Weddingbee Blog

I can’t believe that I have been blogging for this long and haven’t blogged about Mr. Dolphin’s proposal. Just to be clear, before Mr. Dolphin proposed, we had talked about getting married. So, it wasn’t an absolute surprise—which I believe engagements shouldn’t ever really be. Before getting engaged, we talked about what we wanted for our future… how many kids (he wants 3… I want a soccer team), where we wanted to live, what we wanted to do with our lives, etc… I mean… we had a lot of time to talk about this. Mr. Dolphin and I had been dating for 5 years before we got engaged!

But first… a little history

Mr. Dolphin and I in middle school band
Please ignore the big hair… everyone has an awkward stage… most people don’t broadcast it on the internet but I love you all too much to keep this baby hidden

We started dating in our junior year of high school but have known each other since 3rd grade.

While our first attractions for each other started in middle school, we didn’t acknowledge our deep-rooted love until high school. Within the first month of dating, Mr. Dolphin had already asked me to marry him… and he kept asking just about everyday up to our actual engagement. What can I say… Mr. Dolphin was smitten (and so was I!).

Mr. Dolphin and I all dressed up for our Junior Prom

Although we wanted to get hitched right away, we knew we needed to wait until we were both out of college. It was (and is) the logical thing to do (for us), but certainly not what our hearts were telling us.

The Proposal

Mr. Dolphin proposed on February 14, 2008: Valentine’s Day. I know… kinda cheesy; but, I absolutely loved it! Mr. Dolphin didn’t propose in a packed restaurant, or on stage in front of a crowd of our friends and family. He didn’t propose on a JumboTron at a UF football game, or at Gator Growl on the field… he did it exactly as I would have wanted it… in the privacy of our home.

We had just come back after having dinner at one of my favorite Italian restaurants. I was sitting on the couch and he was sitting on the floor with his head in my lap. He was kind of fumbling around with something in his pocket and then he just looked at me. At that moment, I sort of knew what was happening and it all hit me at once. I started to get kind of jittery and my whole body felt hot all of a sudden. When he started this super sweet speech, professing his love for me, I started to get teary eyed (yes… I’m a crier). Mr. Dolphin asked me to marry him and (hello… you all should know this) I said YES!

Mr. Dolphin and Miss Dolphin the night after the proposal
Oh! Look how my ring sparkles! Gorgeousness!
*and yes… that is a Pirate boat behind us… don’t ask

The Ring

What made this proposal different then all the other times he proposed to me? He had an amazing ring in his hands!

This beauty was/is so sparkly, my camera has trouble focusing on all of it’s awesome-ness!

Okay… I have to confess… I knew about the ring before the proposal.

Oh the HORROR (*cue horror movie screams). Before everyone gets their panties in a twist over me knowing about the ring, you have to give Mr. Dolphin some props. He knows that I am a picky person, I like things a certain way. He wanted to make sure he gave me a ring I absolutely LOVED, because… face it… I would be wearing it for the rest of my life—I’d better love it.

We actually found the ring by accident. Mr. Dolphin had been taking me into jewelry stores for months leading up to our engagement. I tried on countless rings—all the while becoming (a wee bit) upset over not finding any I liked. We then went into Shane Co near the Mall at Millenia in Orlando (it has since moved ). At Shane Co, you choose your setting and then choose the diamond to be set within it. They had cases and cases of beautiful settings and a gorgeous wall filled with diamonds (in little plush coves).

When we came across a setting that I absolutely loved (and that was within our price point), Mr. Dolphin immediately put down a deposit. The sales associate had to practically pry the ring off my finger (soo… Mr. Dolphin knew it was a keeper!).

While I knew he had purchased the ring, I didn’t know when he would actually propose. It was always a guessing game through the month and a half he had the ring. Anytime he was being extra sweet, I would think he was about to propose. I think he was just trying to fool me most of the time. As his family, friends, and my old college dorm mate (and, now, bridesmaid) know, Mr. Dolphin can be quite the prankster!

So, we’re down to about 1 month until our big day. Our 2 year engagement has been like a black hole—I have no idea where the time has gone. My parents always told me that time flies by as you get older, and boy do I believe it!

Did you help your future husband-to-be pick out the ring? Or was the proposal a complete surprise?