I would like to know the origin and history of courtships and wedding
proposals.  In addition I would like examples of unique wedding
proposals, books and other resources that assist in creating or
presenting of a wedding proposal.

Hi Drjazz,
If you search with    courtship AND history    you will get about 1.6
million hits, the first ones very applicable to your question.

If you are more interested in proposing and its history, a similar
search will also be productive, but perhaps this site can be of direct
help:

http://marriage.about.com/od/historyofmarriage/

If your question is not just one of academic interest, I wouldn't be
too guided by any sources other than your own ideas and feelings.
Best wishes, Myoarin