My girlfriend and I were at Home Depot picking out a new shower head. We were joking around, pretending to “roleplay” as boring suburban homeowners.
I said something like, “I just want to build a life with you and maybe tile a backsplash someday.”
She laughed and said, “Wow, that almost sounded like a proposal.”
So I, being a dramatic idiot, got down on one knee in the plumbing aisle with a washer ring and said, “Will you marry me, babe?”
We were laughing, until she said yes.
Dead serious. Eyes misty. Voice shaking. “Yes. Oh my God, yes.”
I froze. I panicked. I was not proposing. I was pretending.
And I just… went with it. We’re “engaged” now. Our families know. There’s a group chat.
I still haven’t told her it wasn’t real.
TL;DR: Pretended to propose at Home Depot. She thought it was real. Said yes. Now we’re accidentally engaged and I’m too scared to explain.
Comments
Whelp. No turning back now.
Buddy if you don’t want this, you gotta rip this bandaid off NOW
So when’s the wedding?
Dumbass
Yeah maybe don’t tell her that, like ever
Bit late now. Just going to have to go with it.
At least you saved a fortune on a blood diamond
Just don’t post it on the internet where somebody will see it.
Now is the time to ask yourself if you want to get married or not.
Sounds like you are in now! Get the washer ring fitted for her finger! That can be your engagement ring!
lol, creative writing at its finest
OP IN 2075:
“TIFU by celebrating my 50th wedding anniversary with a woman I was afraid to break up with after a joke proposal”
Maybe she knew you were joking and now you’re both playing high stakes marriage chicken.
Do you want to marry her? Like if you don’t then for sure tell her before she or her family put deposits on anything.
I get it’s all going too fast, but do you want to get married? Or are you panicking because you didn’t make up your mind yet / actually don’t want to?
You dumb bastard.
Do you want to marry her?
OH MY GOD GET OFF REDDIT AND TALK TO HER LIKE A FUCKING ADULT
You could play this off as “well I didn’t expect to do it this way, but nonetheless I’m damn glad I did it.”
Are you a sitcom character?
This is indeed an F-up.
Wow I have read some FUs but this one takes the cake.
See if you can go for a long engagement.
Two options here, son.
Accept your fate and marry her.
Break up with her and cut all ties.
There’s no in between here. Think before you make your next step. Best of luck!
Keep it going and tell her in 40 years she will get a good laugh out of it
Shame it wasn’t real because that sounds so fucking cute
Welp, sounds like you’re getting married.
As your new best friend, I’m gonna need you to see this through.
20 years later…. “hey babe, idk how to tell you this…..”
Prepare to become single
Here is the good part, you don’t have to tell her it wasn’t real! Use your next year engaged to figure out if she is the wife you want. If not, end the engagement! Ta-Da! You get out of having a potentially relationship ending conversation.
You’ll have to marry her I guess
You’re going to need a looonnnng engagement 🤦🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️
Scott?
Lmao, it’s real now. Just roll with it.
You’re at home depot picking out shower heads. Seems like you two are already headed there. It’s a good proposal honestly. A genuine one. You wouldn’t of done it had you not felt a bit that way. Just don’t tell her it was a joke.
This is a Friends Chandler Bing level accident
This happened to me a few years ago.
My buddy and I started playing gay chicken. It’s been 15 years, we own a bed and breakfast, adopted a little girl and I’m starting to suspect he’s actually gay.
/s
You need to pull up your underoos and take care of this, like right now.
If you aren’t good at words, I guess you’ll need to send her a link to this post.
Careful, divorces happen in Waffle House.
You’re just a doer getting more done.
Dude, come on. 🤣
Oh, it’s real….. another fine mess you got yourself into.
You tell her you were joking and say hello to being single.
oh my god you absolute DUMBASS. You need to RIGHT NOW figure out if you actually want to get married, and whether or not you do, you need to TELL HER. If you do, then simply apologize for being a an absolute buffoon and reassure her that you do in fact want to marry her. If you don’t, then you also need to make that clear, but know that it may spell the end of your relationship. If you do want to marry her but want to wait for some specific reason, tell her that, and have a serious conversation. I wish you the best of luck!
This is a Meet the Fockers type blunder dude. Can’t wait to see where this goes. Let us know if you end up milking a cat.
Never joke about something that may end up coming true.
You could softly tell her that a home Depot proposal isn’t how you meant to express your feelings for her, it was something you’d said in the heat of the moment having fun with her, especially since a washer ring isn’t the kind of ring you want to give as a real engagement ring. I’m sure someone can put that much more eloquently than me, but the gist is that if/when (however you want to finangle that one) you propose, you want it to be special, and that you got carried away in the game you two were playing, and don’t want that to be the story of how you got engaged.
But what if she thought it was a joke the whole time and now YOU think you’re engaged while she doesn’t
Yeah, that sure did happen
aaaaaand scene.
Tbh there’s probably quite a few successful marriages out there that started when the dumbass boy accidentally proposed without meaning to, and then just rolled with it because they realize that their partner is actually that awesome so why not?
Also the fact you were comfortable joking about marriage means you were already subconsciously thinking about it. Take it as a win that you got a very happy and sincere ‘Yes’ and you didn’t even have to plan something elaborate, or even the pre-proposal jitters of fearing you mess it up and/or getting a rejection. Now you two can plan that DIY homeowner-themed wedding (‘I’m nuts about you!’ ‘What a stud!’) and get lots and lots of home remodel gift cards as wedding presents.
But, did y’all buy that shower head? 🚿
Okay so two things will come out of this:
Something similar happened to me. We’ve been married for 15 years…
Congrats!
I proposed by just asking if she wanted to marry me one day, as we were falling asleep in a tent, camping.
She also went teary eyed and screamed YES! I didn’t have it in me to say I was just asking.
Rolled with it and we’ve been married 15 years now
You can disappear for a couple of weeks, then when you return, tell some crazy story about how you were kidnapped by aliens from outer space and they conducted horrific experiments and procedures on you, and they wiped your memory… so now you have no recollection at all about proposing….
Either that or tell the truth.
I’d vote for the truth.
If you want to marry her I’d still tell her it wasn’t the real proposal and then get down on your knee in an actual nice place with a real ring and do it right. If you don’t want to marry her better tell her now because y’all won’t be happy otherwise, it’ll end in divorce.
If you don’t want to marry her, every moment you don’t man up and tell her so, the more of a piece of shit you’re becoming.
Jesus, dude, grow a pair!
George Costanza over there
I proposed post orgasm and she said yes and a month later we were married and 4 years after that we were divorced.
Something SORT OF like that happened to me. After I graduated college, I got a temporary job two hours away. The job was only supposed to be for a couple of months, but had the potential to become permanent. My girlfriend at the time still had one year of college remaining. We’d been dating for about nine months, and she was upset that I was leaving. I said let me just get into this job and see what happens, because it was going to be great experience for me. Then I said something like, “if this job works out, maybe you could move up there after graduation and we can talk about getting married.” She took it as a proposal. It wasn’t supposed to be, but the wedding planning started immediately. I was okay with it because I was head over heels for her. The job only ended up lasting two months, but we got married 1.5 years later. We’re still married, and it’s been nearly 30 years. I still remind her sometimes that I never really proposed.
Best of luck, buddy. You are going to need it.
All you need to do is show her this Reddit. I guarantee it will fix everything.
finally, a true FU in the TIFU sub!
OP, ya fucked up! Hard!!!
You just haven’t told yourself that it IS real.
I hate to break it to you, but you’re not “engaged”. You’re engaged.
I mean if you actually wanna marry her, great. Weird execution but great! HOWEVER, if you don’t, you gotta straighten that out right now and that’ll probably be the end of that relationship since you’ve let it continue this long.
There are certain things that you don’t pretend. Proposals, fatal car accidents, and repeated deaths of the same aunt or uncle to avoid work.
I can’t wait for the video from the wedding when you shove her whole face into the cake.
You spoke it into existence, therefore it’s real.
If you backpedal, you’d be kissing the entire relationship goodbye.
Pick your adventure.
Holy fuck, I’m sorry man but this is hilarious
Can you say “I’m Fucked”
It’s gonna go downhill fast from here on.
Can’t wait for tomorrow’s “TIFU by posting on Reddit about my joke proposal. She found the post”
Similar here. My girlfriend’s father said he knew a discount jewelry guy if we were ever thinking of getting jewelry or a ring or chain or whatever. Cool. Then a month later he says the guy is in town so we all go to see what he has. My gf picked out a ring, I paid and.. we were engaged. Wait… what!?! That was 48 years ago. She’s been a fantastic wife. I couldnt have done better if picked my own wife. Still…
She knows this was not a planned proposal unless you somehow had a ring, so just talk to her ffs.
At least the washer engagement ring was cheap.
This is literally from an episode of 30 Rock
Lol, even the ad sounded like it was responding to you 🤣
https://preview.redd.it/ojieymexlz1f1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=16d4e0546ded77f2c101bf84fd747ba1af9978c4
INFO: Is she wearing the shower ring on her hand every day?
You done messed up, A-aron!
Wait till you accidentally have a baby. Good times.
You sir, have found the proverbial rock and hard place.
I wish you luck.
15 years from now: hey, TIFU, I need your help about how to tell my teenage children my marriage to their mother was just a prank, bro
No but seriously you’re either engaged or single. You’re going to have to pick one. The only time it could have been just a joke was right when it happened.
Who the fuck jokes around with a proposal?
For future reference, never joke around with something that you’re not comfortable with someone taking you seriously with.
Well… do you WANT to be engaged? Do you see this working out?
If you do, might as well lean into it.
Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials!
I swear to God the same kind of thing happened to me. I told my girlfriend that if she still wanted to marry me in a year we’d get married. She was on the phone with her mom within the hour telling her the good news. Like you I just went with it. I think we were married for about 15 years before I told her the story 😂 fwiw it’ll be 24 years this fall
Ok ok yes, you need to talk to her but what about HER reaction? I used to goof around like this with at least one ex-bf and never would have thought it was real!!! I would have probably said something like “ha ha…if you ever actually do propose to me, it sure as hell better not be in a Home Depot!” Seriously. But you def fucked up by not immediately retracting it and saying something about how if you WERE to propose, it would not be like that and omg you were just going with the joke in the moment. You gotta tell her NOW before she books a venue and starts dress shopping, seriously!
Tomorrow you’ll fuck up by not IMMEDIATELY explaining you meant this in jest at the time and that a serious proposal would be more sincere and thought out.
If you do wanna marry her someday, explain this, hopefully she’ll understand and you guys can plan an extended engagement.
If not, you need to say something YESTERDAY because your only digging yourself a deeper hole.
Aight, here’s the thing.
First of all, you gotta drop the quotation marks, bud. You’re engaged now, even if it was unintentional. And if you’re picking out shower fixtures, I have to assume you’re living together. If you’re living together, this is probably not a girl you’ve been on four dates with. So you’re already invested in this relationship. So for better or worse (no pun intended), you’re now having to look at her in a different light. Lots of people have long engagements, so you don’t necessarily have to start planning anything right away if you’re on the fence. You’ve got time to figure out if this is something you really want. If your gut tells you right away this is not going to happen, you’ve got to tell her now. It’s been 20 minutes. I can guarantee you she’s already looking at dresses, so do it fast.
You just played the longest running joke on yourself in history. Gotta keep up the pretense for another 50 years there bud.
Okay obviously this very problematic if you really don’t want to married to this person. Just gotta be an adult and do the right thing for you.
but having said…
The act itself sounded adorable, authentic, spontaneous and heartfelt. And quick thinking on the washer ring. You are seriously saving us all from another premeditated made for instagram ordeal. Go with your gut!
You reap what you sow. Congratulations on your engagement! 🤣🤣🤣
I can 100% relate after doing close to the same thing (was a Waffle House Parking lot) … There’s literally only 2 options that you have.
Keep it to yourself and know the relationship will eventually fail because it will be based on a Lie …
Tell Her you were joking … Then either pull back or continue the path and always keep things fun / entertaining …
I personally chose option 2 … That was in 1998 and we’re still together / Married
Waiting for “UPDATE: She found the post and is mortified, doesn’t want to see me again. I guess the real TIFU was posting on reddit instead of communicating with my girlfriend.”
There are 2 appropriate choices here:
1.) Realize you do not want to marry her, sit her down and explain it like a grown adult. During this talk, ask her if she wants you to talk to her parents, or if she wants to do if herself. Be prepared for this to be the end of the relationship and give her space after.
2.) Realize you do actually want to marry her and go through the wedding planning, pre-nups, etc. NEVER bring up the “accident” part of this to anyone ever again. No matter who you tell, it has a chance to get back to her.
“So son, be careful about being a people-pleaser, because that’s how I ended up being your dad.”
You haven’t expletive what’s wrong with her. Where’s the fuck up?
My guy, you need to absolutely let her know it was either a joke, OR you NEED to follow up on here that you do want to marry her and that you just didn’t want your actual proposal to be in a Home Depot.
Because either way, you running the risk of her seeing this post and quickly putting 2 and 2 together, and then shit is REALLY gonna hit the fan.
If you DO want to marry her, at least put on here that you do want to marry her, to at least mitigate damages from this post. Reddit is NOT private.
If you do want to get married tell her that you love her a lot and THAT proposal was not sincere but your feelings are. You didn’t intend for it to be taken seriously, but you did mean what you said. Tell her she’ll be getting a real proposal in due time.
I’ll be watching for the incoming AIO post from your fiance, with screenshots of you telling her you were just goofin’
Good story. Congratulations on getting married. No way out of it now.
I almost did the same thing on a date at a restaurant, using an onion ring. I’m glad I chickened out!
Quick! Take her to Lowe’s and pretend to break up with her.
Exact opposite of friendzoned
You got the ‘ick’ mate! If you wanted this it wouldn’t have mattered that it was a joke. But! You got the ick which is your gut telling you not to do this.
Tell her NOW!
Ooof, this is so specific. Someone is going to find this post, and it will get to her. You better tell her before someone else does
How long have you been together/do you want to marry this woman? If so, proceed.
If not, you tell her ASAP. And know there’s about a 99% chance of a breakup.
Take it from me. I thought after I proposed, that was it. No backing out.
I would have saved both of us a few years if I’d backed out before we got married.
Bro. Take this to the grave. This is your life now.
Dude you may have won the lottery with a woman who accepted a proposal with a washer inside a Home Depot. May as well roll with it.
Meanwhile, in the multiverse…
“TIFU by accidentally accepting my boyfriend’s joke marriage proposal in a Home Depot”
It is very much real. You proposed, she accepted. You are engaged, whether you meant it as a joke or not. I would roll with it and get married, and delete this so she never finds out the truth. Take the secret to your grave! Have a good life, OP.
Time for a long ass engagement, and potential heartbreak…
Think about it. Do you want to spend the next couple years alone broken hearted without her (unless you just don’t care to let her go), or would you rather spend it with her by your side?
You can always get divorced and sign prenups. Maybe it would be a good thing for you
Congrats! 😂
Time to go to the store to get some milk and cigarettes
You weren’t joking around. You just are stumbling through.
If you can’t talk about this with her I suggest a verrrrrrry long engagement.
This is like some cursed Frasier episode or something. Own your mistake or you’ll be living in a worse mistake.
Oh shit!
That’s not something you joke about! 🤦🏼♀️
You got two options… take the loss and tell her the truth asap
OR
Discuss the timeline saying that was a joke and you’re not ready yet so let’s not rush into planning anything right away.
The latter is only valid if you planned on marrying this person at some point, which… if you didn’t, why did you buy a house together???
Praying a love like those described here never finds me
Enjoy tiling that backsplash, buddy.
Oh man. I jokingly asked my boyfriend. He told his parents. We went thru with it bc I’m a romantic hopeful idiot. Got divorced 18 months later. Please tell her it was a joke. It’ll hurt but not as much as later on!
Congrats! You are either engaged or about to break up.