How He Asked, in His Words....
"It was our first time ever staying
in a hotel together. It was a change from the norm whenever my girlfriend (now
fiancee) and I visited California. We pulled up to the front entrance of the
Grand Californian Hotel and Spa in Disneyland, her favorite park to visit for
vacation. I couldn’t help feeling excited and nervous, knowing that I was only
hours away from asking her one of the biggest questions of her life. Little did
she know, this was no ordinary vacation. She looked in awe and amazement at the
resort I had planned for us to stay in.
Our room was stunning, as if the
hotel wasn’t beautiful enough. I intended on asking her the big question in
front of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle when the park was minutes away from closing;
hoping that at that time we could be alone. As she took the time to freshen up
and get ready, I took the opportunity to rest and think about what I wanted to
say to my girlfriend of a few years when the big moment arrived. Troubled, I
thought to myself, what can I say that hasn’t already been said to someone that
you have been with for 5 years! I began to worry that I would say something
stupid or ignorant; I’ve never been much of a good speaker. I wanted to stay
away from writing a speech because saying how I felt when I looked into her
eyes was important to me. I was sure it would come to me as the time neared.
I knew I had to hurry and put the
ring that had been secretly hidden in my bag into my pocket as she shouted,
“Almost finished babe!” I wore khaki shorts with oversized pockets to conceal
the ring in its box; I knew it wasn’t going to be easy to hide. As she finished
getting ready and stepped out of the bathroom, I sat and looked at her in awe.
We then
started to make our way to the park, just outside the hotel, not forgetting to
leave anything important behind. The sun had already begun to set. We reached
the entrance of the park and we were happily greeted by one of the employees
who worked there.
The smell of churros and fresh made
popcorn began to surface the air. We got past the array of people standing and
walking near the entrance of the park on Main Street, and began to take our
usual route, working our way clockwise on the park map. The night had already
fallen and the whole park lit up like a bed of fireflies. We got through most
of the rides in the park before the shows began. Time seemed to slow down as
the park got closer and closer to closing.
Typically, during the shows, we
usually rode the popular rides while everybody else was too distracted and
amazed by Mickey slaying a dragon from Fantasmic or the firework display that
shows at the end of every night. We do that to defeat the perpetual lines that
Disneyland is famous for, but not this time. In attempts to speed things up, I
suggested we view one of the shows that we often never see and catch the train
ride around the park. She seemed to notice a change in my mood, and she
mentioned it on the train ride.
“You don’t seem like yourself
today, is everything alright?
Worried that I was making it
obvious, I had something to hide, I quickly responded with a smile, “Of course
babe, I’m, umm, just fine! Why would you think that?”
“Well, you seem rushed, you’re
quieter than usual, your hands were clammy when I was holding them earlier and
you seem to be sweating a little bit.”
“Oh, I might be catching a cold! No
need to worry Hun! I’m sure I’ll get over it.”
Concerned, she responded, “Well I
hope you’re okay, I’ll make sure to get you some medicine from the convenient
store in the hotel”
I sighed with a breath of relief
that she believed it. The train was departing after we rode on it for two
passings through the park. The worker on the train yelled, “New Orleans
Square!” notifying us of our departing location. I knew this was our stop. The
time was near, and the pressure started to build faster than my heart could
handle. We made our way to the back of the castle as a woman over the intercom
was notifying the guests that the park would be closing soon. I forced my
girlfriend to use the restroom as she thought I would do the same, but little
did she know that I was quickly going to take a stroll by the castle to see how
many people were standing there. To my surprise, there were still groups of
people walking and standing around the castle taking pictures.
My heart sunk, and in a panic, I
hurried back to the restrooms to see that she hadn’t finished yet. I stood
there wondering what I should do. I didn’t have many options and the park was
about to close. I thought it may be a good idea to walk around the castle and
wait until the guests cleared. We stumbled upon Snow White’s well just east of
the castle. It was close to a bridge, a waterfall, and it had a perfect view of
the castle! That’s when it struck me; this was it, this is the spot, and it
couldn’t be any more perfect. We were completely alone and it hit me that this
was really happening; the sudden reality of giving your life away to the one
you love. I got nervous, but when I turned and looked at her, she smiled, and I
knew this was surely what I wanted. She is the woman that I wanted to spend the
rest of my life with. We walked over to the bridge and glanced at the blue lit
castle and its reflection in the lake surrounding the castle. I gathered myself
together and took a deep breath; I turned to look at her, I began to speak very
softly.
“There has been something that I’ve
wanted to ask you for a while now.”
“What do you mean?” She looked
puzzled.
“I love you, I have always loved
you since the day I got to know you in our history class back in high school.
It’s been a few years and I know that we are ready to take things to the next
level. I didn’t want to give you this big speech, so I’ll just let everything
that I’ve done for us and everything we have been through together speak for itself.”
My heart was pounding and I
couldn’t stop shaking. I wiped the sweat from my hand on my shorts. I reached
in my oversized pocket and pulled out the box that had the ring in it. I got on
my knee, and then I proceeded to open the box. I knew I was ready.
“Cassandra Patrice Gloria, would
you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?”
In a state
of shock she replied, “Are you serious!?!?”
“I have a
ring in my hand don’t I? Would you spend the rest of your life with me and
marry me?” I asked again.
“Of course I will marry you! Yes!”
She responded in tears.
Still in tears, she managed to help
me up off my knee as it seemed like I had been in that position for a while.
She gave me the biggest kiss and hug she has ever given me. For a moment time
seemed to stop, and all seemed right in the world. I did it, I told myself; I
managed not to mess up one of the most important moments in our lives. My heart
had seemed whole, and I was happy. I knew then this was the start of something
special to come; a new chapter in my life was about to be written. I wasn’t
alone this time, and it started with me and my future wife...."
Dear Vince & Cassy,
You two are adorable. I'm beyond thrilled to be a part of your Wedding journey. Thank you for trusting me. I can't wait for your November 7th Wedding! Congratulations, let's rock this out!
Love, Jennifer
Feeling All Warm and Fuzzy now? View some previous J. Starr couples' engagement stories below!
