Mandy and Dennis

Posted Monday, August 25, 2008 10:24 AM

Our Trip to Paris

It was July 21, 2007, and we were in Paris for a short layover before heading to Italy -- the day the last Harry Potter book was released. Dennis told me he had made reservations for dinner at The Jules Verne Restaurant on the Eiffel Tower. The restaurant required a blazer which Dennis had to carry in his backpack all day since I was not going to carry it, though I usually carry everything else. In the early part of the morning, we walked by the Eiffel Tower and saw there was no line, so I dragged Dennis to the top. Once there, he informed me that he had a gift that was going to shock me. My immediate thought was "Oh my gosh! He's going to propose!" Then I remembered that he said he would never propose overseas. Then I thought, "Oh my gosh, he got me Harry Potter!" Sure enough, Dennis pulled a present out of his bag the size of a book. I ripped open the paper and saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I was elated but very confused since it had come out at midnight the evening prior and we had been together ever since. I flipped through the book to try to make some sense of the quandary I was in and found the middle had been cut out. Nestled in the center was a video iPod. I asked if it was a book on tape, somewhat distraught that he had ruined my book. Dennis snickered, said no, and plugged in two sets of headphones. (He later informed me he had gotten an advance copy of only the cover and had used an old copy of the fifth Harry Potter book to cut up.) He turned on the iPod, and I proceeded to watch the most amazing photo montage set to our song. There was a letter super-imposed on the photos talking about our relationship and how he was done looking and ready to begin his journey through life with me as his wife. He then got down on one knee and asked if I would marry him. Through tears and complete shock, I sobbed, "Yes, of course!" People around us were from all over the world but all of them began clapping, cheering and taking photos. It was amazing! (You can see it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKZy0xhdQL0)

The Proposal

On the way down from the top, Dennis told me that he had wanted to do this later because it was 4 a.m. in the States, so I couldn't call anyone at home. Oh, well. Later that afternoon I began making phone calls. First to my parents who were not at home and then to my brother and best friends. Dinnertime rolled around and I still hadn’t reached my parents. I said that I would call them after dinner in hopes of finding them available. We went into the restaurant (not the Jules Verne, which had been a ploy) and gave them our name. They led us around toward the back of the restaurant where, to my disbelief, my parents and Dennis' parents were sitting at the table waiting for us. I was speechless, but it was exactly the way I wanted to share one of the most amazing and special moments of my life!