Nora’s side: The best proposal ever…

Dan and I decided to go on an impromptu vacation in June 2011. Our destination was a first for both of us: Paris, France! We enjoyed hectic sightseeing for the first couple of days of our trip. Then, on the morning of Saturday, June 18th, Dan handed me a pair of train tickets. I was overjoyed to discover that we were going to Giverny for the day. My great uncle was a painter, and many of his paintings are from the French countryside. In addition, one of my favorite artists is Monet, and I knew that his gardens were in Giverny.

So off we went on our early morning trip. We strolled through the quaint town to Monet’s maison. We meandered through his breathtaking gardens which were in full bloom. When we reached a secluded area with a bench, Dan wanted to sit down.

He proceeded to set up the automatic camera. We took a picture and then he wanted to sit down again! I wasn’t all that suspicious, but asked him why we couldn’t rest just a little further down the walk as I knew that Monet’s waterlily garden was nearby.

Dan insisted that we sit down again and he then said “I have something for you. ” He proceeded to pull out a sheaf of papers from his backpack. He read me a beautiful poem about the enchantment of Monet’s gardens and falling in love. At the same time, he was digging in his pocket for something. He pulled out a little plastic bag with a tissue in it and began to unravel the tissue very slowly. As he did this, he got down on one knee, and asked “Nora, will you marry me?” I said “Yes!” Then I promptly burst into tears.  A small crowd of French ladies gathered around to admire the ring.
We eventually found our way over to the waterlily garden and it was every bit as beautiful as Monet had depicted so many years before. Now, whenever I look at the flower pattern on my ring, I am reminded of Dan’s beautiful proposal in Giverny and our engagement among the blossoms!

Dan’s side:  Just the missing details…

As you might expect, my side starts a bit earlier than Nora’s.  I spent many long months trying to find the right moment and location to propose.  When we decided to go on a trip, I immediately got excited.  After a couple hours of considering our options, we chose Paris!  From that moment on, the rest of our lives was set in motion.

I had three weeks to ask Nora’s mom and dad for permission, pick a setting, stone and have the ring assembled and work out the details of an unforgettable proposal.  Fortunately, I had some help.  Nora’s parents were thrilled at the news and we celebrated together.  With the help of Nora’s mom, I was able to keep Nora in the dark about my intentions.  A family friend of Nora’s helped me pick a stone and setting to create a beautifully unique combination to fit Nora’s taste.  For proposal ideas I searched the web and found many ideas for where to propose in Paris with ALL of them being deemed cliche’.  During this search however, the name Monet popped into my mind.  I knew he was one of Nora’s favorite artists and I found that he had lived and worked not far from Paris… a distinctive yet personalized location!

I then told Nora that I had made reservations for dinner for that Saturday night.  If she had any suspicions, she would expect it at dinner (or so I hoped).  Everything was set except for a smooth transition from sight-seeing tourist to love struck proposer.  After a great deal of searching, I found the perfect poem to read.  It was an amazing connection between Monet, the beautiful garden, love, Nora and myself.  And she said “Yes!” My proposal was complete!

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