Weddingbee Blog

Last year, Mr. Mole and I were living in Milwaukee. We moved there—or, more accurately, I moved us there—because I was offered a teaching job at a high school. To put a positive spin on things, I can say that the job gave me three things:

1. A supreme appreciation for the hard work that teachers do, both in and out of the classroom
2. A clear indication that teaching at the high school level was not the right career for me
3. An excellent excuse for a relaxing vacation at an all-inclusive resort

Little did I know that I would also be planning my engagement trip!

Spoiler!

My first experience with all-inclusive resorts was in August 2009 when my mom took my sister and me on a vacation to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I was worried that I would get bored at the Marival Resort; after all, I tend to plan trips for myself that involve lots of sightseeing, walking, and exploring. Could I really spend five consecutive days just “relaxing”? Yes. Yes, I could. I loved it! We spent the entire time lying on the beach, drinking blended drinks, and reading books. I came back with a great tan and a huge desire to go back—but, next time, with Mr. Mole. So we went together in May 2010. We stayed at the Riu Palace Pacifico and had a blast!

The second trip: less tan, more red

So, when it came to planning that relaxing vacation, we didn’t have to think twice about the destination. We decided to go back to Mexico for spring break. Woo! This time, we found a great deal for an AI resort in Riviera Maya. Our first resort ended up being oversold, so we were bumped (upgraded!) to Zoetry Paraiso de la Bonita. Woo again!

We got to the airport on April 16th bright and early, allowing us plenty of time to continue our tradition of taking airport self-portraits.

There is a decent chance that we will do this in a wedding photo.

After landing in Cancun, we discovered that one perk of staying at Zoetry is getting picked up from the airport in style in a white Lincoln Navigator, complete with a cup holder large enough to fit a bottle of champagne. Which it did. We arrived at the resort to find that it was just as beautiful as all of the pictures online. Our room was not yet ready, so we decided to eat a leisurely lunch and then walk around the grounds. The concierge offered to store our luggage during this period. I immediately dropped my bag, but Mr. Mole continued to grip on to his. I tried to encourage him to store his duffel so we could relax, but he was insistent on not letting it out of his sight. (In hindsight: duh.)

Pool, beach, restaurant

Soon our room was ready, and we discovered that it was just as wonderful as the rest of the property. I was particularly excited about the large soaking tub. I was busy exploring the room and unpacking when Mr. Mole opened his duffel bag. He pulled out a small box. I didn’t process what was happening until he was down on one knee, asking me to marry him.

It was a beautiful proposal: not because of the grandeur of the place, but because of the sincerity of his words. They were straightforward and true. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.

I couldn’t have asked for a better ring, either!

Zoetry must anticipate that these things happen at their resorts because they offer free international calling. We took advantage of that perk to call all of our friends and family later that night. (Interestingly enough, my sister took advantage of the same thing when she got engaged at a Zoetry in Punta Cana the spring before! We grew up to be more alike than we imagined.) Like the Generation X/Yers we are, we also updated our Facebooks in the business center.

The rest of the vacation was wonderful: snorkeling, catamaran boat rides, food poisoning. Yeah, that’s right. I spent the next three days intermittently throwing up. I could barely eat, let alone drink mango tangos by the pool. Mr. Mole also had a run-in with one of the resort’s “tamed” parrots; it bit him hard on the ear and threw his sunglasses to the ground. But, honestly, nothing could ruin that trip. We were in a place that we loved, in love. We were engaged!

Did your fiance or husband propose on vacation? Care to share your story? (I am a sucker for engagement stories!)