5/23/12 1st time X/cruise, med. engagement, Paris; oh my! Solstice Med. Trip Report

[phyllisrf]

Will you get married onboard a cruise ship? Loved your story. We have been married for 45 years. Love him more today than on 6/11/67! We were 20 and 22 at the time. Looking forward to the next 45- and our cruise on Eclipse 12/1/12.

 

May all your days together be joyful and everlasting.

[crazygirl!]

I was so thrilled for you to finally get to the engagement! Of course, I have been thoroughly enjoying all of the wonderful stories of your trip, but like everyone else I have been waiting to read all about the proposal :D Congratulations - I hope you have a beautiful life together! And, I hope you go someplace fantastic for your honeymoon and you bring us all along like you did with this trip. It has been such fun reading all about your trip. Thank you for sharing!

[mcdkaty]

Congratulations!!! I got tears in my eyes reading how it all unfolded. Your review has been such a joy to read. It is like being there with your descriptions we want to do this same cruise and you have given us lots to think about.

I wish you and Tyler the best of everything-love, luck, health & happiness!!

Can't wait to see what you will write next. Maybe a blog about the wedding prep and then the honeymoon.

Best of luck on your PHD studies and thanks so much for doing this review it was truly wonderful

[ariawoman]

 

Touche! I will be posting it tomorrow ;)

 

Ok, I promised you I'd tell once you did. But first of all - I'm sitting here with tears in my eyes "reading" your proposal via pictures. How very jealous I am that you have pictures of the moment it happened. Your boyfriend is very smart to have arranged Brandon to come along! Also I LOVE your ring, it's gorgeous. (oh and can I also say - I love the date.... 6/6/12...because 6+6=12. I got engaged on 10/11/12 which i found fun - we have a thing for dates lol)

 

So Ok I told you the date...we were in Amsterdam. We had arrived the day before so this was our first full day there. We spent the day sight seeing. Anne Frank House, wandering the streets, I think we also went to the floating flower market that day. Anyway day falls into night and I was wondering if he was gonna do it -- because like you, I just knew it would happen this vacation - and I knew it would be either 10/11/12 OR in paris on 10/14. We went to dinner at some local place and he kept checking his watch and I was like, are you late for something what's your problem? He just kinda pushed it off. After dinner, we went back to our hotel to relax for a few minutes before heading off to the Red Light district which tended to get livelier the later you waited (the night before we went around 8pm and it was dead). So, we are in the room, and he's looking at his watch again and I'm like really, what are you so late for? He takes me and literally pushes me down into a chair and I pop back up being all "what are you doing i dont want to sit down" and he pushes me back down again and tells me to stop being dumb (or something I honestly dont remember it's all a blur) and he gets down on his knees (yes both...and i realized what was happening and i was like "aren't you supposed to just be on 1?) (Yes that's just how we are lol) So anyway he said a bunch of stuff that I can't even remember....I remember I cried. I remember him being down on 1 knee and having a ring box. I remember him saying he wanted to spend the next 40 years with me (he's in his 50s so 40 years is a good estimate lol).

 

The reason he was looking at his watch and pushed me down? It was 10:11:12pm on 10/11/12. He wanted it to be that exact time.

 

After we got engaged we left the hotel and looked at half naked chicks in windows LOL. I found that to be funny, since it's so not apropos of us.

 

So - there you go. I made good on my promise to tell. And since you shared your ring pic, I'll share mine too ;-)

 

[ariawoman]

 

Macrons make me happy! This is how big that green bag expands to!

 

 

We decided to rest up and take a nap before heading out to see the tower at night. I wanted to take some medicine so I could stay up latter for the Eiffel Tower light-up.

 

Hmm could this be “the” night? Stay tuned!

 

Ok can i also just say that i LOVE that bag! Does the very top of it zipper too?? I might need to look into these...i like that it's expandable but becomes quite small!

[cruise kitty]

Favorite thread ever! Had to swipe away a few tears, best wishes for the both of you, & thanks so much for sharing your story!

[Iamthesea]

I was thinking the same thing about the ring looking like the Eiffel Tower.

 

Beautiful ring...beautiful couple. Congratulations! ;)

[darth frosty]

Great review and CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[alliebrandy]

Congrats and may the two of you have a very long and wonderful life together. Thank you very much for sharing your trip and your engagement with all of us.

[Coolcruise02]

Ok, I promised you I'd tell once you did. But first of all - I'm sitting here with tears in my eyes "reading" your proposal via pictures. How very jealous I am that you have pictures of the moment it happened. Your boyfriend is very smart to have arranged Brandon to come along! Also I LOVE your ring, it's gorgeous. (oh and can I also say - I love the date.... 6/6/12...because 6+6=12. I got engaged on 10/11/12 which i found fun - we have a thing for dates lol)

 

So Ok I told you the date...we were in Amsterdam. We had arrived the day before so this was our first full day there. We spent the day sight seeing. Anne Frank House, wandering the streets, I think we also went to the floating flower market that day. Anyway day falls into night and I was wondering if he was gonna do it -- because like you, I just knew it would happen this vacation - and I knew it would be either 10/11/12 OR in paris on 10/14. We went to dinner at some local place and he kept checking his watch and I was like, are you late for something what's your problem? He just kinda pushed it off. After dinner, we went back to our hotel to relax for a few minutes before heading off to the Red Light district which tended to get livelier the later you waited (the night before we went around 8pm and it was dead). So, we are in the room, and he's looking at his watch again and I'm like really, what are you so late for? He takes me and literally pushes me down into a chair and I pop back up being all "what are you doing i dont want to sit down" and he pushes me back down again and tells me to stop being dumb (or something I honestly dont remember it's all a blur) and he gets down on his knees (yes both...and i realized what was happening and i was like "aren't you supposed to just be on 1?) (Yes that's just how we are lol) So anyway he said a bunch of stuff that I can't even remember....I remember I cried. I remember him being down on 1 knee and having a ring box. I remember him saying he wanted to spend the next 40 years with me (he's in his 50s so 40 years is a good estimate lol).

 

The reason he was looking at his watch and pushed me down? It was 10:11:12pm on 10/11/12. He wanted it to be that exact time.

 

After we got engaged we left the hotel and looked at half naked chicks in windows LOL. I found that to be funny, since it's so not apropos of us.

 

So - there you go. I made good on my promise to tell. And since you shared your ring pic, I'll share mine too

 

Sweet! Beautiful ring!

[kat228]

Congrats!

 

What a romantic spot!

[jkt1220]

Hi Ashley- Congrats on your engagement. I've been following your thread & it has been wonderful.. I'm sad it will soon be coming to an end!

 

My fiance & I have a very similar trip planned for our honeymoon. We will be sailing the Equinox for 12 nights in September 2013 & will start our trip off with a few days in Paris. Your report has gotten me even more excited (which I did not think was possible)-- it has also been very helpful. So thank you so much for all your time & effort with everything you have going on.

 

My fiance & I, like you and your future husband were high school sweethearts- we were together 10yrs when we got engaged last yr & will be together 11 by wedding day. We attended our high school prom together & I will be using part of my prom dress as the wrap on my bouquet (as my something old & something blue!) I believe that being with someone since high school results in a special kind of bond :) I wish you both many years of happiness!

 

PS: is your ring a Tacori??

Edited November 21, 2012 by jkt1220

[Lin336]

Great review. Thank you for sharing your special trip and special moment with us.

[Xcitdcruiser]

Congrats!!! Please let us know if you do decide to start a blog! I'm a little sad your story has ended but very happy for you. I'm also newly engaged & simply love the feeling.

[ariawoman]

Hi Ashley- Congrats on your engagement. I've been following your thread & it has been wonderful.. I'm sad it will soon be coming to an end!

 

My fiance & I have a very similar trip planned for our honeymoon. We will be sailing the Equinox for 12 nights in September 2013 & will start our trip off with a few days in Paris. Your report has gotten me even more excited (which I did not think was possible)-- it has also been very helpful. So thank you so much for all your time & effort with everything you have going on.

 

My fiance & I, like you and your future husband were high school sweethearts- we were together 10yrs when we got engaged last yr & will be together 11 by wedding day. We attended our high school prom together & I will be using part of my prom dress as the wrap on my bouquet (as my something old & something blue!) I believe that being with someone since high school results in a special kind of bond :) I wish you both many years of happiness!

 

PS: is your ring a Tacori??

 

Wondering that too, I found one on their site that looks like it. What a gorgeous ring! I love my ring but I love hers too lol!

[RTcruzer]

Yay!! Congrats to you both!! What a wonderful engagement story to tell for the rest of your lives;)

[djwcruisejunkie]

Woo hoo!! Congeatulations. So worth waiting for this instalment :D

 

Now, about the wedding..... Someone else on thread asked if you were getting married on a cruise. I'm thinking members cruise!! Charter the whole ship - we'll all come help you celebrate :D

 

Great planning by Tyler & Brandon!

 

Hugs to you both, and keep writing!!

 

Deb xx

[CruisingGatorGirl]

WOW thank you all for the kind, sweet remarks! I am blown away! And thank you all for sticking around as it has taken some time to complete this report...

 

it's not over yet! I have 2 days left still to report on. I have a crazy week ahead so will not have time probably until next weekend.

 

And about the ring :D Yes it does look like the Eiffel Tower! I (if you didn't know) love all things old, vintage, classic, etc. so he did a great job picking our the ring!

 

Again thank you all so much, you words really brought a smile to my face.

 

I hope all my fellow Americans had a great Thanksgiving!

 

(and those that have asked about a blog, I think I might start one! We took engagement pics a couple weeks ago)

 

-Ashley

[CruisingGatorGirl]

It was worth the wait!! I had tears in my eyes and chills down my spine. And that picture of the two of you at the Tower right after your engagement is gorgeous. But I think you should figure out a way to use the pic of the two of you earlier sitting with your backs to the camera as a wedding favor or part of the wedding program or your thank you notes (looking toward a future of happiness, perhaps?). It's just perfect.

 

I have figured out why we all are so fond of you Ashley. It's because in a world full of fake reality and purchased beauty, you are genuine, beautiful and joyful. You appreciate all you have and all of the people who love you. Don't ever lose that quality....it's too rare and you will always be surrounded by happy, loving people if you keep that spirit.

 

Thank you! That is a great idea, I will find a way to use it! And thank you so much for the kind words, you are so sweet :D

 

Thank you so much for sharing your special moment.

And a HUGE congratulations. What a special and amazing memory.

I wish the photos of our engagement on the Spanish steps were so gorgeous (we were stranded in snow the first snow in 25 yeas for Rome and I had a very attractive wooly hat on and a very red nose).

 

Thank you! Wow snow in Rome that is awesome! I think that is special, magical, and romantic! Being from FL anytime snow is involved my excitement meter goes up. Do you have any pics of snowy Rome?

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Thank you for your wonderful review! I too love Paris and would love to live there at least for a few months--I only speak what I call "romance novel French" and can make it around okay.

 

My last trip I tagged along with two friends--we rented apartments on Ile Ste. Louis. I called mine Ikea (but it was under $100 a night) and theirs Versailles--with beautiful wall hangings, antiques, main level, etc.

 

Felicitations on your engagement--wishing you a lifetime of happiness.

 

Wow that sounds like fun, maybe a few months is more realistic for me. How did you find the apartments? And thank you :)

 

Will you get married onboard a cruise ship? Loved your story. We have been married for 45 years. Love him more today than on 6/11/67! We were 20 and 22 at the time. Looking forward to the next 45- and our cruise on Eclipse 12/1/12.

 

May all your days together be joyful and everlasting.

 

Wow that is special, 45 years, congrats! No, we are going to have a traditional-big wedding back home. I played with the idea of doing a very small destination wedding (maybe in Italy? or Barcleona?) then departing on an X cruise from there but my family thought we should do the traditional wedding for our family and friends.

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Ok, I promised you I'd tell once you did. But first of all - I'm sitting here with tears in my eyes "reading" your proposal via pictures. How very jealous I am that you have pictures of the moment it happened. Your boyfriend is very smart to have arranged Brandon to come along! Also I LOVE your ring, it's gorgeous. (oh and can I also say - I love the date.... 6/6/12...because 6+6=12. I got engaged on 10/11/12 which i found fun - we have a thing for dates lol)

 

So Ok I told you the date...we were in Amsterdam. We had arrived the day before so this was our first full day there. We spent the day sight seeing. Anne Frank House, wandering the streets, I think we also went to the floating flower market that day. Anyway day falls into night and I was wondering if he was gonna do it -- because like you, I just knew it would happen this vacation - and I knew it would be either 10/11/12 OR in paris on 10/14. We went to dinner at some local place and he kept checking his watch and I was like, are you late for something what's your problem? He just kinda pushed it off. After dinner, we went back to our hotel to relax for a few minutes before heading off to the Red Light district which tended to get livelier the later you waited (the night before we went around 8pm and it was dead). So, we are in the room, and he's looking at his watch again and I'm like really, what are you so late for? He takes me and literally pushes me down into a chair and I pop back up being all "what are you doing i dont want to sit down" and he pushes me back down again and tells me to stop being dumb (or something I honestly dont remember it's all a blur) and he gets down on his knees (yes both...and i realized what was happening and i was like "aren't you supposed to just be on 1?) (Yes that's just how we are lol) So anyway he said a bunch of stuff that I can't even remember....I remember I cried. I remember him being down on 1 knee and having a ring box. I remember him saying he wanted to spend the next 40 years with me (he's in his 50s so 40 years is a good estimate lol).

 

The reason he was looking at his watch and pushed me down? It was 10:11:12pm on 10/11/12. He wanted it to be that exact time.

 

After we got engaged we left the hotel and looked at half naked chicks in windows LOL. I found that to be funny, since it's so not apropos of us.

 

So - there you go. I made good on my promise to tell. And since you shared your ring pic, I'll share mine too ;-)

 

 

WOW WOW WOW! That took some planning on his part! I bet he was so nervous he would miss the exact time! That is so precious! You will never forget your date :) I too don't even exactly know what Tyler said haha, it is a blur I know I heard "love you" "marry" etc and I said yes and that's about all I remember.

 

And THAT ring, wow! What a stunner! Will you go on a honeymoon back to EUrope?

 

And we didn't even think about that with our date, thanks for pointing it out!

 

Ok can i also just say that i LOVE that bag! Does the very top of it zipper too?? I might need to look into these...i like that it's expandable but becomes quite small!

 

Yes it does! You can wear it fully expanded like it is in that picutre or it zips up to the middle and is half the size. There is a zipper on top so it is sealed. And it folds up supper tiny (as you saw when I was in the store).

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Hi Ashley- Congrats on your engagement. I've been following your thread & it has been wonderful.. I'm sad it will soon be coming to an end!

 

My fiance & I have a very similar trip planned for our honeymoon. We will be sailing the Equinox for 12 nights in September 2013 & will start our trip off with a few days in Paris. Your report has gotten me even more excited (which I did not think was possible)-- it has also been very helpful. So thank you so much for all your time & effort with everything you have going on.

 

My fiance & I, like you and your future husband were high school sweethearts- we were together 10yrs when we got engaged last yr & will be together 11 by wedding day. We attended our high school prom together & I will be using part of my prom dress as the wrap on my bouquet (as my something old & something blue!) I believe that being with someone since high school results in a special kind of bond :) I wish you both many years of happiness!

 

PS: is your ring a Tacori??

 

You are going to have an AMAZING time! Is this your (both of you?) first time to Europe? Paris? Ah I would do anything right now to go back!

 

We also went to prom together, that is a great idea about the dress! My prom dress was blue too, I should use some! Thanks for sharing!

 

And yes, my ring is a Tacori :)

 

Congrats!!! Please let us know if you do decide to start a blog! I'm a little sad your story has ended but very happy for you. I'm also newly engaged & simply love the feeling.

 

Congrats! Such an exciting time! I do plan on starting a blog, when I figure it out I will post it to this thread :D well actually to be honest I did "make" it but it is just rough and empty now, but here is the link:

 

http://dessertationblog.blogspot.com/

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Wondering that too, I found one on their site that looks like it. What a gorgeous ring! I love my ring but I love hers too lol!

 

Yep, it is Tacori :)

 

Woo hoo!! Congeatulations. So worth waiting for this instalment :D

 

Now, about the wedding..... Someone else on thread asked if you were getting married on a cruise. I'm thinking members cruise!! Charter the whole ship - we'll all come help you celebrate :D

 

Great planning by Tyler & Brandon!

 

Hugs to you both, and keep writing!!

 

Deb xx

 

Ha wouldn't that be a hoot! That would be a blast, what a party :D but no we will not be :( I was leaning towards a small destination wedding in Europe but my family and I talked, we are going to have a traditional-big wedding back home. Thank you! Hugs back!

[jkt1220]

You are going to have an AMAZING time! Is this your (both of you?) first time to Europe? Paris? Ah I would do anything right now to go back!

 

We also went to prom together, that is a great idea about the dress! My prom dress was blue too, I should use some! Thanks for sharing!

 

And yes, my ring is a Tacori :)

 

 

 

First time in Europe for both of us... but we have been talking about taking this trip for years! My fiance planned a surprise brunch with our immediate family the morning after we got engaged, one of my family members asked "so do you guys know what you are going to do for your honeymoon" to which Jason replied "maybe a Mediterranean cruise" as if the whole engagement wasn't exciting enough I nearly fell out of my seat with even more excitement with his response!!

 

You should def consider incorporating your prom dress into your wedding in some way. Didn't you also wear it on one of the formal nights of the cruise!?

 

I know a Tacori when I see one :) My ring is also a Tacori, I just love the vintage detail in their rings!

[ariawoman]

WOW WOW WOW! That took some planning on his part! I bet he was so nervous he would miss the exact time! That is so precious! You will never forget your date :) I too don't even exactly know what Tyler said haha, it is a blur I know I heard "love you" "marry" etc and I said yes and that's about all I remember.

 

And THAT ring, wow! What a stunner! Will you go on a honeymoon back to EUrope?

 

And we didn't even think about that with our date, thanks for pointing it out!

 

 

 

Yes it does! You can wear it fully expanded like it is in that picutre or it zips up to the middle and is half the size. There is a zipper on top so it is sealed. And it folds up supper tiny (as you saw when I was in the store).

 

We will likely go back to Europe..if I had to guess I'd say we'd go to Rome, it was the first place we ever went together vacation wise and. We love it there. Else, Paris is on our list but that likely would be land based to spend more days there.

 

I love both our rings. Don't forget to get it insured lol. I just got the bill from adding mine to my homeowners lol.