Jenn and Matt

Posted Tuesday, March 24, 2009 9:50 AM

We took a two-week vacation traveling throughout Italy. I had an inkling that Matt would propose. We started in Rome, then traveled to Pompeii, Sorrento, and Capri. We took a romantic boat tour of the Isola di Capri and inside the blue grotto. No proposal.

We continued to Florence, Milan, and Pisa. We stopped in Verona where the romantic tale of Romeo and Juliet took place. We even stopped by Juliet's famed balcony. No proposal. I was beginning to lose hope.

Then we arrived in Venice at 6:00 p.m. on September 10. Matt and I decided to take a ferry boat to the island for dinner. We found a tiny little restaurant alongside a canal and chose a table outside in the moonlight. It was so romantic -- the light from the moon was dancing on the rippling water in the darkness. I could barely make out Matt's face in the candlelight. I watched the gondolas slowly pass and listened to the swish of the oars in the water. A trio came along and sang "Bella Notte." Matt ordered a four-course dinner and a bottle of red wine. I asked him why we needed a whole bottle when he usually doesn't drink more than one glass with dinner. That night, he drank almost the whole bottle. I thought something was up, but there was no proposal during dinner, or after. He paid, and we decided to take a romantic walk around the abandoned city before heading back to bed.

There was a small footbridge at the end of the canal. When we reached the top of the bridge, I took out my camera to get a shot of the canal. It was so dark out by that time, even after five minutes of fiddling with the camera, the picture wouldn’t take. I became frustrated and told Matt, "Let's go." He replied, "Try again. It should take." I insisted, "No, it's not taking, let's go." Matt responded, "Let's just stand here for a moment and enjoy the romantic view." I became annoyed and said, "We're in Venice. There are romantic views everywhere we go. Let's just walk around." Matt then grabbed me by the shoulders, pulled me close, and said, "Jenn, let's just stand here for ONE minute and enjoy the view." I looked at him. He was shaking. It dawned on me. I asked him, "Are you doing this here? NOW?" Matt looked at me, smiled, and said, "I'm so nervous." He got down on one knee, looked up and me, and said, "Jenny, I can't imagine spending the rest of my life without you. I love you so much. Will you marry me?" I said, "Of course," and Matt proceeded to put the ring on the wrong finger. I laughed, hugged him, and cried for about a half hour.