[DONE]Contest - The Magic Proposal

[Lyle Borders]

Yea, you heard me. I am getting engaged. I know that this certain lovely lady will say yes, and I am in the process of obtaining the ring. I am a magic fiend, one of many who carries a deck of cards in a porper EVERYWHERE. Magic is part of who I am, plain and simple.

I am looking for a creative, new idea for a magical proposal, preferably the way to present the ring when I get it. Here is the criteria:

1. Must NOT be cheesy. Plain and simple. I am looking for a small but brilliant magical spark to enhance the moment.
2. Must be practical.
3. Must fit inside of my skill level (Details on my skill level below.)
4. Must not be overly flashy or attract too much attention to the magic or away from the proposal.
5. Must be VERY clever. My girlfriend is who I practice tricks on. She knows almost everything I do. I must be able to fool her.


I have been seriously at magic for 1 1/2 years, casually for much longer than this. I do perform for paid gigs occasionally. Mostly a card guy, but with experience in lots of random things. (Tagged, flow, metal bending, IT, Loops, Tarantula, etc etc.)

I want to see ideas being poured into here. Don't be afraid to post anything, if someone uses part of your idea they won't get credit for that part.


Whoever creates the best pool of ideas that fit my criteria (whether it is a single trick or tons of separate ideas that can be put together it doesn't matter.)

Best pool wins a deck of Massas. If I actually use the idea, it's a 1/2 brick.

You have 3 weeks.

[Brandon Pomeroy]

Firstly, congratulations!

Secondly, obvious thing would be ring in something. I remember seeing a "ring-in-egg" effect. I'll see if I can dig it up.

Oh, does she know about the raven or something like that? You could have a "quarter" on the palm of her hand, tell her you're going to transform it into something much more valuable, and raven it into the ring.

[Lyle Borders]

Another possibly helpful piece of information. She wears no jewelry but a ring I gave her a couple months ago, white gold with a sapphire, that (except the blue) looks very similar to the new ring and is in the same basic shape.

If anyone can think of a clever way to initiate a swap or something along those lines, You may be able to come up with something.

And I may be dropping the bomb sooner than expected, maybe in less than 2 weeks. You have till that time, whenever that is.

She does not know about the raven or M5, but I don't have either. I could make one with what I already know, but practice time may become an issue. I might just re-rig my gecko to a mag and make a raven that way.

[Jacob Hatfield]

YEAH LYLE!

Congradulations my man.

Of course, many will debate and say you shouldn't do magic to propose and others say yes.

I say do what you feel is right and what is what you want her talking about for the rest of forever.

Okay, you ready for ideas now? Here they come.

My personal favorite that I think is simple and perfect is the following:
A gimmicked ring box.
You open the box only to show no ring. She won't be expecting that. You then take a moment of confusion close the box and open it again to now show a ring has appeared.

You would need to get two ring boxes from the jewlery store. They won't mind when you buy a ring to give you another box. You then in the lid make a false top on the bottom of the middle part of the box, This wil make it look empty. When your confused, you simply flick the top down and close the lid to secure the ring into place.

Heres another.

Take some flash paper and in front of her, create a small paper ring and get down on one knee. Hold the paper ring up and tell her how much you mean to her, and that you will love her no matter what. Then light your paper ring (with a match, I like the visual of a match than a silly lighter) and then as the paper goes up, do a simple grab with the ring in your other hand and it seems the ring comes from the flash.

Hold it up to her and ask for her hand in marriage.

Heres another.

Take a picture of the ring you bought, put some 3-D effects to it and give it to your girlfriend. Then tell her that you had to special order it, but wanted her to see it in case she didn't like it. Then give her the picture so she could not only 'approve' it, but so she could show everyone what her ring will look like. Then let her believe that for a moment, then ask for the picture back. She will reluctantly give it back and then proceeded to rip it to shreds. She will protest and the look at her and ask if she trusts you. Place the tiny pieces of the picture into your fist. Then have her blow on it and when you open your fist, there sits the actual ring.

If she wants to know how any of this is done tell her you will tell her...30 to 90 days AFTER your married.

Okay...heres another:

Make reservations at our favorite restaurant in person and asked the hostess to put a filled champagne glass under your table while they are setting it up ($20 should cover it). Explain why and the hostess will be more than happy (the $20 didn't hurt either) to help.

When you sit down, drop your napkin and use that opportunity to place the ring in the glass, at the same time placing the glass in your lap as your come back up. It can sit there for a while and if you move around enough the bubbles may even feel pretty good! ;-)

After you have dinner, tell her that you have a special trick that you've been practicing that you would like to show her. Using your napkin, produce the champagne glass ala Lennart Green's glass production with the ring inside. Had her the glass and tell her to taste it. She will notice the ring. Then ask her to marry you!
Depending on the answer, retrieve ring from glass, dry off and place on her finger. If it's not the answer you want, just drink the champagne and swallow the ring (JUST KIDDING!)
//merged//
One more for right now.

Tell her you have a new trick she hasn't seen.

Take the ring she has that you have given her and and place it on a cloth napkin, as you pick it up, you trun it over and switch it with the wedding ring.
Give her the corners of the napkin and have her jiggle the napkin to make sure its still there.

Proceed to pocket the old ring and now just talk to her. Tell her how much you love her and how things change when you love someone so much. Have her reach into the napkin and take out the new engament ring. Drop to your knee and ask her.

[magicadam24]

I was thinking of maybe a change in her hand concept. Show her existing ring, and have the wedding band palmed in the same hand. Tell her to open her hand, and quickly switch them. Place it in her hand, making sure she kind of closes her hand before you open yours, to hide the ring. Bring your hand away, make some magical gestures and ditch the original. Then tell her to open her hand.

[Brandon Pomeroy]

Originally Posted by Seeker

Had her the glass and tell her to taste it. She will notice the ring. Then ask her to marry you!

Just make sure she doesn't taste the ring as well. That would be very bad.

[Jacob Hatfield]

I enlisted my girlfriend to make some comments on the idea.

The Ring box idea, she said it is "predictable."

The flash paper one is "not bad, but the introduction of a lighter would be crappy and same with a match, but if you used a candle from the table, that would be WAY better."

The picture one, "is weird. She getts it but doesn't understand why you would rip it up."

The champagne idea she really likes but worries that it may go flat. "No one likes Flat Champagne.

The napkin one would be neat too. "It would be really cute."

She also says she has one.

"What if at your romantic dinner you bring one rose prepared with flash paper or string around the stem up to the flower part and have the ring inside the rose's pettles."

Then you would light it and have the ring produce from the head of the flower.

Another idea we came up with is if you had special wine glasses made with a fake ring around the stem or in the glass and then magically remove it just for her.

More ideas to come.
-Jacob

[Lyle Borders]

Haha, you guys are awesome. Keep them coming.

The ring is finished as of today, I am gonna pick it up tomorrow. I will be holding off for a little while before I do things, but time draws near to an end.

[joe black]

congrats
well of course the tarantula but she has probally seen that cause yigal created it for a video clip so a guy could propose that would be cool.
////
second idea
your sitting in a restruant and you float a rose out of a jug (thingo) and into her hands and somhow straped behind it or stuck is the ring so you float it to her and she grabs it feeling the ring then u get on your knees and so forth.

second idea tweeaked
you could have a paper rose and it burts on fire or wateva and it leaves either a ring or a real rose!

//////
third idea (i dont know if this could work)
you have a skecth pad or the Cartoon Deck but instead of wateva is usally on it pictues of you getting onto your knees and proposing! or it could write the words, "will you marry me" like this
w
wi
wil
will
will y
will yo
ect,
Cartoon Deck Magic Trick - FAST SHIPPING | MagicTricks.com: Buy from The Magician's Magic Shop
////
4th idea
if she wears a necklace you could make it appear on their like on tagged but u would have to plant it their some how.....
or just sneak it onto her finger..
///
yer im out of ideas now

[Jacob Hatfield]

Here are some more ideas Lyle!

Put the ring in a locked chest and have your fiance choose a key. Then show that none of the other keys would have worked in the lock except for the one she picked because she had the "key to his heart". In side is the ring, this is where you would get to your knee and do the whole talk.

Heres another. This will take a little work for something amazing.
You blind fold her and take her to a special resturant. Let ker know that tonight if full of surprises. After dinner, have a single long stem red rose. Inside of the rose is the ring. Then as you tell her you love her and need her and so forth, you look at the rose and smile as it VISUALLY Blooms open, showing the ring. (Think IT for the method.) Look back at her and rap up your speech with a...WILL YOU MARRY ME! (just don't scream it)

Or, say you have a great new trick to show her, get on your knee and bring out the ring. Do your speech and as her to marry you. When she asks about the trick, say, "The best thing that has ever happened to me, your all the magic I could every want and need."

Here is a modified version of an old routine from a Geni Issue (back to '92 I think.. .have to dig it out again).

Basically you take a tissue paper heart give some great story about how love transcends all odds as you rip up the heart and do the ole torn and restored paper trick.

Then place the heart on a necklace and run the heart through the flame of a candle. As the flash paper heart went up in flames, the engagement ring appeared in its place.
Add some candle light, romantic music and a great dinner and you have a very magical evening!

And Another:
Buy 2 ads in the local news paper. One that says, "(Lucky Lady's Name), you will pick the Ace of Hearts...my heart...if I am right, turn to page ##." As she is turning, get to your knee and get ring ready. Ad #2 says..."I love you...blah blah blah, I need you. Will you marry me?" She will set down the paper and see you there, where you ask..."will you?"

Okay...another:
Simply hold the box in your right hand. Take your serviette (napkin) and do the classic "nothing on this side, or this side" show that's so popular with the dove guys...

Keping the right hand covered, drape the serviette over the right hand, keeping your fingers a little bowed, so it looks like your hand is flat under the cloth. Extend your right arm slightly and, as you do, straighten your fingers, allowing the lump of the ring box to "appear" under the cloth.

Whisk away the serviette to reveal the ring. Drop to one knee and conclude by your favorite method.

Or....for more of a magical spark. Get to you knee and bring out a deck of cards. She will laugh and groan. Say, I know, its predictable...I'm gonna do a ring trick. Place ring on her finger and hope it never comes off.

[Brandon Pomeroy]

Originally Posted by Seeker

Or....for more of a magical spark. Get to you knee and bring out a deck of cards. She will laugh and groan. Say, I know, its predictable...I'm gonna do a ring trick. Place ring on her finger and hope it never comes off.

I vote for that one. It seems perfect, IMO.

[Jacob Hatfield]

It's actually an idea I had from a David Stone DVD. He stores his rope in a card box, so you never see it coming.

I love the idea of taking something that is so predictable and really surprising the person.

[Lyle Borders]

Originally Posted by Seeker

Or....for more of a magical spark. Get to you knee and bring out a deck of cards. She will laugh and groan. Say, I know, its predictable...I'm gonna do a ring trick. Place ring on her finger and hope it never comes off.

We may have a winner here. I could just sit her down somewhere and pull out a deck of cards (which always happens.) "Hey, I have a really cool new trick. I think you will like this." She will make the face she always does because she knows most of my sleights. I could simply pull the cards out of the box, set them on the ground, look into the box, shake it a little, and dump the ring from the empty box, at which time I hit one knee.

She thinks that I am going to go order the setting tomorrow and that it will take 3-4 weeks to get there. I picked the ring up today. I am likely to go do it next weekend when I travel back home to South Dakota with her to visit my family. I'll likely just talk her into going on a walk/hike with me alongside the big lake out here where I took her sailing when I first met her. Take a break somewhere and sit down, then bust out the magic.


Any ideas or thoughts to add to or enhance this? Any other brilliantly simple magic related ideas? (I think she is already expecting a napkin rose, it is the only trick she has heard about me doing but never seen (Napkin rose + flash paper = Hershey Kiss inside) or at least something with flash paper. I think I like the "magic spark" concept better than the magic trick route right now.

[Jacob Hatfield]

Sweet!

I'm glad you like it...its a surprise because you are banking on her falling for a pattern that you have set up for a while now.

You don't even need to use the cards Lyle. Just the box and the ring. The cards are to much. She doesn't need to see the cards...just the box.

I am wishing you the best of luck Lyle!

[Lyle Borders]

The idea of the cards is simply to take them out of the box.

I have a deck in a porper in my pocket, ring palmed. I tell her I have a new trick for her. I pull the deck from the clip, open, and pull the cards out. Everything is normal to this point. She suspects nothing at all. The tables turn when I simply set the deck down (while droping the palmed ring into the box) saying "not a card trick this time." Shake the box, look inside, and dump the ring into my hand saying something like "it's a ring trick" or something witty. Then straight to my knee. The cards won't be used at all in what I am imagining. They just make that tiny bit of magic because they were in the box moments before the ring was. Besides, I never carry around an empty box of cards.


She expects a card trick and starts watching so she can say "I saw that" like she loves to do (whether she did or not). She watches for it and suddenly there is no card trick, just the ring that she wanted and me on my knee.

I hope that clarifies what I am thinking. Again, if you think that you know of something that will help this idea along in any way, let me know.