Weddingbee Blog

Mr. Starfish proposed almost exactly five years from the day we met. To be honest, neither of us remember the date we met, but it was in October of 2003 at Salve Regina in Newport, RI. (I’ll get to that story later.) Five years after our first introduction, Mr. Starfish took me back to the very place we met.

He planned the whole thing out perfectly. When we arrived in Newport, the weather was perfect. It was a beautiful fall day. It’s my favorite time of year and my favorite kind of weather.

I kept thinking it was the perfect time to propose.  I had been bugging Mr. Starfish for a while. I told my mom, my sister and a few of my closest friends that I thought he was going to propose. It just seemed so perfect. I had thought quite a few times (a couple different trips to Disney, other trips to Newport, a trip to NH on our four year anniversary, Christmas, etc. etc.) before that he was going to propose, so telling my friends and family I thought this wasn’t anything new. Even though I told them, part of me still wasn’t sure because I had felt so sure the other times, too.

The one thing that made me a little more sure this time was the fact that Mr. Starfish told me his parents were giving him the diamond his father proposed to his mother with.

Up until a couple weeks before the trip, I thought there was no way he would propose because he and his parents hadn’t seen each other in months and there was no way to get the diamond. I went back and forth on whether it would happen. I searched for more clues. I know, I’m terrible. I hate surprises. I find more joy in figuring things out before they happen than actually getting surprised. Poor Mr. Starfish, he tried really hard!

Then no clues came, as Mr. Starfish was being really sneaky. I didn’t want to get my hopes up since I had so many times before. Then, a couple days before our trip, Sister Starfish kept insisting that she and FBIL S meet up with us for dinner the first night we go down. That’s when I started asking her for clues, but I got nothing other than the fact that she said she wanted to be there if he did propose. This led me to believe that it was going to happen. At this point I became 85% sure it was going to happen.

Then came the morning we were to leave for Newport. I knew we were going to have a picnic on the beach. I figured I’d wear something comfy, since it tends to be windy and a little cool in October on the water. I asked Mr. Starfish if sweatpants were OK, he said I should wear something a little nicer. Note: Mr. Starfish fell in love with the girl in sweatpants and tells me I look beautiful in them all the time, so I was surprised. Then I saw what he was wearing- a nice button down shirt and jeans- a little fancy for a picnic on the beach. At this point, I was 90% sure it was going to happen that day.

So after a long drive with much anticipation, we arrived in Newport. We stopped at our hotel to check in, then headed off to grab some sandwiches from our favorite cafe for our picnic. We got our usual of two griddled English cheddar sandwiches. We drove to the next town over to our favorite picnic spot.

As we got out of the car, Mr. Starfish told me he had to get something and to go ahead. I was 95% sure at this point that he was getting the ring and about to propose. Yet, I still tried to block it out of my mind, as I had been so sure many times before.

We walked down to the beach, which was nearly secluded (one other person on the far end) and Mr. Starfish laid out a blanket. We ate our sandwiches and reminisced about some of our favorite times in Newport. After our lunch was finished we were rambling on about our childish fight that we’ve had for 5 years—who loves whom more (yes we are that couple, and yes we say it every time we hang up the phone… I love you more… no I love you more… click). Mr. Starfish at this point said, “I love you more, and I’ll prove it.”

Mr. Starfish knelt down on two knees… at this point I was 100% sure it was about to happen. At this point the story gets fuzzy. I know he gave a little speech and I remember it being sweet and being utterly happy. Yet, I have no recollection of any of his words other than his first of proving he loves me more… and his last… “Will you marry me?”

At which point, I told him that he was only supposed to get down on one knee. Blah. Yeah, I said it. And yeah, my family made fun of me. Then we laughed. He got down on one knee, and… the phone rang.

One of my bridesmaids called at 10 on a Wednesday morning. She just had to ask me something (she wanted to know if he had done it already).

We ignored the call, and I said yes.

We spent a while on the beach savoring the moment. It sounds cheesy, but it really was the most amazing day of my life so far.

Even though I was X% sure it was going to happen leading up to the proposal, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I had originally wanted him to do it sooner, or in other places, but if he had I wouldn’t have gotten my dream proposal, the dream proposal I hadn’t known I wanted all along. So many times I told him I didn’t care how it was done, I just wanted to be his wife. But, once I had the amazing proposal in a place that meant so much, I am happy he waited and did it perfectly. The poor guy just had to deal with a lot of nagging and disappointment along the way.

Did you know when your fiance was going to propose? Did you have to go through some disappointments before getting your dream proposal?