My Magical Proposal [Pt.1]

He asked, you said yes! Now that your friends have seen your engagement ring up close, the inevitable question arises: “How did he propose?!” It’s something almost every bride-to-be is asked, and a quick sentence doesn’t always do the proposal justice. Maybe you were surprised with the ring hidden in a cupcake or balloons spelling out “marry me” in the park. But what led up to that moment? Did you have any idea what was happening? Was he nervous? Did you cry? Did he cry? I know I never want to forget the day Warren proposed to me. I want to remember every word he said when he asked. I want to remember exactly how the air smelled that day and just how long my cheeks hurt from smiling.

A proposal that peaked with this playing card, October 27, 2015 was a truly magical day.

We were in Savannah, GA on a much-deserved vacation from work. Law enforcement had Warren working overtime 6-7 days a week and I had weddings every weekend leading up to our trip. When Warren was stationed for federal training in Brunswick, I’d drive up every other month and visit him for a weekend in Savannah. It quickly became special to us. It could have been the original brick roads, or the historic pass every visit. Not anything impressive, it was literally a corner building with two dusty windows facing the sidewalk. Upon pressing your hands and eyes against the glass, you could make out a poorly pastel painted “alter” on the back wall. Somewhat laughable, the grey berber carpet and 3 mismatched chairs inside were all that adorned this room. The window itself had “Savannah Wedding Chapel” in a cheesy yellow font. We took a picture by it each time we passed, and sent it to a family member with some caption about how we decided to elope. (That never went over too well. We eventually became the couple that cried wolf engagement.)

Savannah provided an escape from the busy lives we led in Miami. We rented a condo from VRBO and were able to bring our puppy with us. We planned to visit all the local foodie spots and couldn’t wait to get away from work. By complete chance, I forgot my phone charger at home, and Warren having an Android, convinced me that it was a sign; I didn’t need to answer any work calls or emails while away. I reluctantly agreed not to buy another one since I had a car charger that I could use for the rest of our drive.

We visited Zunzi’s, a local sandwich nook with a Yelp-renowned “special sauce”. We were walking distance from everything so Zunzi’s welcomed our dog inside and gave her some turkey while we waited for our sandwiches. Everywhere we went, people were kind and the places were all pet-friendly too. It was a nice change from what we were used to. We spent the first night night watching Halloween movies and drinking hot chocolate. It was perfect “legging weather” which was nice, because I optimistically packed for just that. The next morning, we were going to walk to brunch and then straight to a nearby historic house tour that Warren had been dying to do since we had started planning the trip. It was a gloomy morning and Warren took Rogue out to the bathroom to a square across the street. Our balcony overlooked the park and I painted my nails to waste some time before brunch. When they got back to the condo, Warren said our moms were begging for a picture of the two of us. I reluctantly agreed, since this was a frequent request of them both, despite how the rain had made my hair less than pretty. We agreed to leave Rogue at the condo instead of walking her back after brunch. Warren grabbed his rain coat and I jokingly asked if he had a ring in there. (It was something I routinely joked about after 4 years of being together…) I just had no idea today was the day he actually did!

The entire walk to brunch, Warren kept offering me his rain coat, but I’m one of those people that concludes I’m not going to melt from a little water. So a little damp, we make our way through Chippewa Square, where Forrest Gump had the famous bus stop scene. People are walking by with umbrellas and I notice a group of people from a local Savannah news station that look particularly disgruntled by the rain. I turn to Warren and tell him I feel sorry that they have to shoot in this weather. Just then, a man approaches us and asks (desperately) if we will help him. He’s a local magician* looking to film his promotional video, but the rain has produced a less than enthusiastic audience turnout.

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*So if this were a movie, I’d shout, “Pause!” and break the fourth wall right now to tell you how much I LOVE magic. Seriously. I’m a sucker for card tricks and disappearing acts and rabbits in hats and people getting sawed in half. I’ll stop to watch the lamest street performance just to see the final reveal. I love magic. Did I already say that?

“Play”.

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So without consulting Warren, and turning my back on brunch, I volunteer the both of us to watch.

 

TO BE CONTINUED IN MY MAGICAL PROPOSAL [PT. 2]…