Hi everyone!! Lisa Cannon here and I’m totally thrilled to be sharing with you my exciting journey, my plans, procrastinations and ideas of what a wedding means to me! Some of you may or may not know that I got engaged (hurrah! so I too will say ‘I do’) however, since the 27th of October last year I’ve done nowt but quaff champagne and chowing down on celebratory meals with happy pals rather than ANY planning – but there IS plenty of time right?!….. or is there?….
Well, rather than send myself or any of my family into a tailspin of colour charts and taffeta just yet, I’ve decided for my first blog to reflect on how it ALL started – One Happy Day in Paris – The Engagement! But before I delve into the details there is one little snippet of info that should be added into the prologue…
For years, I’ve always loved hearing those amazing romantic stories of how people proposed. I’ve indeed blubbed watching old soppy movies about love while sprawled out in my fluffy pyjamas on the couch- I am a true ‘Bridget Jones’ old skool romantic at heart so for that reason alone, I could have been doomed for failure or indeed ALOT of disappointment. However, in saying that apart from a few bad eggs (and believe me there were real rotters) along the way, men-wise I’ve done relatively ok. I’ve had my fair share of heartache and heartbreak but ultimately I feel ‘what’s for you won’t pass you by’ and since I’m talking in clichés here and not to obviously quote Rihanna or anything but…. ‘I found love in a hopeless place’… the classic Saturday Night Cheesy Nightclub!
Yes, for my track record meeting Richard my now fiancé three years ago across the dry ice in a local suburban nightclub into the squinty wee hours of Sunday, wasn’t exactly something from a Hollywood Movie but it’s romantic for me because I found my Prince Charming – Awwww (no kidding though, he actually WAS in 1986 when he was 3 years of age in his local village pageant!) That minor detail aside, it was bloody brilliant. Within weeks it was obvious we couldn’t spend time apart and within months I knew I had found someone that was going to change my life forever. As the great John Lennon once sang ‘Life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans’…. and it’s so true. It took me a lifetime to find a man who was as hopelessly romantic as myself and he was worth the wait! Nothing though could have prepared me for the precision and heartfelt emotion that went into my engagement – he really surprised me and it has been one of the most cherished experiences of my life.
We were heading to Paris for a night as part of a week-long trip en route to Provence (I love my wines so the idea of drinking vintage red al fresco in an Autumn leaved October would be perfect).. I was right! As some of you may have read already, Richard had booked us as a special treat into Le Bristol Hotel in Paris and immediately on arrival got upgraded (bonus!!) I thought this was an unbelievable start to the holiday, nothing else and suspected nothing. T’was only when I passed U2s Adam Clayton in the lobby and was casually told by the bellboy that WE were in one of the Penthouses and he wasn’t, I began to think – Whaaat???!! (Although it’s not unusual for Richard to surprise me in fact he does it a lot). That fabulous detail aside, the ‘room’ was incredible, so stunning and had in fact a view of the Eiffel Tower from the Terrace – Picture Perfect.
And so it began… we spent the day hand in hand in the open top bus, taking in all the glorious sights and sounds of the Parisian air. It was a crisp, sunny day in the city and playing on the airwaves in my head was ‘Perfect Day’ by Lou Reed. I had lived in Paris many many moons ago but always felt I’d left my heart here. My mother was a French teacher for 35 years and since she loved to take me here and I had so many wonderful memories from this gloriously beautiful city – it seemed so right now when I think of it that he would pick Paris to propose. However, after a lovely day of sightseeing, putting the padlock on the ‘lovers lock’, strolling, giggling, eating ice cream, coffees, people watching, taking pictures, snooping around the trendy Marais district and general giddiness, by 4pm I was thinking we were going to call it a day and head back to Le Bristol to get suited and booted for dinner… but Richard had other plans. He threw a bombshell in saying that he wanted to visit Le Palais Royal Gardens and that they closed at 5pm – he was pretty insistent that we saw them that day and I was on the brink of boredom at the thought! I could only see the cosy fire in the hotel, a glass of vino by the bar and in no way did the thoughts of a ‘garden’ royal or otherwise appeal to me! OOOh how badly things could have turned out had I fought him on this one. Phew… so luckily I went with it and in we went. Now, this bit I don’t remember so well as a kind of funny fuzzy feeling came over me, I felt like I was floating on air when we went into the Palais and Richard brought me over to a fountain in the middle. The gardens by the way are simply stunning full of the most beautiful flowers and plants you’ve ever seen, it’s truly magical. It was there that I saw a busker who was sitting cross-legged by the fountain casually strumming his acoustic guitar and humming a tune in French so we stopped to listen. After a few bars, he stopped and looked up at me and started to break into a soft lilted first line of Snowpatrols ‘Just say Yes’… I was gobsmacked and then it dawned on me that IT was happening. My toes began to tingle and I could feel Richard smiling at me as the musician (who was disguised as a busker – great touch Rich!!) was serenading me to a song with probably the best chorus in the entire planet to be proposed to!
‘Just say Yes!’… And So I did! Now, I don’t want to say any more as the moment was so special and I’d rather keep and cherish our words for ourselves but you get the idea, it was pretty heartfelt. Richard sang to me too and of course got down on one knee, I blubbed the best Bridget Jones tears of joy I ever had and this time there was no fluffy pyjamas or cheesy one liners, it was both tremendous and overwhelming. I’d say my face was priceless, a true Kodak moment because not only was I so stunned by how he did it, I was also aware that he was holding my mother’s vintage engagement ring before me too – how thoughtful. He had brought it over on the flight and had hid it in his suitcase. My beloved mother Laura had passed away 5 years earlier and Richard wanted her to be a part of this very special moment. Little did I know that he had also gone (unbelievable – madman) and designed a ring for me which was in production in New York! I’m a lucky girl!! Needless to say the happy tears were flowing! Richard is the truest of true gentlemen and asked for my Dad’s permission in Ireland first a few days earlier which I have to say meant a lot to me. I know that hugs were exchanged, so was some champagne drinking and a few laughs and although both of them secretly knew when I was skipping around the Louvre that day in Paris that I would come back a fiancée, I hadn’t a clue!
After I wiped away some tears and turned puce at the rather large crowd who had gathered applauding and cheering in French, Richard told me my ‘carriage awaits’ and whisked me down to the bottom of the garden where a black limo was waiting, door open with a driver in a cap and cape. I just couldn’t believe there was more… he had totally outdone himself. We opened some champagne and toasted to the happy occasion! Even when we got back to the hotel the staff clapped and cheered as I came into the lobby – they were ALL in on it (the cheeky sods!!!) They had helped Richard organise the proposal through French (cause he had not one word) and had a special surprise for me in the suite, I was stunned. It was dimly lit covered in red roses and petals and a stunning cake was laid out inscribed with ‘felicitations’ (Congratulations) with two forks and two champagne flutes! Needless to say we got stuck into more champers and the cake too and eventually phoned our family and friends. It was truly a magical, thoughtful, romantic affair, one I’ll cherish forever. Merci Beaucoup!
Lucky Girl!!
Written by Lisa Cannon x
