The Proposal
We had been together just under a year when Pat proposed. During my senior year of college I was coming home on the weekends to work and see my family and Pat. Plus, I wasn't very happy at school. One weekend in April I came home as usual and went to work on Friday night. Pat and I closed down the liquor store together and then went back to his house to hang out and have a late dinner. We had eaten and had some wine; I was watching Friends and Pat was acting all kinds of weird — he was antsy and kind of hyper. He started jumping on me like a little kid would and kept saying how much he loved me, and I kept pushing him away letting him know I was annoyed. Finally I got so upset that I just looked at him and said, "Seriously, could you leave me alone ... it's been a long week and a long night and I really just want to watch Friends!" He got all upset and left to go to the bathroom, but he came back and started "bothering" me again. When I turned around he had the ring box open in front of me. He told me that he loved me more than anything and wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. Then he asked me to marry him. And of course I said, "Yes" — and then I turned off the TV! On the day of our wedding we had known each other for more than three years but had been dating for just over two.
About the Ring
My engagement ring ... another interesting story. For the longest time I was so sure that I wanted a gorgeous diamond-platinum solitaire and that's what I told Pat from the beginning. We would look at rings and I really didn't find anything I loved. Then one day we were at my grandparents' house in Clinton, N.J., and we decided to drive to the outlets in Flemington because Pat needed new pants. We got there but couldn't find him pants, so we were walking around and wandered into a jewelry store. We started looking and I tried on this 2.5-carat, three-stone, diamond and platinum ring and I was kind of like, "Hmmm. It's a little too big." So, the saleswoman had me try on the same ring in 1.5 carats and I just felt like it was perfect. So I looked a little more and kept coming back to that 1.5-carat ring. Finally, I looked at Pat and asked what he thought. He said it didn't really matter what he thought because I would be wearing it, but he liked it and asked me if I liked it. I said I loved it and that it would be great if this were the one he wanted to get me. He looked at me and then looked at the saleswoman and said, "We'll take it." Well, I just about stopped breathing and fell off my chair! And that was it. We bought it. Our first big purchase together — a three-stone, 1.5-carat, diamond-platinum engagement ring. That was in February. He waited until April to propose — completely nerve-wracking!
The Date
Our wedding date was Saturday, July 5, 2003.
About the Dress:
My dress ... wow. I have a lot of entertaining stories. I really had my heart set on having my dress made for me just as my mom had done. So what we decided to do was go to David's Bridal to look at styles and see what worked best. So, in August after we got engaged, I took my mom, my aunt and most of my bridesmaids to David's to look at dresses. I had absolutely no intention of buying or choosing anything that day. In fact, when I got there, I broke into an argument with my consultant about my size before finally settling on her larger recommendation and trying on dresses.
I was on about my third dress when a young woman came out of the dressing room next to me in this gorgeous ivory, two-tone embroidered gown. I looked right at my mom and my aunt and then my consultant, and said, "That's it. That is my dress! Take it off of her body and put it on mine!" I knew as soon as I put it on that it was the exact dress for me.
It is strapless ivory satin with light copper embroidery at the top with tiny rhinestones scattered throughout the embroidery. It comes to a point at the waist and then divides into two pleats with embroidery at the bottom of the dress. It has buttons all the way down the back to the train, which is longer than chapel, but shorter than cathedral and has embroidery on it.
