already follow me on Twitter, forgive the redundancy. However, if you have not already seen it, prepare yourself for a crappy way to give the bride a ring:

Video Courtesy of KSL.com