 | Our story is of two people who through life challenges have found happiness with each other with an appreciation of what love and happily ever after truly means. While we know the true complexity of the circumstances that brought us together, that magical night of our engagement encompasses the very essence of our journey towards each other and the endless possibilities of our future together.
On evening January 11th, twenty thousand and thirteen, our new life together started back where it all began, at the very place when we first realized we had something special and where our first chapter was written. It was an evening filled with mystery and intrigue, themed with fortune, nostalgia and the magic number 3.The stage was set as an ordinary dinner party among friends, however that was just a mere distraction for what lied ahead. To get things started, Nicole was given a yellow bag that contained a yellow rose with a special gift of Versace sunglasses (She’s been longing for) and a giant fortune cookie. The fortune cookie read “In front of you is an evening of fun". On the way to the restaurant, which was the same one we went to almost 5 years ago on a night in which we discovered that we have both found something in each other that up until that point, we had only dreamed about, our dinner party of 6 quickly became a party of 2. This was by design of course.
Dinner was at Tarks Grill, a nice casual intimate restaurant were we ordered food from before during the first time we celebrated Nicole’s birthday together. It was during that special weekend that we set the foundation of our relationship which has blossomed to what we have today. Let me take you a step back and reminisce for a moment: The weekend was majestic and started in Cape May, New Jersey in a quaint little room overlooking the beach. The overnight stay included a couple’s message, a romantic dinner capped off with a horse and carriage ride through the city of Cape May. The following day, we headed back to Baltimore where we stayed at Gramercy Mansion, a Bed and Breakfast located just a few miles up the road from Tarks Grill. We stayed in the Tudor room which was so beautiful; we opted to order in from Tark’s Grill and enjoy the room. I will never forget the look on Nicole’s face the next morning as she walked through the garden outside our patio door on a gorgeous summer morning. It was at that very moment that I realized this was the beginning of something beautiful. Nicole and I often reflect on that weekend and have often fantasied about returning to the mansion where the magic began. What a moment between two that would forever bond us a one.
Now back to the engagement, after dinner Nicole was presented with an orange bag with a second orange rose and another fortune cookie. The fortune cookie read “A detour will come your way”. The road we used to leave the restaurant provides a direct route to Nicole’s house. However, it also has a fork in the road that leads back to Gramercy Mansion (This would be the detour) As we arrived in front of the mansion, Nicole was surprised but was also concerned that she did not have clothes or any other personal items, as I took her hand, I told her to relax and be spontaneous. As I opened the door to the Tudor room, it was filled with lilted candles and rose pedals through the entire room. By the patio door was a table that contained a bottle of Moet Chandon and two champagne glasses, also covered with rose pedals and candles. A bouquet of white balloons with a red one in the middle was suspended on top the canopy bed. On the bed was a box of Godiva white chocolate covered strawberries (Nicole’s favorite), a third fortune cookie accompanied by an entwined red and white rose. Nicole’s eyes sparkled in the candle light as she opened the fortune cookie that read “Today I put my heart in your hand and say it’s yours to keep”. While Nicole bit into the one of the chocolate covered strawberries, I walked over and played a CD I composed for this special evening. The CD started off with” I never felt this way” by Brian McKnight. It was during this song that I explained to her how the first yellow rose represented our past. A yellow rose symbolizes friendship, for it was as friends that we began our relationship. As things progressed we transitioned from friends to a romantic couple. As such, the second orange rose represents our present. An orange rose symbolizes passion and excitement and is an expression of fervent romance. The third rose offering of a red and white rose entwined represents our future. Red and white roses given together signify unity while two roses entwined together communicate “Marry me”. With Brian McKnight still playing in the background, I went down on bended knee, open up the ring box and asked for Nicole’s hand in marriage, tears of joy flowed from her eyes, as she shouted yes in the very room where it all began. From this day forward we will walk the beat of the same drum. |