Today, on this Friday I bring to you . . .
one of the most unique wedding proposals EVER!
Simone emailed me on Wednesday to announce "My boyfriend proposed to me over Reddit!". Not only did Simone's boyfriend, Malcolm use memes on /r/AdviceAnimals to pop the question - he also commissioned 21 special illustrations by 18 artists that he found via deviantART and shared those on /r/pics. If you aren't familiar with how Reddit works {like me}, Simone has an explanation at the end of this post ***. Some of my favorite illustrations Malcolm had commissioned can be found below in the gallery. I am in complete awe of the thought Malcolm put into his proposal and in having the artwork created. Now, along with the gorgeous ring, they both have AMAZING keepsakes to treasure forever. As Simone writes:
"While "traditional" proposals are quite romantic, this was so much more meaningful to me, since so many of the images he commissioned represented nerdy and geeky things we love and that brought us together as a couple. I also loved being surprised by a proposal that played out over one of my favorite online hangouts."
Read on after the artwork gallery to see how the proposal went down as written by Simone {oh, and I should say that she said YES!"} . . .
How the marriage proposal on Reddit happened as written by Simone herself . . .
Malcolm knows I check reddit several times a day (it is one of my favorite online hangouts), so he knew that the site would be a great place to surprise me with the special images he commissioned from artists found through deviantART.
He ultimately made two posts, one to a subreddit called /r/AdviceAnimals, which revolves around memes, and another to /r/pics, which revolves around cool images. The /r/AdviceAnimals consisted of a meme-based proposal that linked to the album shared on /r/pics. He made the two posts to hedge his bets, since it's really hard for anything to end up on the front page (and that's how he would be sure I'd see it). He wanted it all to happen naturally- without me being prompted to do anything.
As it happened, the post he made to /r/AdviceAnimals gained traction- fast! Within a short period, it made it to the front page of the site (I imagine this is because a LOT of people saw what he was trying to do and wanted to see if it would work).
Because Malcolm's meme-based proposal post from /r/AdviceAnimals made it to the front page of reddit, I saw it when I made my routine morning check of the site. I was flabbergasted- not only by seeing something equivalent to an article targeted at me on the cover of the New York Times (in my world, at least), but by having that humorous, meme-based post link to the album full of gorgeous, heartfelt, meaningful images.
When Malcolm, who was in the next room over, heard me reacting to the posts, he came in, got down on one knee, and proposed to me. I was so overwhelmed by everything that he had done he had to remind me to answer! Of course, I said yes, and then posted as myself in the threads on reddit to inform the curious crowds that had formed that Malcolm's efforts were not in vain.
In the following hours, both of us were surprised by how much attention Malcolm's proposal garnered- people either loved the idea or hated it! Though I know his approach is not for most people, I found it to be the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me. He spent months thinking about what I love most, and packed as many of our favorite things as a couple into one beautiful gesture. I feel like the luckiest fiancée out there!
I was so honored to have Simone share her story personally with me so that I could share it with all my readers. Now, not only do I want to say CONGRATULATIONS to Simone and Malcolm, but you will now find me going back thru the gallery again {and again} to look at the spectacular artwork. Since art is my background - I'm in total awe of the talent of each of the artists.
*** And, now for those that might be wondering how Reddit works - Simone is here to fill us in on the details . . .
People often call reddit "the front page of the internet," and it is rather akin to a newspaper. It consists of many sections (called subreddits) to which people submit relevant content and engage in conversations (this can be anything from submitted images of cute things (/r/aww) to very didactic discussions of history (/r/askhistorians).
People can subscribe to different subreddits, to ensure they just see updates from those sections of the site, however all signed out users see the same default sections (reddit's top picks, as it were).
Anything submitted to reddit will gain or visibility by getting up or down votes (anyone signed in can vote something up or down). So things that make it to the front page of reddit (or one of its subreddits) are generally very good (because many people "endorsed" them by voting them up.