Weddingbee Blog

I suppose our engagement story goes back to the fall of 2009, when I realized decided I wanted to set my mind on marrying Mr. Candy Apple. Apparently around that time he also decided he wanted to marry me. Unlike me, however, he did not make me aware of his feelings. I was quite vocal about the fact that I was, indeed, ready to be a Mrs. On the contrary, being the sneaky son-of-a-gun that he is, once Mr. Candy Apple decided he was going to propose, he wanted me to be absolutely surprised when it happened. Which clearly meant he had to throw me off the scent and act completely noncommittal for the next eight months. Believe me, I was not pleased about this.

At The Nutcracker that winter. Please excuse the darkness/blurriness.

So, while he was telling me that he wasn’t sure he wanted to get married, didn’t want to settle down, etc. (seriously, not kidding!!), he was secretly designing my ring. I had at one point told him the style of ring I liked—blatantly dropping hints in the hopes that my supposedly unromantic boyfriend would eventually come around and decide to propose. If you know Mr. Candy Apple, he’s the kind of guy who will research 551 various slow cookers for hours before deciding on one—visiting forums, reading reviews, etc. He did the same thing with the ring, of course. He researched diamonds, learned about the four Cs (I don’t even know what those are), saved sketches of the ring on his computer, etc. At one point his screen saver, which is set to show his “My Pictures” folder, came on while we were watching TV, and the picture of the ring came up. Luckily, he distracted me so I would look away, but I don’t think I was paying attention anyway. He, on the other hand, had a mild heart attack.

Moonrise over Jungfrau—circa 2005

When my dad gave us a trip to Switzerland to visit him in Basel as our Christmas present, Mr. Candy Apple knew right away that was where he wanted to propose. So, he set about planning a little getaway for just the two of us.

Jungfrau—circa 2005

We had both visited the little alpine town of Murren (separately) during our respective study-
abroad experiences, and absolutely fell in love with it. It’s a teensy town perched high up in the Alps on the side of a mountain, and the scenery is absolutely breathtaking. We decided to go do some hiking in Murren the day after we arrived in Switzerland and spend the night down in Interlaken. I clearly thought it was my idea to visit Murren again, but looking back on it I’m pretty sure Mr. Candy Apple planted the idea in my mind (Inception-style, perhaps?).

Paragliders in Murren—circa 2005

Church in Murren—circa 2005

Mr. Candy Apple called my dad up on Skype about a month before the trip—on the weekend of my birthday, actually, while I was out of town at a conference! Of course he said yes; not that there was ever any doubt. Mr. Candy Apple told my mom the week before we left, and she kept the secret! She did call me a few times before we left, which made Mr. Candy Apple nervous that I would know something was up, but it didn’t strike me as out of the ordinary since we talk every day.

Swiss Alps—circa 2005

He received the ring in the mail about a week before we left and kept it in a floss box tucked inside his old Blackberry box. Yes, you heard me. A floss box. As in, a small container used to hold dental floss. He knows I’m super nosy and didn’t want me stumbling upon a ring box in our teensy apartment. Isn’t he smart?

When we left for Switzerland he kept the ring, safely secured in the floss box with some tissue to cushion it, in his carry-on suitcase. When we got to the airport, the woman made him check the bag because she thought it was too long for the overhead compartment, causing him to be suddenly very concerned about his toiletries. At this point, you may be thinking how dense I am not to notice the signs, but 1.) he had done a dang good job of convincing me that he wasn’t ready to get married, and 2.) I would have wanted to keep my toiletries with me on the plane, too! I was probably a bit frazzled at that point, trying to argue with the airline lady to let him carry his bag on, and I didn’t even notice him taking the toiletries out anyway.

It was a good thing that he took the ring out because when we landed in Zurich, they had lost Mr. Candy Apple’s luggage. He was cool as a cucumber, knowing that the ring was safe in the floss box in his pocket. I, meanwhile, was freaking out about his lost luggage. Thankfully, they found his bag, and we were on our way.

Unpacking at my dad’s place in Switzerland—May 2010

Did you both decide “It’s time to get married” at the same time, or was one person ready before the other? Did your significant other keep the ring hidden in a particularly funny way?

All images are my own, either from 2005 or 2010.