“Getting Engaged with the Dolphins”
By John McNamara

Mike knew Jodi was the one he wanted to marry so buying the 1 ½ carat engagement ring was the easy part. The hard part was deciding where to give her the ring, at a football game, at church, during a family function, on a cruise ship, on the beach. He was stuck. Then he was given the idea "why not propose to Jodi at a dolphin swim in the Florida Keys ".

Mike loved the idea of being with the dolphins because they are the symbol of love and peace. He especially liked the idea of being outside and one with nature. Also, he would propose in front of a large crowd to Jodi, which was less of a chance of her saying "No" Mike said with a smile. He needed help getting the proposal plan off the ground and he contacted Dolphin World to put the plan into action.

There was some pre-planning involved which included Dolphin World, who booked the Dolphin Encounter (WADE) and contacted with the trainers to let them know of Mike's plans. Then Mike needed to contact the trainer directly to make the final arrangements for the proposal, Where, When and How. Mike had two choices for where and how, he could have done it during the dolphin wade program or the dolphin show. The dolphin wade was intimate and the dolphin show was more public, many people. Mike chose the public display.

The big day finally arrived and the day began with him and Jodi driving to the Florida Upper Keys from Ft Lauderdale. The drive down was easy and relaxing. Even though Mike knew what was going to happen that day and Jodi didn't, she was excited to spend a day in the beautiful Florida Keys.

Jodi had some idea Mike was going to propose to her at some point in time but did not know this was going to be the day.

The plan was set for Mike to propose during the dolphin show that was part of their day and then later on they would both experience the dolphin WADE program. The Dolphin WADE program is in waste deep water with the dolphins, where they get to hug, pet, and kiss the dolphins a lot during a 30 minute session in the water.

Wedding Proposal with the Dolphins

After talking with the Dolphin Handler, Mike had arranged to pass off the ring to the instructor of the dolphins, who in turn worked it out with the photographer to film it and to get the ring to Mike during the show.

So the day seemed normal to Jodi, they did the park tour and saw the marine life tour, parrot show, and seal lion show. All the shows had put the couple in a happy and relaxing mood until the next show, the dolphin show. Mike knew it was about to happen. His palms of his hands were getting sweaty because he did not know exactly how everything was going to happen. He left it in God's hand and he was ready to go.

Then the two sat in the stands waiting for the cue from the trainers who asked for volunteers to interact with the dolphins on stage. They intentionally picked too many people and separated them into 2 groups. The last group was Mike and Jodi only. So the first group went up and did their interaction with the dolphins and then they announced for Mike and Jodi to go up on the floating stage. Jodi was expecting the same experience as the first group.

Jodi bent over to expect a Kiss from the dolphins but instead the dolphin brought her a ring with a watertight cup around the rostrum (nose). The trainer informed everyone that this is strange and that the dolphin had something for Jodi. They instructed Jodi to take the enclosed cup off the dolphin and to open the cup, behold nothing was in the cup!!!! Then they told her to turn around to look at Mike and there he was on one knee to say those word that all women want to hear " Will You Marry Me". The crowd was at a hush and eagerly waiting her response. She in turn got a little cold and nervous but God gave her the peace to say the magical word " YES".

In his nervous state and condition, Mike put the ring on the wrong hand. Jodi whispered in a loving voice " you put it on the wrong hand". Then Mike put it on the left hand and they kissed with passion knowing that they will soon be husband and wife. The crowd rejoiced with approval by clapping and cheering. The newly engaged couple walked off the stage with the knowledge of their new commitment. Many guests throughout the day congratulated them.

They enjoy the rest of the day with the Dolphin WADE program and then it was capped off with great professional dolphin photos and video of the entire day.

Mike recommends that if you are stuck on where to propose to your potential spouse, this is a homerun and a sure thing to satisfy her childhood dream. This was a day Mike and Jodi will never forget, getting engaged and being with dolphins, what a combination. Mike turned out to be Jodi's hero for the day. For more information: