Some folks like Gary Vaynerchuk out there say they knew on their first date with a lady that they were going to be married. If you are that guy (we all wish we were Gary V), then the time capsule marriage proposal is for you. It is one of the more bold ones you will see on the site, not because of the potential public embarrassment, but mainly because you have to be bold in order to work on it from the beginning of your relationship. Of course, you can always be a pack rat throughout your relationship and put the time capsule later. Gary could have buried his time capsule the morning after their first date complete with the receipts from that night, a printed copy of their long ass phone call, and a pair of Jets box seats. In that example, as with most time capsules, they are buried with current day items to be opened later for a history lesson or a trip down memory lane. Most likely, yours is going to be that trip down memory lane, the main difference is that you are burying it now instead of in the past. That part doesn’t matter. What matters is that you put in the effort to pave memory lane with all those things that make your lives special.
If you are a naturally romantic guy, then setting this one up shouldn’t be too much of a problem. If you are not a naturally romantic guy, then you will need to think this one through. That is what we are here for. For starters, lets look at a traditional time capsule. When I was a kid, we buried one outside our school to be opened 20 years later. Each classroom we tasked with placing something in the capsule that would show the future world something about the current world.
Our class put a cassette tape of the most popular album that year. I really wish I could remember what it was, but I cannot. If I had to guess from this list, it was probably Michael Jackson. You really could care less about that, and so could I. The point is that you need to put something in your time capsule that reflects your relationship and the music you love together. Whether it is simply the CD cover art to “your song”, or perhaps the iPod you listened to together on the subway like Pam and Jim in the parking lot, start there. Why start with music you ask? Mainly because it should be easy for you to know what “your song” is / was. Which brings me to another point. You can have more than one. For example, if you have been together since high school and you danced to something at your prom, then that could be one of them. Another could be the most current song that you share a love for together.
Another class had to put news from the current year. If I remember correctly, they put some newspapers and magazines in there. You can put your own spin on this by including parts of the paper that mean something to you. One section of the paper could be the tv or movie sections. If you are a true pack rat (romantic guy), then you probably already have the ticket stub from first movie you went to together. If you do not have it, then you can always make it. Simply follow this link, download one of the images that is free to use, and do some quick editing to make it say whatever your movie was. Easy as pie.
Did you buy her a stuffed animal that she loved and kept with her all the time? If you can get your hands on it, go for it. It may still be stashed at her parents house or even in hers. Just make sure to be sneaky about it. If she does not have it or you cannot get your hands on it, then simply buy the cheapest / closest thing you can find.
Something else you can place in your personal time capsule are other keepsakes of vacations or trips you have taken over the course of your lives together. These could be shot glasses from places you have been, the snorkel from when you went snorkeling, shells from the beach, hotel pens with the names and places of the hotels you have stayed at, etc. There are so many options for things you can put in there from the places you have been, you just have to make a list and start figuring out how to do it. Again, remember that you don’t necessarily have to have an actual artifact from your trip. It would be awesome if you did, but as in all things, it is not the stuff that counts. The memories and feelings last much longer and mean more than any stuff ever will.
Now let’s talk about the vessel. Much of this is going to depend on how much you are putting into it as well as how large the items are. It will be important that it is watertight, but certainly will not have to meet the requirements of the ones that are going to last 25-100 years. Something you can start with as the most simple method would be a 5 gallon bucket with a lid. You can use a bead of sealant to make it as watertight as possible. Depending on how long you are going to leave it in the ground, you may also want to toss in some silica packets. Once you seal it, the contents have moisture in it as well. You don’t want them sharing. 🙂 If you are going all out, then maybe you are going to need a 55 gallon drum. I would not worry too much about the container as long as you make sure to choose the right size for your needs.
Once you decide on the container, you will need to decide on how you are going to bury it…if you are going to bury it. If you do decide to bury it, I would also recommend getting some sort of stone to mark the spot. This is a great opportunity to be really romantic. You can put your names on it with the date you started going out. Keep it simple if you like. The real goods are on the inside. Of course, if this is something you plan on keeping, you will want to make it romantic enough to keep in your garden. If you want to come up with something personal, just give me a shout. I can try to help you with wording she will like.
Since you are all about setting yourself up for the future, send a bouquet of flowers to her at work tomorrow. Or even better, how about an arrangement from Shari’s Berries? Yummy!
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