Once Upon a Time in NYC…I Got Engaged!

Ciao dears!,
I’ve missed writing and sharing pictures on here and talking to all of you. I’m trying to make more time for it again. I will, I promise. So, guess what?! If the title and above picture didn’t give you a clue…I’m engaged! Continue reading if you’d like to know how it happened in pretty and elaborate detail in words and many, many pictures after that (what else would you expect from me? Winking smile

).
   Once upon a time, my sweet boyfriend of almost 2 years, Dominick, told me we were going on a surprise weekend trip. He didn’t tell me where we were going, just that we’d be away for the weekend. I had a few guesses as to where we might be heading, but wasn’t exactly sure. So I packed a bag and couldn’t wait to see what he had planned. On early summer day in June (the 21st), he came to pick me up and still wouldn’t tell me where we were headed. When we got on a train and got tickets, then he told me we were going to one of my favorite places to visit: New York City! I was super excited! We had been talking about getting engaged, marriage, and a future together for a long time, even early in our relationship, just for fun. We had also been talking more seriously about it in the few months prior, saving for it, and had been ring shopping to show Dominick what I liked. So, I had a bit of a hunch that this was the weekend he would propose, or I hoped at least. I made sure to wear one of my favorite new dresses in case. It’s a pink 1950’s style taffeta tea length dress with a ruffled bust from Unique-Vintage.com.
   As we neared NYC, I was bursting with excitement. I wondered what we’d be doing or seeing and where exactly we’d go. First, we checked into our hotel and I freshened up a bit. Then, we headed to wander around 5th avenue (I’m pretty sure) for a while. I still had no idea what the plans for the night were. We had to find a shoe store because the flats I had been wearing were literally cutting into my heels as I walked. My sweetheart saved the day, of course, and found a store and got me a pair of pink flip flops, so I could walk comfortably. After solving that issue, Dominick announced we’d be going to Central Park. I was thrilled because I had been there once before and always wanted to return and explore a bit more. We walked hand in hand along the park, which is so insanely large!, for a while. The weather was beautiful, unusual of a summer day. It was breezy and cool, the perfect weather for a lovely stroll through Central Park. After a bit, we stopped to get a drink from a vendor, who also directed us to our apparent destination: Belvedere Castle! Did you know there’s a magical little gem of a castle in the middle of Central Park in New York City?! I didn’t until recently. I was really excited now… You all know (if you’ve read my blog before) that I’m obsessed with all things fairytale, princess, and castle related, so this was quite the adventure for me! As we continued our romantic walk, we cam upon a sweet little pond. Well it wasn’t that little, but it was rather pretty and peaceful. Cute ducklings and pretty birds wandered around it’s perimeter. I felt like Snow White meandering around the forest.
   As we walked around the pond, we finally saw the castle. Atop a hill, a smallish gray stone castle sat, staring at us, luring us up to see it from a closer viewpoint. It was rather beautiful, the whole scene. Dominick and I headed up the hill and marveled at the pretty scenery: the castle, the view of Central Park from above, as well as the rest of the city, and being with each other on this romantic trip. Dominick then took me over to a little alcove across from the castle, still atop the hill. He started this sweet, romantic speech about how much he loves me, wants to be together forever, and how I’m his princess. (Aw!) I won’t tell you all the details, I’ve gone on enough… As he was talking, he bent down and said something about needing to tie his shoe… (Sneaky man!) Then, he pulled out a small box, as he was on one knee, opened it to reveal the most gorgeous ring I’ll ever see, and asked me to marry him!! I think I freaked out a little, smiled ridiculously, and said yes immediately! It was the most perfect proposal I could’ve ever imagined! The ring is my most favorite piece of jewelry ever, because of what it symbolizes (obviously) and because of how magnificently gorgeous it is! It’s rose gold, vintage inspired, with a diamond surrounded by a square of rubies, along with a few pink sapphires along the sides! There’s also the tiniest, most elaborate and pretty details on the setting. Dominick also had it engraved with “Once upon a dream” on the inside…so sweet!   It’s a quote from my favorite Disney movie. It’s breathtaking and reminds me of something a princess would wear. For the first 20 minutes after that, my fingers wouldn’t stop shaking, and we stayed in that cute alcove, kissing and hugging and just generally being happy and in love. We didn’t want to tell everyone right away, though I sort of did, but we wanted to have a few hours to ourselves to celebrate and be excited first.
   If that wasn’t perfect enough, Dominick then took me for dinner at a classy Italian restaurant called Felidia’s, owned by my Italian old lady idol, Lidia Bastianich (a famous Italian chef/Cooking Show Host/Cook Book Author). It was a lovely place, very elegant. We had a romantic dinner and towards the end, I couldn’t wait any longer and started calling all my family members to share the wonderful news! They were all ecstatic and congratulated us. Everyone sort of knew it was coming soon, so no one was super surprised by it. Dominick also told me that he had asked my father for my hand in marriage earlier that day, which I thought was very traditional and sweet of him. My father also liked that. He’s old fashioned that way and really appreciated it. I have the most perfect fiancé ever! <3 I know I’ve written about him a lot on here before, but he’s such a sweetie! He’s handsome, sweet, intelligent, kind, funny, romantic, and perfect for me in every way…just to sum it up quickly. Anyway, after dinner, we went to Times Square to wander around a bit more, to keep the day from ending. Plus, what’s a trip to New York City without seeing Times Square. It’s always exciting and bright there. We wandered through the Disney Store, because we both adore all things Disney, as well as the M & M store until we were super tired.
   Lastly, to end my fairytale weekend, we woke up on Sunday morning and went to have breakfast at a little diner near our hotel. We then started our trip home so we could see all my smiling family members congratulate us in person. It was surreal, the whole trip as well as coming home to share the joyful news. I’ll never forget this beautiful time in my life. No one can ruin it for me or Dominick. We’re ridiculously happy and in love. We’ve started wedding planning (formally right when we came home, informally sooner). I’ll post more about that in a while. I hope you’re all doing well. Please comment below if you have anything to share. I’ll be back soon!
Pictures before we left: