Weddingbee Blog

This is the story of our engagement and the trip that went with it. Given time and travel constraints, we thought of it as a pre-honeymoon (the honeymoon we can’t take right after the wedding). I began thinking of it as a before-honeymoon, or bunnymoon—a term that makes Mr. Macarons cringe a little. I like it. Mr. Mac will live.

After being amazed by the sheer size of Amien’s Cathedral, we continued on toward the somber part of our trip. The Normandy American Cemetery has 9,387 graves, a mere fraction of the American military members that lost their lives.

These photos really can’t convey just how large the cemetery is.

It was a very emotional experience for both of us and shows just how blessed we are. Next were Utah, Omaha, and Pointe du Hoc, sites we had to see and will never forget.

After paying our respects, we made our way toward Mont St. Michel.

The streets are quite narrow, which is fine with a population of less than 100. Throw in a few more tourists and it’s like Walt Disney World but without the fun rides and Mousketeer Bars, but the delicious crepes and gelato we had made up for it.

But in all seriousness, the monastery is massive and is totally worth seeing, crowds or not.

Mr. Mac likes to sneak pictures of me. I guess it’s only fair, as I do the same thing to him.

By this point the mister was pretty burnt out from all the driving (I can’t thank him enough—it would have taken us MUCH longer if I had been driving) and sightseeing we managed to cram into just six days.

We snagged a self-portrait and bid the Mont adieu. Next was Paris.

This was how we started and ended the next six days. Not bad, right?

As much as it pains me to skip photos from all our sightseeing and eating, I’m sure by now you’re ready for the good stuff, so on with the proposal!

If you haven’t already figured it out from some of my others posts, I never walk out the door without a camera in hand. On the rare occasion that I change purses and forget to make the swap, something memorable always happens. Mr. Mac had made dinner arrangements at Le Jules Verne to celebrate our anniversary a few days early as we were set to leave Paris just prior. There were several opportunities during the days before that he could have proposed, so this HAD to be it. I tried to remain calm and maintain my poker face while getting ready, as this was his big moment just as much as mine. I feared I’d bust into tears prematurely, ruining whatever he had planned.

Before heading out the door I asked Mr. Mac if I should bring my monster of a camera or if he thought it’d be rude. If he thought I should, then I’d know for certain he was up to something, but he didn’t. He told me to do whatever I was comfortable with and that he’d have his camera just in case. One camera was all we really needed, so I left mine in our hotel room.

We took a short cab ride from our hotel to the Eiffel Tower and approached the canopy entrance at the bottom. We provided the hostess with our name and were escorted into a private glass elevator that went to the second level. Inside it’s sleek and modern but quite cozy at the same time.

{Image via RFI}

We had an unobstructed view of the Palais de Chaillot and Trocadero fountain. Mr. Mac ordered our first bottle of wine and then excused himself, as he had to use the restroom. When he came back we placed our order and started talking about all the things we’d seen so far and how amazing it’d be to live in the City of Lights.

For fellow foodies we had:

• Pressed chicken and foie gras layers with black truffle
• Toasted country finger bread
• Fine pea soup, crab claw, and domestic caviar
• Pan-seared beef tournedos and fresh duck foie gras
• Souffléed potatoes with perigueux sauce

(Mr. Mac was such a smarty and saved the menu, “just in case.”)

After our delicious meal, I was feeling quite full and really wanted to forgo dessert. I still had a glass of wine, and good wine should never go to waste! The mister asked me to reconsider, as this was a once-in-a-lifetime meal, and reminded me how much I love chocolate. I gave in. A few minutes later our waiter excused himself as he began placing several different plates around me with all kinds of decadent confections. Overwhelmed, I didn’t really know where to begin, but out of the corner of my eye I saw something glimmer. This was it. It was happening. My heart began to race and tears began to well up; I couldn’t stop looking at Mr. Mac. He kind of chuckled and asked me if I was going to look at it. Before I could say anything, he reached across the table, picked up the ring, and started to get down on one knee. I begged him not to as I didn’t want to call any attention or make a scene. He asked me to be his wife in many more words, and I said yes.

It was time for pictures, but there was one small problem. Mr. Mac had been equally as nervous as I was but hid it so well. In the process of getting ready, he forgot to charge the battery and to put the memory card in the camera. Luckily it had enough juice for one photo before turning off:

I wish we had more pictures. Not of the view or the meal, but of the humongous smile Mr. Mac had on his face. Thank God for a photographic memory, as it’s something I’ll never forget.