A True Cinderella Story

I do not have a wedding story to share, but any good wedding story must start with a great engagement story. Here is a true story about my proposal to my wife Valentina at Cinderella's Castle at Walt Disney World. Truly a Cinderella Story! I wanted to share the story of my engagement to Valentina, my fiancée, at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World on a Saturday night. It was truly a Cinderella Story. Valentina and I have been dating for almost two years now. Not too long ago we discussed that we would like to be married, but I did not officially propose to her as of yet. We both decided to look for a place to be married, even though we were not officially engaged because we heard that the place where we wanted to be married was almost completely booked for Saturday nights. We ended up booking a really nice place called Florentine Gardens in Rivervale, NJ for November. We both want to have a Disney Wedding since we are both major Disney fans. After booking the place, we have been shopping around picking up Disney wedding items here and there (i.e. cake topper, cake knife, etc.) Well, the biggest part was missing now: The formal proposal! I know things have been done backwards, but we really didn't have a choice. So, I decided that the place that we would be engaged would be Disney World. The good news was that she did not know this. So, my story begins. . . I told Valentina that the company I work for, who we will call for this story "my company", asked me to go to Disney World for a conference on a Monday and that I could bring a spouse or significant other on the trip. I said that it was a weekend trip to Disney World and that we would fly down on a Friday night, so that we could get a full day in on Saturday to visit the Magic Kingdom. She was ecstatic about going with my on this trip. I had my whole office in on the plan. Keep in mind that I had planned this event for well over two months prior to going. Every time a fellow employee saw her they would lead her to believe that this was a company function. I also told her that my company was having a roped-off event at the Rose Garden in the Magic Kingdom next to Cinderella Castle on that Saturday night for all of the employees who were attending this "make-believe" conference. I said that this event was exclusively for our employees and that it had something to do with viewing fireworks. I also told her we would supposed to have a semi-formal dinner on the following night with the employees as well. She bought all of it. My plan was in full effect. I had contacted Disney's Special Events Department prior to this HUGE lie, if you will, and coordinated everything through them! They had asked me where, when, and how I would like to coordinate this unforgettable evening. They gave me options and I chose the Rose Garden next to Cinderella's Castle, a garden that has received numerous awards for it's beauty and was claimed one of the most romantic spots in the Magic Kingdom. I knew immediately that this would be the best place for us to be engaged! Disney has always been a sort of magical place for us and to propose in the Rose Garden in front of Cinderella's Castle seemed to be almost like a fairy tale. Then they started suggesting items that I could include for my magical event! I chose a whole bunch of items that I will save until the end of the story to tell you. This way you will be just as surprised as she was! My wish was to make Valentina feel as though she was Cinderella for a night! Everything seemed to be going my way, until the Tuesday before we left I received a call from Disney telling me that the fireworks were canceled due to the Florida fires and that they did not know when they would be back on! They also said that the event would go on no matter what, rain, shine, fireworks or no fireworks. I was really upset at this point! I felt as though my plan had gone sour and I there was nothing I could do about it. I offered it up to the families who were victims of the fires and said a few prayers for them. I did not want to be selfish and I knew I would make the best of it! Val heard the news as well that the fireworks were canceled. She was slightly upset, but she obviously did not know that the fireworks were a major part of our secretive engagement! For the next couple of days all I could do was check the weather in hope of rain. I was told by Disney that if they received enough rain, the state would allow the fireworks to be shown again. Then the GOOD news came on that Thursday! I received another call from Disney saying that the fireworks were back on and that the plan was back in full effect! I was extremely happy. Florida and itís families got their rain and Disney was able to show their fireworks!! Friday came and we were off. We ended up checking into our hotel on Saturday, the Wilderness Lodge, a mammoth hotel done in an American Indian style with rushing creeks and waterfalls, a geyser that spurts out steaming water every hour, and a feeling of the prairie from long ago, simply a very cozy/romantic place. An envelope was waiting for us at the front desk. It had my name, plus guest, on the front with my company's name on it as well. This was the "icing on the cake"! I told Valentina to open the envelope and it basically read that Disney would like to request my company's presence for a presentation of Fantasy in the Sky Fireworks at the Magic Kingdom tonight at 9:55 in the Rose Garden. It said to meet at the Rose Garden and to bring the invitation with us. Again, she believed the request. The plan was going along smoothly. By the way, I had the ring hidden in a "Zippo" cigar lighter. I took out the inside of the lighter and wrapped the ring in tissue and put it back inside of it. I was a bit nervous to lose it, especially at the airport when they were checking for metal objects. I took it out of my pocket and dropped it into the small basket along with my keys. Luckily, Valentina didn't even notice anything suspicious. We were not able to check into our rooms until the afternoon. So, I requested a safety deposit box to store my money and a couple of other things, like a cigar lighter!! Then we were off to a character breakfast with Winnie the Pooh and friends at the Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom! The whole day went awesome. We even stopped at the Rose Garden for some pictures and to make sure that this was the place for my company's event for tonight, wink, wink. I checked out the area thinking to myself that this would be the place that I have pictured in mind for so long, now not knowing exactly what it would look like and it turned out to be just how I pictured and even prettier! Finally the night came and I told Valentina that we were going to have dinner at, where else, but Cinderella's Castle. The restaurant is called Cinderella's Royal Table, perfect for our event! The bad part was that it was raining very hard before we left and I was nervous that the event would be ruined. Dinner was scheduled for 8:00 PM. Then the miracles started happening!! When we left our hotel the rain just stopped, it was truly a miracle! We arrived at the castle on time to see this majestic castle changing in color every few minutes to blue, white, purple and pink! The Cinderella Story was about to begin! As we entered the castle for dinner I was surprised to see that Cinderella's Fairy Godmother was there to greet people. She was extremely friendly and Valentina had a huge smile on her face to see here. Valentina had watched the cartoon for the first time a few months before we left for this trip. I purposely asked her to watch the cartoon with me, to kind of set the mood. She already new of the whole story and read the book, but the cartoon quickly became one of her favorites!! We took pictures with the Fairy Godmother and then Cinderella appeared. Again, I was totally surprised! Valentina asked me to take a picture with Cinderella, since I took a picture of her and Cinderella's/Valentina's Fairy Godmother!! Which she quickly became! I told Valentina that I did not need to take a picture with Cinderella, because she was my Cinderella tonight, meaning Valentina! She smiled and told me that she loved me! She looked as though she had a glow that night, maybe it was me, but she really looked beautiful!! We ended up taking one picture, that came out awesome of all of us. Then we went up stairs to have dinner. Dinner was great and everything was very romantic. Again, it started to pour (rain) and I became worried. I told Valentina to make a wish to her Fairy Godmother to make it stop raining and jokingly she did. It was only 20 minutes away from the big event. I told Valentina that I was going outside to check on the weather and that I would meet her downstairs while she went to the Ladies room. I went outside and to my surprise the rain had stopped, the wish came true!!! Not a drop of rain, when only minutes before it was pouring. It was another miracle! I went back in side excited to tell the Fairy Godmother. I told her that we were going to propose outside of the castle in a few minutes and that she brought us good luck. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a hand full of fairy dust, which she asked me to sprinkle on Valentina, but it was too late, Valentina started to come down a long spiral staircase smiling along the way looking right at us. The Fairy Godmother quickly sprinkled the fairy dust in Valentina's hair and then hugged her saying "you have a nice man here, good luck my child, I wish you all the best"! Valentina was left speechless and I laughed to myself, because she didn't know what the heck was going on! We left the castle and headed for the Rose Garden. We arrived at the roped off area at exactly 9:55, as I was told to do, and I gave the Disney Cast members my invitation, my name and my company's name. He said that they were expecting us and that we were early for the company event. I smiled as we walked down the path heading to the Swan Boat Dock. Valentina walked first, me second and Darren, the Disney Cast member, last. He handed me something, as planned, without Valentina seeing it. All I could do was recite my lines that I had planned for weeks in my head. This was it the final moment and I was happy, but a bit nervous!! When we got to the bottom of the path, you could see a perfect view of the castle, the smell of roses everywhere and there it was, everything that I had requested sitting there under a beautiful Victorian style, green, iron canopy of twinkling lights covering the Swan Boat dock over the moat that went around the castle. There was a Victorian love seat (couch), a table draped with a white lace table cloth, an assortment of chocolate truffles on a silver platter, a champagne bucket with sparkling apple cider (no liquor can be served in the parks), two Waterford crystal toasting flutes with Mickey and Minnie in wedding attire engraved on each one and a huge bouquet of a dozen red roses. We talked briefly, playing it off as though people were to show up for this event, but I kind of thought that Valentina realized by now, after seeing this incredible display, that this was the night! Before she could gather the reality of it all. The lights in the park dimmed and the music started and then Darren said "Well, I guess I leave you two alone!". Then the story of Tinkerbell started " There once was a fairy named Tinkerbell. . ." I sat Valentina down on the Victorian Love seat and picked up the roses and placed those in her hands. She started to cry as I began to kneel on one knee. Just then Tinkerbell (a real person with white lights on her, attached to a cable) flew from the top of the castle right over us, and I said look Val it's Tinkerbell. She just kept smiling and crying at the same time. I reached into my pocket and took out what Darren, the Disney Cast member, had given to me before , a glass slipper with our names engraved on one side and "Engaged on July 11th" on the other side and in the slipper a round diamond ring in a platinum setting, sparkling in the twinkling lights!!!! I was on one knee now, as the words I recited in my head for so long, that I tried to memorize over and over again, came out of my mouth with ease! I looked at her and said "Valentina, I have searched long and hard for the person that would fit the ring that lies within this glass slipper and I was unable to find anyone that would be a perfect match for it. Until now, I found you, a true princess. Valentina, I have chosen Cinderellas's castle because it signifies a stronghold of our love, trust, loyalty, happiness, friendship, and romance. I have chosen this Rose Garden, because it signifies our love blossoming each day into something more beautiful than the next. I have chosen Disney, because it brings a smile to peoples faces when they are here as it does when we are here and I want these smiles to last a lifetime with us. And finally Valentina I have chosen you, to share all of my dreams with, to build a family with, have children with, and to spend the rest of my days with! So, I ask you my princess, will you make me the happiest man ever? Will you marry me?" She replied "NO." Just kidding! She said "YES"! And I placed the ring gently on her finger, which was a perfect fit! Then we hugged and kissed as the Fireworks exploded in all different colors over our heads! We toasted the occasion with the toasting flutes and sat and ate the chocolate truffles drinking the sparkling apple cider watching the fireworks. I told her that the whole company thing was not real, that I had made it up, and she just laughed at me and said that she really believed everything until just now, she still thought that I was on a company trip! I then said "there is more"!! I have something else planned! I took the roses from her and placed them on the table. I took her by the hand behind the love seat and lead her to the middle of the Swan Boat dock. I told her to wait in the middle of the dock as I walked over to push play on a CD player that was already waiting to play 3 of our favorite songs, one of which is James Ingram's "So This Is Love" from Cinderella, so that we could dance to them! We started to dance and again she laughed and cried at the same time. A crowd of people finally realized what was going on, as the fireworks had ended, and they started to clap and cheer from a distance! We stayed a bit longer and we told Darren we were ready to leave. He asked us if we would like to see the Spectro Magic Parade that was about to begin, this is Valentinaís favorite thing at the Magic Kingdom, we said sure and then he told us that he had VIP seats to view the parade waiting for us! I had no idea about this one! We quickly grabbed all of stuff as Valentina picked up her huge bouquet of roses and we walked over to the VIP seats, which were roped off. We watched the parade for the rest of the evening! We were so close that we could have reached out and touched the floats as they pasted us. Everyone that saw us wished us congratulations! The following night we had a very romantic dinner at Victoria and Albert's at the Grand Floridian. This was truly a Cinderella story!

 

 

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