Weddingbee Blog

The Bacon engagement wasn’t really a surprise. We had been talking about getting married since 2009. It was really just a matter of me finally accepting that I am “old enough” to be wearing a diamond ring. We’d been talking about it so long that once I decided the time was alright to be engaged, I felt compelled to let Mr. Bacon know that simply discussing getting engaged and actually being engaged are two very different things. In fact, I demanded a proposal. My exact words were something along the lines of, “I don’t want to suddenly be wearing a diamond ring and for everyone to ask me the engagement story and have nothing better to say than ’he didn’t specifically propose, we just decided. ” I was such a brat, but looking back, I’m SO glad I have this story to tell!

I brought up the idea of a possible engagement to Mama Bacon when I was home for someone else’s wedding and tried to slyly ask who the mister should call to get permission. She’s a bit old fashioned, so the idea of a simple phone call permission did not fly.

The next thing we knew, Mr. Bacon and I flew to California. After flight delays, a day trip to LA, much drama (aka tears) and almost missing our flight home, Mr. Bacon asked my parents for my hand and flew back to Chicago with my parents’ blessing.

Once we had their blessing, my mom was chomping at the bit to tell my family about it and start planning the wedding, but I said over and over that I was holding out for a proposal and a ring before announcements could be made around the world.

After I returned from a family trip to Sweden the next month, Mr Bacon did his best to be a picture-perfect boyfriend all week. So at dinner that Wednesday night at one of our favorite restaurants…he didn’t propose! I just spent the entire dinner TERRIFIED that he was going to end up on one knee and I’d be choking on a ring that was hidden in the mashed potatoes.

The next day was one of the Mexico games in the World Cup and I went out with coworkers to watch it at a local pub over lunch. My giant burger was too much for me so I decided to be the best girlfriend ever and bring my leftovers to the mister at work. I showed up at his work with the burger in tow, and after chatting for a bit, my baker friend showed up—this friend was trying really hard to make plans for the next day, but refused to walk back to the office with me. Coincidence? I think not.

Then that night, I got home from work and the grocery store, laden with heavy items like a gallon of milk. I quickly gave Mr. Bacon all of the groceries to take care of. I took my time getting changed and checking on the cat while he was anxiously coaxing me into the kitchen. I noticed that a sandwich that he brought home from work was not yet put in the refrigerator, so I opened the door to put it in. There, I saw a bottle of champagne, a cake, four cupcakes, and the ring box! He proposed!! And my answer? “Uh-huh, yeah, I guess.”

Personal Photo

The whole proposal was exactly our style, I love that he worked with my baker friend who has recently started her own professional bakery to design and bake the cake. The cake had a Chicago-style hot dog (Kosher hot dog on a poppy seed bun with onions, cucumber and tomato slices, a dill pickle spear, bright green relish, sport peppers, mustard and celery salt) sculpted out of sugar dough with a message written in yellow icing (mustard) below: “Like a Chicago dog without celery salt, I’m not complete without you.” He didn’t get down on one knee, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Did you have an at-home proposal? How did it go?