Weddingbee

[Confession]
I loved hearing and reading others’ engagement stories during the period between seriously talking timing regarding marriage, and the engagement itself. So for those of you like me, I present our story, in two [warning: long] parts.

[Life Happens]
He had a perfect plan. I misunderstood my now bridesmaid as saying her graduation was on Sunday, when it was in actuality on a Saturday. I planned a mini getaway for Saturday, he hatched a plan to propose during that getaway I had planned, then I realized I couldn’t go when I double-checked the graduation time with my bridesmaid.

[How It Could Have Been]
I planned to drive 2 hours away on a Saturday for a BBQ/picnic with some old college pals. I invited him along. At first he said yes, then later told me he wasn’t sure as he had a tentative trip to Vegas planned the same weekend. The BBQ hostess asked me to come down a little early to help her scope out picnic locations and set up. I agreed.

In the meantime, he had contacted the BBQ hostess in some clandestine way I still don’t know of to this day (he doesn’t even have her email address nor access to my contacts). He also contacted a friend of his that lives in the area whom I had never met and wouldn’t recognize to pose as a tourist to document the whole thing, and got the BBQ hostess to have me meet her at a special cliff where we had gone on a date when first getting back together again. Of course I didn’t know this was the cliff as I’d never driven there myself, and never paid enough attention to know how to get there.

After the plan was in place, I told him of my mistake. He was super upset over the change in weekend plans for what I thought was no reason. Instead of letting it go, I chose that night of all nights to lecture him on his need for flexibility (both of us are control freaks and more planners than the spontaneous type). I really could not understand why he was so upset, so he finally asked, “Do you REALLY want to know why I’m so upset?” And the story came out.

[Lessons Learned]
- Life happens. Roll with the punches. I’m a firm beliver that it all works out in the end the way it’s supposed to. Part II will illlustrate that it did.
- Don’t be an annoying nag. I usually am successful at avoiding this, but I definitely wasn’t that night. And my timing was impeccable.
- Private proposals at a spot that is meaningful to you both are the best, in my opinion. That’s why this one would have been perfect. He totally considered both of us and what I would like, rather than trying to plan something extravagant and uncharacteristic.
- If you’re a guy planning a proposal and absolutely need to surprise her, use an event that’s already planned or even better, that she’s planned. I had no idea.
- We were both sad at the ruined plan at the time, but now we look back and laugh. It’s very characteristic of our lives, us, me, and my always-perfect timing. Plus, it’s a great story.


Nearby “our” cliff with a similar view [via Google images]

[How It Really Went Down]
Stay tuned…

• Wedding Photos Finale
• My Trees Are In!