So yeah, Brian and I are engaged.
The proposal itself was pretty epic.
We were attending the annual family camping gathering on the California North Coast on Mothers' Day weekend. Every year for 42 years, several families have been getting together to do this. My family, the Wrights, are one of the prominent core families of this gathering. I hadn't been for 18 years, since my move to Seattle, but decided last year to take Brian to see if he'd like it. He loved it so much he declared that we would make the 20 hour each way drive every single year.
So anyway ... we had been talking about marriage, and getting engaged, and despite the fact that he had wanted it to be a complete surprise for me, it was looking like that wasn't going to be possible any more. He also really wanted it to happen at Gualala (the campground and city where the annual event takes place). So we decided that we would make it happen, and instead of the surprise being on me, it would be on everyone else. I also suggested that we stop on the way in Oregon to get the ring, and avoid having to pay sales tax. Brian thought that last part was a piece of brilliance (yeah, it was).
So after a few false leads, we did manage to find the perfect ring in Salem, OR. It is exactly what I wanted - an oval cut natural sapphire with diamond accents set in white gold. And it was even within the budget we had set for ourselves. Score!!!
Brian wanted to do it in full grandiose style, and as publicly as possible - right after the big abalone feed on Saturday night. So after we had finished dinner, and Ted, the event host, had given his welcome and speech, he had Brian come up "to say a few words" (yes, Ted was in on it). It was then that Brian started a lovely speech about love and family. Meanwhile, my mom is sitting across the table from me going "What is he doing?" Soon enough, Brian asked my dad for his blessing, and then had me come up on the big stump with him (remember, we're in the California Redwoods; there are a lot of big tree stumps around), got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him. After hesitating just enough to elicit the desired laugh from our audience of 215 people, I accepted, and there was much cheering and rejoicing.
We have tentatively set the date for some time in July or early August of 2015. What we know so far is that we want a Pirate themed wedding, we want it to be fun, and festive, and very "production oriented" to suit our attention whore personalities. We had seriously considered September 19, 2015 because that is Talk Like A Pirate Day, and it falls on a Saturday next year. However, we want an outdoor wedding, and trying to do something that late in the year out doors in Seattle is sketchy at best. Actually, any time of year is still iffy, but July/August gives you a better chance at sunshine. And late August is right out, because I do not want my wedding conflicting with my parents' 50th wedding anniversary.
One challenge is that we want to keep it in a budget of $6K to $8K, but still want to have a large-scale wedding with all our friends and family in attendance. Neither of us wants to do the super cheap courthouse ceremony and picnic in the park reception kind of thing. Despite the fact that this is a second marriage for each of us, it is the first "real" wedding Brian has had, and I want him to have that experience, and get the things he really wants. Hence the 15 month prep time. Gives us time to both plan and save some money to make this thing happen. I've already started looking on line at potential venues, and we have a rough budget worked out and some of the ideas for ceremony and reception. We are expecting a lot of DIY in terms of food and decorations and such. I had originally thought that doing that level of planning and venue searching was premature at this point, 15 months out, but in talking to other brides and former brides, it really isn't.
So yeah, let the insanity start!
No comments:
Post a Comment