Do you have something you'd like to say?

I will try and drag myself away from the piles of Bride and Wedding magazines for a couple of minutes to try and finish off the mammoth job of describing what will now officially be called The Week Where I Learned How To Literally Float On Air.

I think I left off around the time we started to get ready for dinner in Paris on Valentines Day. I had a few suggestions of where to go for dinner (thanks Karina!) but Conrad seemed to have a different plan. He looked up the best 20 restaurants in Paris and decided on one of them - the Restaurant De Palais Royale. In order to get to it, we needed to get off at the Louvre Metro and walk our way through the gates of Palais De Royale and through the peaceful, dim-lit arches surrounding the gardens. The atmosphere was so old-worldy and electric around the gardens - It felt like we had arrived onto another century.

The day was just turning into evening as we arrived - the sky creeping into a deep metallic blue colour. Conrad had decided beforehand that we should doll ourselves up and make it an eventful night. He explained it as an excuse for him to wear his suit and buy a brand-spanking new tie and for me to wear my favourite baby-doll dress and boots that I can never find an occasion for. We haven't ever celebrated Valentines Day the whole of our relationship, so he said this would be the Valentines Day we made up for all the rest of them.

I was swept with an overwhelming nervousness as we entered the granduous walkway to the restaurant. Conrad was acting suspiciously quiet and smug, making me feel slightly on edge and full of confused anticipation. This was truly the most elegant, romantic restaurant I had ever been to in my life. I felt so adult, so confident, so blissfully worthy of such an amazing venue for Valentines Day.

.

The waiters were probably the most friendly that I have ever had - the table had a card addressed to us saying 'happy valentines' in French and a small silver-plated heart that we could take home as a keep-sake. The dinner was absolutely outstanding - Traditional French food with a modern kick.

I don't think we talked much throughout dinner. Conrad still had that wistful look in his eyes with a strange sparkle showing up every now and then. Whilst eating our deserts and ordering cappuccino's, his face gradually got paler and more ghost-like. When the table next to us left, he got a conspiratal face and sort of stood up and made his way over to my side of the table.

I started giggling.

He sat next to me and we just looked at each other. I just wouldn't stop giggling. I don't think either of us remember much of what was said those first couple of seconds. I think he said 'do you know why I've come over here' and I think I giggled a little bit more.

He brought out a little box.

He said something along the lines of 'let's do this properly'

Getting down on one knee next to the table, he opened up the ring box so I could peek at it's sparkliness "Rachel LastName, would you would marry me?'

Now this is where I would like to have paused, played it cool pause.. contemplate.. leave him wondering why on earth I hadn't said yes yet.. soak in the moment..maybe cry a little bit..

What really happened was I grabbed the ring out of the box, shoved it on my fourth finger and exclaimed a loud 'Yes' a little more adamently then was particularly necessary.

It was absolutely perfect. If anyone asked me what the perfect way to propose to me would be, it would have been this. The ring that he had chosen was exact to my taste like I had chosen it myself.

I'm sure anybody who knows me outside of blog-world understands how much this meant to me. Conrad and I have always had a different view of marriage - I have always wanted to get married early and bumble through life trying to figure it out the hard way. He is more English in the way that he wanted to be 1 million per cent sure and to be old enough, mature enough, confident enough to be sure that this really will be it; that when he puts that ring on my finger I will be wearing it until we are 110 years old and can be an heirloom for our grandchildren.

Little did I know that when he did decide on marrying me, that he would be the best fiance ever, be the best wedding-planner ever, be the best counter-part to me ever. That he would do his utmost best to make up for all of my waiting and wondering.

I truly do have the best fiance in the world.

So after our 3-course meal and proposal we made hushed but excited phone calls to our parents, each time trying not to cry or choke on our chocolate truffles. We wandered down various avenues to the most Parisian brasserie we could find, ordered champagne and sorting through plans that had been kept inside our heads for months - writing guest lists on napkins and making plans for musicians that would never dream of doing somebody's wedding.

Well I think that's enough for one post... And I didn't even fit in the Eiffel Tour and Notre Dame! I shall have to post again soon..

**Apologies for quality of photographs - the old camera phone isn't so great at night**