Marriage Proposal Rides
Thanks for thinking to include us in your plans for a marriage proposal. Marriage proposals are a significant event in the lives of married couples and each year, several couples include us in their plans to make a life long commitment to each other. Since 1996, I have been witness to dozens of marriage proposals, and I treat each one with the honor and respect that it deserves.
Proposals during the ride
There are two basic ways that we handle a proposal during the ride:
- Your sled separates from the other sleds in a place with a good view. The driver suggests we stop to "take pictures" and the passengers get out. The driver moves the sled down the trail and out of the way a bit. You propose, your partner says yes which is followed by hugging, kissing and crying. You then walk down the trail to get back in the sled and finish your trip.
- The second way is pretty much the same as above, except the sled leaves you alone, then circles back around to pick you up. This option only works under the right trail conditions.
Proposals at the kennel
If you would prefer to do the proposal back at the kennel, we can have group of dogs (or puppies when available) in the exercise yard. You can walk out into the exercise yard and take your time. One caution with this option is when you get down on one knee, you may have a dog licking your face.
Is your partner going to say yes?
We think the setting will help elicit a "yes" response, but we want you to be quite certain that your partner is going to say yes regardless of the setting. The seating in the sled is quite intimate, and the ride back to the kennel will feel like an eternity after being rejected. This has only happened once since 1996, but I do not want it to happen again.
Some other ways it has been done
- If you do not tell us your intentions, we will not know to help out. One time during the ride, a guy asked if we were going to stop and get out at any point during the trip. We typically stay in the sled, so I said no. We had just turned down the "Northern Exposure" trail on a windy, wet, snowy day, and he pulls out the ring box. He was seated behind his girlfriend, so he had to reach around in front of her with the box. He quite uncerimoniously said "Will you marry me?" which was followed by an awkward half kiss as the girlfriend tried to turn around while still seated. Meanwhile, we were barreling downhill into a 20 mph wind that was driving wet snow into our faces.
- A proposal that worked much better was one where the man hired all three sleds. The first sled had his sister who was a photographer, the middle sled was the couple, and the third sled had her brother. The first sled took a shorter route out to the sight so the photographer could get out and positioned. The other two sleds traveled together out to the overlook. The couple got out, did the proposal, the photographer got great shots of the whole thing while remaining hidden, and the brother got to witness from behind.
- One couple wanted to keep the dogs as a surprise and also wanted to include family and friends. The couple took a walk with their group of friends out onto our property. With careful planning we worked it out so that as they reached a scenic part of the trail, the dog sled met them head on. The couple bent down to say hello to the lead dogs who had the ring attached to their necklines. Following the proposal and a champagne toast, the couple got in the sled and completed the trip as their friends walked back to the kennel.
The next step
If you would like to include us on your special day, just make a reservation through our online reservation system. In the "Special Notes" section, indicate that this is a proposal ride. If you want the first option from above, a simple email confirmation acknowledging that we can do it on the day you selected is all you need. If you want something involving multiple sleds, or more people, a professional photographer etc., then we will follow up with an email or text.
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