How to get over disappointment over not being proposed to, but my best friend did instead?

You are totally wrong to say that you boyfriend did this to you. You are all day long wrong to be mad at him.

I totally understand your disappointment, I do.

Even still, if he proposed to you tomorrow, it would never beat the proposal of your friends (on a boat, message on the sails and whales breaching the water).

Surely you have spoken about marriage over the past six years with you boyfriend, yes? He obviously is not ready to marry you. Perhaps you two are not meant to have a future together.

You made it VERY clear on that boat that you want to marry him. if that que does not prompt a proposal soon, then you have a choice to remain his perpetual girlfriend or go find a man who wants you as his wife. 

Without knowing your ages and situations it's hard to say whether this bf of yours is dragging his heels six years into an adult relationship or if you started dating at 15 and you won't be ready for marriage for another four years. You definitely had a romcom moment but if you handle it with humor instead of humiliation you can probably stay friends with all of these people. FYI, if you're still in princess mode where a marriage you proposed would somehow be lesser than one he proposed you're probably not quite mature enough to be taking that step just yet anyway. 

You really want to deal with separate issues:

1. You were embarrassed in a public place because you made an incorrect assumption and reacted to it.  People get embarrassed all the time.  The other people on the boat aren't your worry, and honestly, neither are your BFFs. Your boyfriend didn't DO anything to you.  You did it to yourself. You just need to accept responsibility for what happened and forgive yourself for your reaction.  

2. You're passive-aggressive. Deal with the real issues head-on instead of being mean and petty.  You have a big issue to deal with and it won't be saved with direct confrontation and communication.  It is easier to be passive-aggressive than to confront a situation, but many guys won't get the message unless you spell it out for them.  I'm guessing you guy is just really confused on why you're being so mean to him when you've never said that you're expected to get proposed to in some way.

3. You want to get married, you're ready to get married, but you haven't agree upon this with your boyfriend.  Honey, it is time for that conversation. If you have been with the same guy for six years, you should be able to have open and honest conversations about where the relationship is going and how each of you feel and what each of you want. You have a list of expectations, which is fine and perfectly normal, but you aren't willing to share those expectations with then  person who can fulfill them.  If you want a guy who can read your mind and is the perfect romantic partner to your dreams, then it is time to find a new guy.  If you want your current boyfriend to step up and be clever and romantic -- and propose to you -- then you're going to have to tell him.

The bottom line is that a lot of guys aren't particularly sensitive, clever, or romantic.  They aren't going to plan the perfect proposal on their own. It is also possible that your boyfriend isn't ready or interested in getting married. Step #1 is fine those things out.  Step #2 is figuring out if you are okay with those "truths."  

Your friend did not get engaged instead of you. This wasn’t an either or situation. 

How long you have been dating and how long they had been dating is completely immaterial to getting engaged. You don’t say or think OK friends only you who have been dating longer than me can get engaged. 

This is one of many reasons why public proposals are a bad bad idea. 

Quit with the whole fantasy proposal scheme in your head. This is why you made such a blunder. He  did nothing for this anger you have directed at him.

Sorry but you sound very immature. You would break up with him and blame it in him because your behavior?  Girl you are not ready to be married. 

Have you actually spoken to your boyfriend about your future together?

(Although it was odd that your friend's boyfriend chose a moment you were all together to propose, as this could obviously have been confusing)

here's why you are disappointed...you expected it to happen...if you were not expecting he to do xyz you would have been fine.

you're not moving forward after this blunder...so you are compounding the situation and dwelling on it way too much.

id move forward, let him contact you and if not you need the time to grow up,a bit.

overall you're acting very immature & you could use some time to work on you.

The main problem here (among many), is that you're pretending that your fictitious boyfriend did something TO YOU, which in your rambling, obvious troll-scenario he clearly didn't. That's just the tip of a giant, obvious troll-iceberg. But oh well, you definitely get a 5/10 for effort. (Points lost for posting this drivel anonymously however, and for not asking an actual question).

In any case, good luck in 3 days when this entire troll environment will be gone for good. Where ya gonna go next?

No one cares about your immature troll drivel.    If you can't communicate honestly with your fake bf of six years about the very most basic of things like marriage, it is what it is.

I can share your disappointment and frustration! You have done nothing wrong at all as you were full of expectation and it wasn't your day.

I do feel for you as it would have been a huge let down too.

I would also be concerned that your boy friend of six years hasn't proposed to you long ago as some thing is wrong that your relationship is still in the dating process and hasn't moved on to marriage.

Why not confront your boy friend with this as you haven't got forever to enter into the  permanent relation of marriage and see what he has to say?

If he is really serious about you he has to make a decision about the future for you both and if he is hesitant about doing so, better you make it plain to him that you have waited long enough and you now need him to be open. If he isn't prepared to make the commitment and propose marriage, it's then your turn to simply tell him that you are not prepared to wait any longer and this will bring every thing to the surface. He will then get the message that as you are wanting a permanent relationship with the security of marriage, you could possible move on to some one who IS prepared to offer the security that you require.

The dating process should have NEVER gone on for 6 years without a marriage proposal and you really DON'T have forever because you might wish to have a family and your body clock also won't keep ticking forever either.

I wish you well with this as your future will now depend on you making an assertive stand.

Getting tired of waiting?  Maybe YOU should be the one proposing.