To be honest, I really was grumpy when we arrived. I wanted to arrive early, even before the gates open!However, we were running late and was 1 hour behind time, thanks to our Malaysian timing.
Of course, when we stepped past the gilded gates of Disneyland, all ill feelings were left behind.
IT WAS BEYOND. MAGICAL.
Funny, I've been to so many different Disneylands/Disneyworld but I'll never get bored of it. Every single visit is an adventure of its own, and the feeling is just simply indescribable.
We sat on all the cool rides, ate delicious Disney snacks and took tonnes of amazing photos.
I was having a time of my life, letting my alter ego Princess Rachel run wild there.
But then, this isn't a post about how great Disneyland was.
This is about how the love of my life went down on one knee to ask me to marry him. In Disneyland. In front of a friggin castle. And more than 1000 onlookers.
Here's a little history session.
I used to wonder really, why would men propose on one bended knee?
Why not just kneel on both knees?
Or just stand?
Truth is, no one knows exactly why. Catholics bend on one knee as a sign of respect and honor. In the Middle Age, men go down on one bended knee to court women, as a sign of respect and surrender (his singlehood).
And how about the ring?
The Visigothic Code, a set of Spanish laws dating back to the seventh century, put betrothal rings on the same level as pledges in business - once you've shook on a deal, there's no going back.The first reliable records of engagement rings being given to women as a sign of future marriage dates back to Roman times.Betrothed women were given a gold ring which they would wear in public and an iron ring to wear at home while doing household chores.How did they get from iron to diamonds, I hear you cry?The tradition started in the 1800s, when a mining company discovered swathes of diamonds in Africa and set up a jewellery department called De Beers.In the 1930s, De Beers launched an incredibly successful "Diamonds Are Forever" advertising campaign in America, insisting the stones were rare and precious - and the ONLY way to propose marriage.The notion of the diamond ring as an essential engagement token was born, and unsurprisingly it's still regarded as one of the most successful advertising ploys of all time. - The Sun
Interesting. Ploy or not, I LOVE MY RING!
Haha!
Anyway, so back to that wonderful day. 15th December 2016. It was a lovely sunny day in Los Angeles, and I was having a blast.
Nightfall came, and we managed to squeeze to a spot quite near the castle to watch the castle light show and the fireworks. The lightshow was spectacular, unfortunately the fireworks display was cancelled due to the weather condition. Was I disappointed? Not really. I can do without fireworks, really. The lightshow was amazing and that was enough for me.
So I turned around immediately, ready to leave as I was quite eager to beat the huge crowd to the exit (my feet were sore despite me wearing the most comfortable pair of non-heeled boots). We were furthest away from the exit, nearest to the huge Disney Castle. There was a barrier with a 100-200 meter radius in between us and the Disney castle. The Disney crew stood around making sure things were in order. The crowd still hovered around, probably hoping that there would be a change of plans and there would be fireworks after all.
It was at that moment when Justin suddenly grabbed my hand and told me to step across the barrier to get across to the Disney castle. I was like, why? His reply was : to get more pictures with the Disney Castle before the crowd gets to go across too. Something about the crew allowing an exception for him? Naive me. I believed him without a single hesitation. More pictures with no crowds photobombing my shots? Heck, yeah!
We were let past across the barrier by a Disney crew member, and I started snapping away furiously with my camera. I didn't realise that I was alone then with Justin, Chris and Niwen no where to be found. It was only when I heard the crowd whistling and cheering did I realize that something was up.
The fireworks came back on??
Nope.
I turned around, and realized I was standing awkwardly alone in the middle of the courtyard in front of the Castle, holding my camera up in midair.
Where was Justin??
I glanced down.
And there he was at my feet.
Down on one bended knee.
Then only I knew - HE'S GOING TO ASK ME AN IMPORTANT QUESTION!
All those times I've been watching other people's proposals on social media.
It was actually happening to me!
And I was speechless.
Of course, I didn't burst into tears.
I don't really cry in public.
But boy I was completely caught off guard!
Justin said something that went "...Love....Marry....?"
Bear in mind, the crowd was making a HUGE amount of noise in the crowd, I could barely hear the poor guy.
Instead, I just smiled, nodded YES! (Really, would I even consider saying NO? I don't think so!)
Justin claims I made him wait for an agonizing 2 minutes before I said yes. It's not true. I did not wait a single second! It must've been his nerves, that's why it felt like ages.
We embraced in happiness (and relief, for him), then he pulled me back into the crowd, and the crowd gave "Aww" looks at us with random shouts of "CONGRATULATIONS!". I'm glad we gave them a show. I mean, what's a Disney trip without witnessing a Disney proposal, right? Haha!
It was only after the excitement died down, that I realized something.
"Love, where is the ring?"
...
.....
........
In all his nervousness, he forgot to slip the ring onto my finger after proposing. Technically, it doesn't matter, ring or no ring. But I found it rather cute that he's actually nervous! Justin NEVER EVER gets nervous before this. Ever. Not even for his final exams / important meetings. Plus, he said he planned a whole dramatic speech, but in the end only managed to string together a few words!! Awww!
It was a beautiful Disney ending. I could not have imagined any other proposal better than this. And I can't wait to share our story with our future kids and grandkids!
I love you so much, darling J. Thank you for all the effort you put into this, although I would've been perfectly happy with a casual "will you marry me" over spaghetti and meatballs. What means the world to me is the thoughtfulness of incorporating my love for Disney into this proposal (smart man, now whenever we go to Disney theme parks he gets to bask in all the glory of putting together a Disney proposal himself!) You are ever so romantic and sweet, and I love you dearly for all the little and big things you do to make me smile. You never ever stop trying, and that's something which I really love you for.
Thank you, sweetheart for that amazing night. I love you. Always have, always will.
Happily engaged!
