Here's our story - something my DF wrote for a bridal magazine blog, and posted on our wedding website:
A day we wont forget . . .
In December 2007 Andreah, her son (Gavin, age 10) and I went to Walt Disney World for Christmas. We had a fantastic time. Once we came back home (and back to work), it didn't take a month for both of us to joke to each other we needed another vacation! I "suggested" we should book a trip back to Disney, but of course having just been there, I was not serious. Fast forward to April 2008 where on my birthday Andreah pulled a big surprise with two plane tickets to Orlando for an adults-only trip! It was an overwhelming surprise. Turns out September is a great time for adults to go; kids are in school and it's Value Season, which means low crowds and great deals for the parks. Nice.
Now Andreah and I had been dating for about two years and had not really discussed marriage (having both been married once before). It was around this time I started scheming... Little did she know what I was planning ... and little did I know how interesting this story would become. Fast forward again to Late July: During a routine medical check up I was informed by my doctor that of all things possible, a cancerous tumor was growing inside me. He told me flat-out I needed to decide on a surgeon, and fast. Scary. So, in less than three weeks on August 4, I was in surgery for a radical hemicoloectomy, and had no idea if our trip was going to pan out. Well, I'm happy to report that the surgery went great. Incredibly, at the advice of my surgeon we did not cancel the trip (in fact he encouraged it) and to my relief I recovered much quicker than expected. Everything looked on-track again ... and Andreah was still none-the-wiser!
But not so fast. A week before the trip, when
everything looked like it was working out, all news media became inundated with report after report on the weather. It was apparently
more than Value Season in Florida - it was Hurricane Season. Unless you were sleeping under a rock at the time I'm sure you remember the news: Hurricane Gustav, Hurricane Hanna and Hurricane Ike were all brewing off and around the Florida coast. Andreah became
worried sick all that week. We may have had to cancel the trip. Even worse we might have been unable to fly into Orlando due to high winds in Memphis from Gustav. Meanwhile I had a ring burning in my pocket. Needless to say, it was a crazy time.
So before you know it, the day came to fly out. Thankfully, Gustav had missed Florida, spared the Gulf from a major disaster and veered west of Memphis. Simultaneously, Hanna was being very unpredictable and slow, bearing northwest near Florida's coast. But slow was good and we had 24 hours before Hanna could come close enough to be a danger to our trip. So, we flew out that morning. To our amazement, the weather turned out to be absolutely perfect upon landing with nothing but white clouds and blue skies - and we were ahead of schedule!
Speaking of schedules, here's a little detail about Andreah you may enjoy: She likes to plan. A lot. In spite of my best efforts (and the weather's) she had our first day all planned out. At the time we landed, Andreah's schedule did not include our going to the Magic Kingdom park. Instead, we had an appointment for photo portraits at 5:30 clear across Disney property, and before that we needed to check into our hotel room and dress up a little. But both the fantastic weather and our early arrival gave me one chance ... and I took it:
"Wow," I said, "The weather is perfect today!
Call me crazy but why don't we run over to Magic Kingdom and get a quick photo in front of the Castle beforehand? We'll be dressed up, and who knows what the weather will be like the rest of this weekend?"
She bought it. Without a clue, Andreah agreed to change our itinerary and rushed with me to the hotel. Somehow along the way we found ourselves ahead of time getting into the Magic Kingdom park. A great way to start your vacation by the way, walking into the happiest place on earth. I remember what time it was when we walked in, too: just about three o'clock, because they were just getting ready for the three o'clock afternoon parade. "Oh no," Andreah told me. "We may not be able to get a photo during the parade." Great. So we hightailed it down Main Street, dodging guests and cast members as they were roping off the sidewalks. Finally we made it up to a staff photographer. Would she take our picture? YES! What a lucky break. So, we thanked her, stood in the spot where she told us to with the castle right behind us, and then, I did what I'd planned to do for months.
I walked straight off! Yup, I walked completely away from Andreah, and up to the photographer. I'm sure both women were wondering what the hell I was doing. "Do you have a lot of exposures left?" I asked. "Sure," the photographer said. "That's good because ... She doesn't know this yet ... but I'm about to propose to the gal behind me. Right here, right now. So if you don't mind, will you snap as many photos as you can?" The photographer was surprised ... and genuinely excited for us, I could tell.
So the time had come. I took a breath, turned around, and marched right back down Main Street USA toward the iconic Cinderella Castle and the love of my life, who was looking quite puzzled at me the whole way, I might add. This was a special day for many reasons. It was September 4th at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Literally one month to-the-day of my surgery - to-the-hour in fact - yet against all odds I'd recovered like it had been two months, even more. Not one - not two - but three hurricanes had threatened to stand in our way, and yet here we were. And now, standing right in front of me was the best girl in the whole world, my best friend who had been by my side through a whirlwind of recent challenges, and was just about to find out how important this day - this moment - was.
The pictures say the rest, really. I hardly remember saying the things I said. Of all my planning, I hadn't practiced a single thing to say. I remember starting off with something along the lines of how special the day was. I remember stammering a bit as I pulled the ring out. I definitely remember her reaction as the crowd, roped off from the street and waiting on the parade, erupted in applause as I stepped down on one knee. Didn't plan on that one! I remember her tearing up a little. Ah yes. And I definitely remember her answer:
"OF COURSE!"
So now it only makes sense we return to the scene of the crime, and with luck we'll tie the knot December 8, 2009. The whole park will be decorated for Christmas again, and we'll make sure Andreah's son Gavin gets to come along this time. I'm sure he'll like that.
I don't remember what he said, or what I said, but it ended with me hugging him for ages and then putting the ring on. 
He askes me to marry him as just a huge explosion goes off and I say, "Yes, please!" and then I screamed and started showing everyone my new pretty ring.
