…although I can’t get the silly grin off my face!
Whew!
Ok, where to begin?
Yannick and I have been talking marriage for a while. Sometime during the summer we went around ring shopping and wound up designing a ring of our own. More recently I knew that he was dealing with someone to have the ring made, and then when he actually got the ring he was so (excited?) that he kept taunting me with the fact that he had it and I couldn’t see it yet. Obviously I knew it was coming at SOME point, I just had no clue as to when.
Since he’s not the most romantic of people, I’d made him promise that out of our whole relationship, at least the proposal would be really romantic and special. He had to work on that, plus on a way to surprise me. He doesn’t normally plan in advance, so I’d warned him that the moment he made a reservation at a restaurant somewhere I’d know that was the night. His plan was to make a bunch of reservations and keep me guessing.
So how did he do it? Boy did he plan! Almost 2 weeks ago I mentioned that my VCR didn’t work to tape shows one night, but that my mom had taped the same shows and as soon as my brother was done with the tape, I’d be borrowing it. He asked me what shows were on it and after I told him he said he really wanted to see the season premiere of Las Vegas, one of the shows on the tape. I thought nothing of it, even though he asked me a couple of times over a week or so if my brother was done with the tape yet.
All week last week he told me that we has reservations on Friday night at some new restaurant, deliberatly leading me to think Friday would be “the night”. Nope. Friday we ended up going for a casual dinner and to a movie. Saturday morning I left to go to Vermont with some of the women from the downtown knitting group (I still don’t know what we’re called!) and I didn’t get back until Sunday evening. It was 8:30pm, we’d just arrived back in town at the Second Cup on Monkland. (By the way we had an excellent time, went to the Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival, I bought me some bright sock yarn, a kit for a felted purse, some Interweave back issues and a ball winder.)
Yannick was waiting for me and said that we had to leave right away, we had a reservation at 9pm in the West Island and he didn’t want us to be late. When we got in the car he handed me some stuff I’d left in it on Saturday morning, plus a video tape with my mother’s handwriting. It was the tape that had the premiere of Las Vegas. We had just enough time to stop at home so I could change, and he surprised me by putting in the CD with “our song” and asking me to dance. Right away I got suspicious!
We went to the restaurant, and were immediatly greeted by at least 3 servers who all ended up being our waiters. We had the only private room in the restaurant, and I was admiring the flowers on the table when Yannick said “Yeah, Jay said he’d set up some nice flowers for us.” The “Jay” he referred to is the son of the owner of the restaurant, a friend of ours. What got my attention was the fact that this meant that Yannick had called for a reservation and asked for the special room and flowers…very suspicious! All of our waiters were wonderful, but all served us with a sort of half-smile on their faces. I was wondering, “do they know something I don’t?”
At one point Yannick said he left something in the car. He comes back and places a disposable camera on the table. I’m thinking “Am I not supposed to notice there’s a camera on the table? This really isn’t subtle!” He took our picture a few times, and really poured it on thick during dinner to make me think, every few minutes, that “now” was the time. First he put his hand in his pocket like he was pulling something out, got down on one knee next to me…and told me he loves me and sat back down. Then at one point he cleared the table between us, took my hands in his….looked me in the eyes…and asked how my weekend was. I was ready to kill him! Finally, just when things couldn’t possibly have waited any longer…we left the restaurant. Before leaving he made a reservation for the following Saturday. I thought for sure that this night was the set-up, but that next Saturday would be the actual day he’d do it.
We went home and as we were about to get ready for bed he said we had to empty all the garbages. A little bit in me held out hope for the night being “it” but when I turned around and he was in his boxers emptying the garbage bins I immediately stopped being suspicious of anything. I helped him tidy up, and he brought the garbage to the street while I changed for bed. Ratty old night shirt, my glasses… I get into bed next to him and push “play” on the VCR remote. It wasn’t the premiere of Las Vegas. It was Yannick on the tape.
I can’t get into the specifics because it was so beautiful, but to sum up it was about 2 1/2 minutes of him saying all the reasons why he was about to do what he was about to do. The he gave himself the cue and the real Yannick got out the ring, got on one knee, etc… I was so stunned I made him let me rewind the tape and start over once I realized what was going on. The best part was that after I’d said yes, he said there was more on the tape. Over the course of the week he’d done about 60 “takes” to get one perfect one to use, and at some point decided not to tape over the old ones. So after the original section that I’d watched there was almost a half hour of blooper reel! Take after take where he’d be talking and he’d mess up his words or the fan would come on. It is so amazing and so special! He doesn’t normally say mushy things and in each take he’d say slightly different things and I get to keep it and can watch it whenever I want and hear him say those things….
I think the video is the best part. Really. The ring is stunning, so much more than I could ever have needed. I think you can see it from space. But more importantly, I get to keep that video. I get to have a permanent record of the man I love saying over and over how much he loves me and why. I’m so lucky.
Of course my mom was in on this (hence her handwriting on the tape) and we were under orders to go over to my parents house right away. 11:30 at night and now we’re getting re-dressed, contact lenses back in, and over to their house. They were waiting with champagne, everyone but one of my brothers who had a late hockey game. There was a toast, there were gifts, there was my sister who was so excited that she can finally be a maid of honor. We called his parents but woke them ‘cus it was about 12:30am at that point.
The week was a blur ‘cus it was Rosh Hashana (Happy New Year to those who celebrated) and we saw both sides of my family over Monday and Tuesday night. Lots of celebrations, lots of toasts. Monday was fun ‘cus I got to tell his sister in person. Wednesday night his parents stayed the night and had dinner with us. Now it’s Friday and we will be going out for dinner and a movie, one last night to relax and enjoy being engaged before all the planning pressure starts. Ok, it actually already started, which is why we’re taking this night just for us. No wedding talk, no planning. True, The Corpse Bride is about a ring and a proposal, but we figured that was appropriate. 🙂 And we will be going back to that restaurant tomorrow night, keeping the reservation he made last week. This time, however, we’re bringing friends.
To everyone (including my Secret Pal) who sent me a note of congratulations, thank you so much! I’m so excited, and so happy. I’m having a hard time acknowledging that there’s no more “when will this ever happen?” but that it HAS happened. I keep looking at the ring and thinking, “this is so pretty! When do I have to give it back?”
To my Secret Pal: I’m not sure what you mean by style. Can you ask the question again via email? Thanks!
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