Weddingbee Blog

’Tis true, hive. Mr. Jam proposed on the coldest, rainiest, iciest, most miserable—and memorable—evening in recent Chicago-weather-related memory…outside.

Here’s a shocker: We weren’t dressed for the occasion.

One hot second after he popped the question

Thank you, Chicago winter, for our soaking wet hair and clothes. Terrifying.

Let me explain…

Mr. Jam and I had been aching to go to the famed Christkindlmarket in Chicago with the sole intention of chugging hot chocolate and buying hoards of handmade Christmas ornaments. Living, oh, 15 minutes away from it, we stopped talking about going and finally made plans to meet there after work last December 23rd.

Yes, it was totally An Affair to Remember style.

Unfortunately, the weather decided that was a perfect night to throw ice, rain, wind gusts, sloppy snow, and various other unknown forms of precipitation straight into the faces of all who ventured outside. Lucky for us, the Christkindlmarket is outdoors.

I decided to call Mr. Jam before I left work and tell him that I’d make him instant hot chocolate in the comfort of our house whilst snuggled up to the pets IF it meant we didn’t have to go anymore. He bribed me with dinner. I was hungry.

After eating at one of my favorite restaurants and flying through the market, Mr. Jam thought it would be wise to brave the hideous weather and walk back to his car. I threw a fit and tried to hail a cab, but we were positively soaked to the core by that point…what’s a few more minutes?

And so we walked sloshed.

We found ourselves taking a detour through Grant Park, only to find it chillingly silent and gorgeous with the view of the beloved skyline and us surrounded by falling snow. I slipped on ice, Mr. Jam helped me up, and then he pulled out a ring…

The delicious backdrop at our proposal point

And yes, his knee was so cold it was numb. What a trooper.

Both of us completely blacked out from that point forward and don’t remember a single sweet word that he said. I was a blubbering mess, he was a nervous wreck, and our warm fuzzies masked the freezing cold…it was just a completely perfect proposal in completely imperfect weather.

So let’s chat proposals! Did anyone else get smacked in the face with ice and rain during the big moment? I know there have to be some imperfect yet totally righteous proposal stories out there. Do share!