8 True Love Stories in Michigan’s Little Bavaria

My wife had had hopes that I was going to ask her soon hinting kiddingly about getting a ring at times before but she was pretty sure I didn’t have a ring yet. At the hotel I surprised her with…a box…she thought maybe…it was a box of chocolates. Oh. She still appreciated them. The next day Sunday the 12th was a much nicer and sunny day. This is it. We went to the River Place Shops then my wife mentioned she wanted to go to the Cheese Haus. I thought to myself no no I have to ask her before we go there. We both love the Cheese Haus but she can’t have a bag of cheese in her hand when I propose that would be…well too cheesy. We started walking from the River Place shops across the Main Street Bridge.

"I pinpointed my spot. It’s now or never."

I had her hand but a sort of yanked her over the first outlook over the Bavarian Belle Riverboat. I told her what she had meant to me up to this moment and went down on one knee, pulled out the ring. Her reaction was of surprise and a big smile. Not the typical hand over mouth overwhelming motion. Her sunglasses were on but I presume she had “happy eyes” we were caught up in the moment. I had made my proposal and she didn’t say…yes or no. She didn’t say anything because we kissed and she was soooo happy I took that for her acceptance. I think she was just really overwhelmed and surprised that I had actually asked her.

We took some photos and continued across the bridge. She continued to beam. A little later we went into the museum down the street to check it out but my wife was still caught up in the moment and has told me several times since then that even this past week on a trip to Frankenmuth she wants to go back into the museum to see everything because she couldn’t take it all in and missed it the first time. A memorable weekend for sure and each time we go back I am reminded of that time.

A good thing I chose Frankenmuth to propose because we can revisit the exact outlook over the River where I asked the love of my life to be mine forever. We were married just under a year later in July of 2011 four days before my birthday.”

– Jason B, Milan, MI

2.) “The time that the beginning of our lives together started.”

“Jeff proposed to me the weekend closest to July 4th in Frankenmuth, MI. Little did I know, I was making it hard on him when I asked if we could take the shuttle into town so I wouldn’t have to walk far in heels and hearing that we couldn’t make reservations at Prost, I figured I didn’t need to be ready by 6:00pm.

As we walked outside the Frankenmuth Bavarian Inn Lodge, Jeff wanted to take a picture under the “Sommer Garten” sign. We saw who looked to be a professional photographer taking pictures so Jeff quickly asked her if she could take one of us with his phone. I should have known then that something was up since he’s usually so hesitant to be the one to ask others to take pictures of us.

She told us that she was a nature photographer and was going around town that night taking random photos but asked us if we could walk down near the water so she could get some photos of us for what I thought was for a local magazine. As she was snapping photos, I felt Jeff start to walk away (and me starting to fall since my heels were sinking into the grass). I turned over my right shoulder and saw him kneeling to one knee with a box in his hands. He told me he loved me and asked if I would marry him and become his wife. Of course I said yes!

After he stood up, we struggled to put the ring on my finger since we were both shaking. We then took a few more photos with the ring on and the river and bridge in the background followed by a celebratory dinner at Prost Wine Bar. Jeff outdid himself by making sure it was captured by a professional along with putting a lot of thought into the perfect spot to propose.

"Frankenmuth will now be more than just a fun vacation getaway for us. It will be a place where we can look back and remember the time that the beginning of our lives together started.”

– Elizabeth S, Cincinnati, OH

6.) “People nearby started clapping for us!”

“My now-husband took me to Frankenmuth for his birthday in 2011. We wandered around Frankenmuth River Place Shops, and I didn’t know that he was working on Proposal Plan B because he wanted to propose on The Bavarian Belle Riverboat, but it wasn’t running that day due to high water! So he took me along the river and we took some pictures and he finally said, ‘This has been a great trip, but the only thing that would make it better is if you would be my bride.’ Of course, I said yes! People nearby started clapping for us! Later we went to the Frankenmuth Brewery where they gave as a beautiful dessert to commemorate”

– Andrea R.

7.) “He got down on one knee”

“My husbands family and I spend the last weekend in February in Frankenmuth, a little tradition we started awhile back. Well in 2015 we drove up and after checking into the hotel we went over to Bronner’s because my (now) mother in law said she wanted to go look around. After walking off on our own my husband and I met back up with his family. He brought me over to a tree telling me he wanted to get some ornaments, he pointed to an ornament for me to look at and while I was looking he got down on one knee. I read the ornament and it took me 30 seconds to put what the ornament said together. And when I turned he was down on one need with my engagement ring.”

– Melissa S., Sterling Heights, MI

8.) “Frankenmuth is a place both of us love”

“February 2016 my now husband proposed at the River Place Shops. This past September we were married at the Rose Garden and had dinner at Zehnder’s with family. We enjoyed a carriage ride after the ceremony through the town. Frankenmuth is a place both of us love and it holds a special place in our hearts with all of the memories created there.”

– Linda C.K.