The Proposal

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Daniel's Story

For anyone that has ever proposed, you can relate to what I am about to say.  For anyone that has never proposed, nothing can really prepare you for that moment.  Everyone wants to have a storybook proposal in their own way.  Whether it is at a nice restaurant, on top of the Eiffel Tower, or at a baseball game, the proposal has to say something unique about you as an individual, as well as your relationship.  I decided that I was only going to propose once in my lifetime, so it had to be perfect.

 The date was set for June 6th, 2009 and the location was yet to be decided...

 Stacy and I share a passion for traveling, so I decided to find a place outside Georgia.  I wanted a place that was scenic, private, and romantic.  My answer was found in the mountains of Ashville, North Carolina.  I had never been to the Biltmore House, but after viewing their website, I knew that it would be just the place.  The plan was to propose while we were sitting on a bench, overlooking the gardens.  It could not have gone more perfectly.

 ... and I could not have been more nervous.

 After our two hour tour of the house concluded, Stacy and I decided to take a stroll through the gardens.  I was barely able to appreciate the beauty that surrounded us.  I was on a mission and would not be satisfied until I found the perfect place.  I found out later that Stacy was concerned by my silence.  I had not realized that I stopped talking.

 I turned down one scenic spot after another in an effort to make sure the one I picked was the place.  Finally, we found a bench peculiarly placed on top of a hill facing away from the path we were on.  I took a chance, not seeing what the bench overlooked, and asked Stacy if she wanted to sit down and rest.  To my luck she said "yes."

 The view was fantastic.  The bench overlooked the Biltmore's famous Walled Garden, filled with roses.  The sun was shinning and the crowd had been left behind us.  I realized this was the moment I had been waiting for...

 Like I said earlier, you can never completely prepare yourself for a proposal.  I was positive she would say yes, but I wanted it to be perfect.  We had agreed to open our anniversary gifts later that evening, but I broke the rules by stating to her:

 "I brought your gift with me."

 She started looking around as if it were going to come from the bushes.  At this point I thought she had figured it out and was just pretending to be surprised.  I found out later that she thought it was so obvious that she did not expect me to do it there.

 I took the ring box out of my pocket, with no reaction from her (at least not the one I thought she would have).  I guess she had thought it was some other jewelry box - after all, it was a big box to fit one ring.  As soon as the lid came up and she realized what was in it, her face lit up like I have never seen.  I told her:

 "Stacy, I love you and I always will.  Will you marry me?"

 It was at this point that I was almost choked to death by her.  She said yes repeatedly and then proceeded to squeeze my neck so hard I nearly passed out.  I could not have asked for anything better.  The rest of the day featured her and I walking on air, as the surreal feeling we had was better than any drug.  We were treated like celebrities for the rest of the day, complete with old ladies recognizing us at the winery and wanting us to meet their friends, and restaurants giving us complimentary champagne.  It truly could not have gone any better, and will be a most cherished memory for as long as I live.  The Biltmore will always be special to me and Stacy.  It was the perfect location, with the perfect woman, to create a perfect day in our lives.




Stacy's Story

The main thing I remember about the day Daniel proposed was that it was the happiest day of my life!  Our one year anniversary was coming up and Daniel told me "pack your bag, I have planned a special trip for us but I'm not telling you where we are going!"  The thing is, I am a girl, and you can not tell her to pack a bag for somewhere that she has no clue about and expect for that bag to not have every outfit in her closet!  I quickly called my mom and asked what she thought I should pack.  "Two of everything," she said.  So, off we go with my huge suitcase for our weekend trip.

It turns out he took me to the Biltmore House (picture above).  It was beautiful!  The morning of our one year anniversary we wake up, ate breakfast, and toured the Biltmore House.  I was already excited about the day he had planned for us but had no clue what was coming!  After the tour we walked around the gardens.   My feet hurt from the house tour so I asked Daniel if we could stop and rest.  We stopped at the adorable bench on a hill overlooking the walled rose garden.  Could it have been any more beautiful?  I remember Daniel turning to me and saying, "I've wanted to tell you this for some time now..." and proceeded to explain how he felt.  He then got down on one knee, opened the box and proposed!  I remember having to keep myself from wanting to scream and hop up and down.  I also remember hugging him so tight as I said, "yes," that he almost couldn't breath!  I just kept saying over and over "Really?  Really!  Me and you, you and me?  Forever!  I get to be with you forever!"

  For the next few hours I felt like I was walking on air.  I now understand the saying "on cloud nine."  Mine felt more like cloud nine million!  Daniel picked the perfect day, the perfect place, and the perfect ring!  As I mentioned in the "Our Story" section, I am truly the luckiest girl in the world!