Wedding Blog

True bride’s confession: Originally, I never planned to get Mr. T an engagement present. With wedding expenses and the home improvements that surely will come along once we’re together in the marital condo, an extravagant gift seemed like an unnecessary additional expense.

But then I watched Mr. T put so much time and effort (not to mention money) into the engagement ring. And in the midst of it all, I fell prey to Travelzoo. Every Wednesday, Travelzoo sends around a list of the best 20 deals the editors discovered that week. The deals are generally a combination of vacation packages, hotel specials, and airfare sales. They are often, though not always, for short-notice travel. And they make me want to drop everything and GO!

Anyway, in the midst of our engagement “process” (while the ring was being made, before the actual Big Day), the Travelzoo email featured a Virgin Vacations deal for a week in Paris. Mr. T speaks French and loves to travel, and he’s always wanted to visit Paris. Usually we’re hampered by his lack of vacation time, but this deal — amazingly! — included Thanksgiving week as a travel option.

Unfortunately, Mr. T was in meetings the afternoon that the big deal came along. Good Travelzoo deals sell out fast, and I knew the opportunity might be gone by the time he was free. So I took a deep breath and just made the purchase. And then decided it would be romantic and fun (and least for me, heh heh) to keep the destination a secret until the day we left….

I’ve been doling out hints every few weeks, but keeping the ultimate secret was going pretty well. Until a few nights ago, that is! We were on the phone discussing a cat-sitter for our 4 cats, and I said my former roommate probably wouldn’t mind, if “we promise to bring her back something fabulous from Par… OH NO!” My brain just froze after the first few letters.

So, anyway, we’re off to Paris today! And, yes, we’re broke from wedding costs and won’t be able to afford a thing at the current exchange rates. We even thought about bringing a jar of peanut butter, but are afraid to be mistaken for airplane bombers!

Any suggestions for inexpensive ways to amuse ourselves in the City of Romance?

(Image: Eiffel Tower vinyl wall decal from Etsy seller Holly — 9.5″ tall, $11.)