DANVILLE — Even in a fast-paced world of technology, the old-fashioned idea of romance isn’t dead.

Some men still ask a father’s permission to marry a daughter; some get down on one knee; and some seek exotic locales or backgrounds for that important question. Whether in a hot-air balloon, at a historic ballpark, in a horse and carriage or while building a snowman … men prove they can be more romantic than women give them credit for.

Ten people responded when the Commercial-News asked for favorite proposal stories. In most cases, the men put a lot of effort into the proposal, and often added the element of surprise.

Here are four of the more unusual proposals.

In the meadow …

When Erin Byram’s boyfriend, Noé Salazar, suggested building a snowman on New Year’s Eve 2009, she readily agreed. Salazar, a native of Mexico, had never built a snowman before.

Byram wrote on her Facebook page: “On the agenda for today: build a snowman and make a gingerbread house!”

“When we finished the snowman, we went to get my mother so she could take pictures,” she wrote. “Noé was still wearing the hat that we were planning to put on the snowman’s head.

“As my mom came closer, Noé suddenly decided it was time to put the hat on the snowman. Claiming that some of the raisin buttons had fallen off the front (actually he had purposely knocked them off), he knelt down to get the raisins and handed me the hat. Still scanning the snow for fallen raisins, I popped the hat on top of the snowman without really looking at it.

“Noé and my mom exchanged a look, and she said, ‘Put it off to the side a bit more.’ Noé pushed it over a little bit, then a little more, until it fell off. I picked it up and gave it back to him. He put it on again, but it fell off again! I didn’t understand why Noé was so concerned about positioning it just right. Every time he pushed it over to the side, it fell off. Being the helpful person that I am, I picked it up and gave it back to him, but he put it too far to the side and it fell again. He seemed frustrated. I couldn’t figure out why he wouldn’t just give up and put it straight on top.

“The hat fell off several more times. Now this was getting ridiculous. Finally it flipped over as it fell and I noticed something purple inside. A little card bearing the words, ‘Erin, Will you marry me?’ I froze in complete surprise! After a long pause, Noé asked, ‘Yes or no?’ My lips managed to form the word ‘Yes’ as he pulled out the ring.

“Before I knew it, the ring was on my finger and then we were smiling for more photos. I kept laughing, realizing why the hat had fallen off the snowman so many times, and imagining how Noé had felt every time I picked up the hat without seeing the note.

“After we entered the house, Noé changed his Facebook status to tell the world that he ‘fixed Erin’s agenda: Build a snowman, and then engagement, and then make a gingerbread house.’ As one of my friends said, it happened like something you would see in a movie. If we had been in a movie, I know what song would have been playing in the background. ‘In the meadow we can build a snowman … ’”

The couple plans a wedding this July with the reception in the backyard, the same spot where he proposed. Erin is from Danville, but is teaching English in Mexico. Her fiancé is attending college in Wisconsin.

A home run

Stacey Trosper wrote that she and boyfriend Jason R. Smith are huge baseball fans, so she was excited when he asked her to go on a trip involving baseball.

“We had been dating almost a year when they were tearing down Yankee Stadium. We both wanted to experience the history of the Yankees and also see historic Fenway Park, so we planned a road trip. (We will have a mixed marriage — he’s a Cubs fan, I’m a Red Sox fan.)”

They drove to New York City and saw all the sights. The next day, they went to historic Yankee Stadium, and the following day drove to Boston to see Fenway Park.

“We arrived early for the game; we couldn’t wait to see the stadium,” she wrote. “We walked away from several ticket scalpers, but one was persistent. He offered us fifth-row seats, right behind the plate. It was Jason’s birthday so we splurged and got them. We were so excited!

“Right across the street was a new pub that had just opened. It was under the Green Monster, in left center field. The place had just opened and the waitress gave us the best seat in the house. We sat and looked out over the outfield of beautiful Fenway Park. I felt like I was dreaming.

“As we sipped our drinks, Jason got up, pulled a ring box out of his pocket, and got down on one knee and proposed. For some women, a proposal at a baseball park would not have been acceptable, but for me it could not have been more perfect.

“A little while later, we were escorted to our seats and couldn’t believe how good they were. At one point, an usher brought the 2007 Boston Red Sox World Series Championship Ring out to show the patrons in the good seats; I actually got to wear it. It was covered in rubies, diamonds, and sapphires and was huge, but still didn’t compare to the new ring that I wore on my left hand.

“We left Boston the next day and stopped by Niagara Falls on our way home. The falls were beautiful. It was a trip that I will never forget. That was June 10, 2008.

“We are now in the midst of remodeling our game room. When we discussed décor, colors, etc. we both agreed immediately on the theme for our game room. We have painted the room green, matching the paint of the ‘Green Monster,’ and are currently recreating the scoreboard from June 10 down one wall. We will complete the décor with photos of each ballpark we have visited since then.

“We are looking forward to filling the room with many photos and enough memories to last a lifetime.”

Swept off her feet

Jennifer Lyons of Covington, Ind., wrote that she never could have imagined a more perfect proposal than what her fiancé Andrew Jones surprised her with this past September. They had talked about marriage several times and even looked at rings; she picked one out a year and a half earlier.

“My birthday is in the beginning of September and he told me that we were going away for the weekend,” she wrote. “The only catch was that we needed to leave at 6 a.m. on a Saturday. I had no idea what we were doing, and he would give me no hints.

“We drove to Urbana and pulled into a large parking lot. There were a couple of other people there, but still he gave me no hints on what we would be doing. My immediate thought was that we were going to be doing something outrageous like paint balling, or something along those lines. However, I never expected what he had planned.

“A large truck pulled into the lot and then pulled into the soccer field we were parked next to. It had a large trailer attached to it with a beautiful hot air balloon painted on the side. He had arranged for us to take a ride and watch the sunrise. I was so excited and in no way expected a proposal at this point. I was too overjoyed to even think that he had more up his sleeve.

“Once we were in the air, we floated for about 20 or 30 minutes before he asked the pilot to take our picture. As I was smiling for the picture, Andy pulled out a ring that was tied to a long white ribbon, which was then safety pinned to the inside of his pocket. The ring wasn’t going anywhere but straight to my finger.

“The pilot was able to capture all of my emotions on film. And after I realized what was happening, I was able to finally say ‘Yes.’ Even more surprising was the fact that the ring he placed on my finger was the same one I picked out a year and a half ago. He had bought the ring the day after I chose it, and then held on to it for just the right moment.

“The pilot immediately hopped on her radio and yelled, ‘She said YES!’ The ground crew that followed the balloon to help us take off and land was in on the whole plan. In addition to the pilot being able to take pictures of the proposal, Andy informed me that his dad had been hiding in the parking lot the entire time as well, and was able to get pictures of us taking off and floating through the air.

“This is definitely a day that I will never forget. I never could have dreamed that I would be lucky enough to receive such a thoughtful and loving proposal as this and I consider myself lucky each and every day that I was able to experience something like this within my lifetime. I still find myself looking down at my hand and asking myself, ‘Did that really happen?’”

A dream come true

Joy Adams of Henning wrote that her first date with Ken was New Year’s Eve 2002. In September 2003, he said he was taking her out of town for her birthday.

“He wouldn’t give me any other details, except my sister would be working my second job for me and my son would be staying at my mom’s home,” she wrote.

“Ken took me to Indianapolis. He had reserved the penthouse suite at the Omni. He then took me to Beef and Boards dinner theater, where he had reserved a private table. After enjoying a wonderful dinner and play, we returned to the penthouse suite, where we sat on the balcony and enjoyed the gorgeous view. He then took me by the hand and led me back downstairs.

“He had a dozen crimson red roses waiting for me, then he said he had one more rose for me. We stepped outside where there was a lovely white horse and carriage — the name was The Red Rose. We took a carriage ride through Indianapolis to the Monument, where Ken got down on his knee and proposed to me.

“He explained he had received my mother’s permission and my 13-year-old son’s. (I had lost my father to cancer when I was 12.) Not only had he received his daughters’ blessings, but they had even helped him pick out the most beautiful ring in the world. Ken’s proposal was my dream come true.” They married in October 2003.

Inside

More proposal stories are in the Living section, starting on Page 1C.