A Titanic Engagement

On January 8, 1998, while living in Gainesville, Rich and I finally made it to the movie theater to see the smash hit, Titanic. Not knowing then, but watching that touching story of love, life, and loss unfold before our eyes would change our lives forever, bringing us to where we are today...

Our spontaneous engagement, our upcoming wedding day and why Titanic symbolizes so much for us. :-)

As most of you know, the movie Titanic is a fictional love story based upon the reality of the ship's historic 1912 sinking. The R.M.S. Titanic left Southampton dock on its maiden voyage Wednesday, April 10, 1912 (coincidentally Kelly's birthday). With 2,223 people aboard, the "ship of dreams" was both the largest moving object ever built and the most luxurious liner of its era.

Proclaimed "unsinkable," Titanic struck an iceberg at 11:40pm on April 14, less than five days into its maiden voyage, in the icy waters of the North Atlantic. Less than two hours later, what was the Titanic and over 1,500 innocent lives lay forever silent at the bottom of the sea.

While the subject of marriage had often been talked about between us, we hadn't yet made any definite plans. While Rich was raring to go, Kelly was still feeling tentative for such a lifelong commitment, having lived through a very painful divorce b/w her Mom and Dad. But James Cameron's story about unrequited love between the main characters, Jack and Rose, struck a deep chord within both of us.

Because, during the course of the movie, I leaned over to Rich and whispered, "I think I'm ready." Not knowing he'd take me at my word then and there, at the close of the movie, Rich led me through the theater's side exit, where alone, on the back side of the theater and parking lot, Rich got down on one knee and asked me for my hand - completely unplanned, unexpected, and spontaneous.

After a dazed moment of fretting, "Oh my goodness, this is my engagement, this is really it, and we don't even have a ring, and it wasn't planned, oh my goodness...," I of course said "Yes!" while yanking him up off his knee lest someone see us... hehe :-D

We kept the news to ourselves for over a week, holding the revelation of being engaged just between us and literally pinching ourselves daily, reflecting on the fact that we were really engaged... And then, a week later, we decided it was time to make it official, when together, we went shopping for an engagement ring and found the perfect 1.05 carat marquise diamond. And that's when we shared our *wonderful* news!!

And, the rest...is history! :-)

Kelly