As if the Olympic games were not enough to make 8-8-08 a memorable day, today is shaping to be one of the biggest wedding days, and particularly in China, where a record 9,000 couples are planning to wed. Just why is the demand for this particular day so crazy?...

These days the typical, on one knee, at dinner, proposal isn’t always what women are looking for. A more unorthodox approach is not only welcomed, but often expected. Here’s a look at some of the most outrageous marriage proposals that may help you rediscover what Michael Bolton truly meant when he graced us with his interpretation of "When a Man Loves a Woman." Baby, You Make Me Feel Weightless! Alexander & Graciela Loucopoulos Alex wanted to give his space cadet, soul mate Graciela a very special birthday gift, so he booked a Boeing 727 aircraft to take them on a zero-gravity adventure. The aircraft is designed to fly up to 35,000 feet and then nose dive to 24,000, giving thrill seekers a chance to experience a near-zero-gravity effect. As they floated around the cabin in weightless delight, Alex popped the question. He was worried that the ring might float away during the dive, but all went as planned. Graciela is possibly the only woman in the world who can say she got engaged at zero gravity. The couple plan on spending their ten year anniversary in orbit. "If I Call You Cortana, Can I Be Your Masterchief?" Moviesign & Furtive Penguin On November 3, 2007 Moviesign (his username) made a Forge map in Halo® 3, and set up what his girlfriend of over two years (Furtive Penguin) thought was going to be a two-on-two match with his friends. After they started the game, Moviesign led Furtive Penguin to a spot where he claimed he'd left an energy sword. Instead there was a nice top-down view where he had spelled out a proposal using weapons. He then asked her to be his teammate for life. Furtive Penguin and Moviesign recently moved from Indianapolis to Chicago where she (Penguin) is a copyeditor and he (Movie) is a graphic designer. They haven't set a wedding date yet. As Furtive Penguin said, "We're waiting to see what the release date is for the next Halo game. We don't want any conflicts." I Know You Love Writers, So I Wrote You a Book Cameron & Angie Kelly Cameron wrote and published a 113 page book, 50 Reasons Why You Should Marry Me and 51 Reasons Why I Should Marry You. The book included pictures and reasons such as, "I always clean the bathroom," and "I’m a great spooner." He gave her the book on Valentine’s Day while they enjoyed breakfast together. She said yes! No Diamonds, Only Bejeweles Bernie Peng & Tammy Li Once Bernie and Tammy began discussing marriage, he became determined to find a creative way to propose. Tammy, who doesn’t consider herself a video game lover, happens to be a fan of Bejeweled. Bernie, a financial software programmer, spent a month reprogramming the popluar video game, Bejeweled, to propose to Tammy. On December 22, Bernie told Tammy he had found something for her and presented the game. She played the game until she hit a score that triggered a digital pink sapphire ring and a marriage proposal. Don’t worry, Bernie did give her an identical ring that she could actually wear. The makers of Bejeweled were so impressed by Bernie they offered to pay for part of the wedding. PopCap is providing over 200 copies of “Bejeweled 2 Deluxe” as wedding favors for the guests and are throwing in $1,000 for decorations to give the wedding a jewel theme. They are also flying the couple to Seattle for part of their honeymoon. She said yes!

I got the call and on the other end of the line was my friend…trying to be casual but clearly ecstatic with news that she’s engaged! I’ve been getting a lot of these calls lately. Of course I ask, “how did he pop the question?!” It happened at Gary Danko ...

More happy news.  My cousin got engaged on New Year's Eve! Just like Amy's family (see previous entry), my family is very close. There are over 40 members in my extended family and we behave like immediate family. So when my cousin called to share the news, those of us ...

We called it, and sure enough, news of couples who got engaged over the holidays rolled in. Our own Beaucoup gal, Amy came back to work after Christmas home in Denver with a shiny engagement ring and a new fiancé. And to think, the whole thing was almost derailed by ...