Yes, we really are engaged! Thank you to everyone who was a part of our day. Every one of you contributed to a memory that we will never forget. Below, you can read about the proposal.

Setting Up the Scene

Jeff proposed during one of our hobby's events. For those of you not familiar with our hobby, we participate in an organization called the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA). It's a non-profit educational organization where we dress up in medieval (generally between 600AD-1600AD) clothing with lots of other people and attend events where there are various activities. The SCA isn't a performance organization like the Renaissance Festival folks are. We don't have "spectators" at SCA events. Everyone at an SCA event is a participant.

There are all sorts of activites at the events. There are tournaments where people dress up in armor and have sword fights (we don't use real swords, of course). Most events have a feast. There are often classes and Arts & Sciences displays. Many times there's dancing. When the Royalty attend an event, they also hold court where they hand out awards, make Knights, make proclamations, etc. The world is divided into Kingdoms and each Kingdom has Royalty. In Michigan, we're a part of the Middle Kingdom (comprising a few states in this geographic area of the country). Every 6 months we get a new King and Queen - determined by a tournament. Each of us takes on the persona of someone who could have existed in the Middle Ages. Jeff is "Dag Thorgrimsson" and Tracy is "AnneMarie de Garmeaulx". That should be enough info to give you a picture in your head for reading how he proposed.

The Proposal - Tracy's Memory of the Event

On December 4, 2004, Jeff and I went to an SCA event in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. It was the annual "Christmas Tourney". All the Royalty attended for the event and Her Majesty had asked me a couple of weeks prior if I would come down to the event with her to retain (be a Lady-in-Waiting of sorts). I spent my morning retaining for her and Jeff was participating in the tournament. He left the tournament in the middle of it (undefeated at the time) to go run some other fighting thing he had apparently prearranged to do (I didn't know about it). It was a "Deed of Arms". A lot of fighters are doing Deeds of Arms in this reign. Most of them are doing so to raise money for breast cancer research and awareness. What Jeff had done was to invite anyone to come and fight him in a best 2-out-of-3 fight for each combatant. Anyone who bested him would receive a rose to present to their Lady.

That evening in the beginning of court, Their Majesties asked to have the winner of the tournament present himself and he was given a prize for winning the tourney. Then they asked that all those who were performing Deeds of Arms to present themselves. The Baronial Champions, who have been doing the fundraining deeds, and Jeff all went up to the dais. The Champions were presented and thanked by Her Majesty, then went back to their seats. They then asked Jeff (Dag) to report on his Deed of Arms. He explained the Deed of Arms but added the part I hadn't learned about. All those who lost to him also received a rose. At that point he asked if I could be called up into court. The herald called me to present myself to Their Majesties. Her Majesty stated that one of those who had lost could not stay for court so She was presenting me the rose in that person's place. Then Dag asked that all those who had the roses (except those who beat him) to come up and dispense their task. Dag positioned me in the middle of the dais and 16 people were lined up. The first one in line explained that when he had gone out to fight Duke Dag he was presented with the challenge. Should he win, he would get to keep the rose and present it to his Lady. Should he lose, he was to give me the rose at the designated time and say a single word, "consent". At that point he handed me the rose and said, "consent". Each person in line then approached, handed me a rose (red, long stemmed roses) and said, "consent". After the last person had given me the rose, Dag spoke again. He said that he had asked me to consent to stand by his side at the last Crown Tournament. "A great burden to ask of her as you well know." Their Majesties agreed that the burden of being Royalty is indeed great. He then went on to say something like, "And now I have a greater burden to ask of her." He then went down on one knee, opened a box, presented a ring and asked my consent to be his wife. Though I was pretty choked up, I managed to squeak out a "yes".