Someday there will be a wedding... (part 2)

(Joining us in the middle of the story? Check out part 1 here.)

I was ready to be engaged. So ready. So ready I was fantasizing about it constantly. Thinking about exactly how I wanted it to happen. On the alert for signs she might be getting ready to propose. Yes, dear readers, I had reverted to twelve-year-old fantasy land, complete with strewn rose petals, candlelit dinners and sunset walks on the beach. Nevermind that the ocean is thousands of miles away and the cat would probably think rose petals were good to eat if found anywhere in the apartment.

I had created such a fantasy in my head, but she had other things on her mind and, I soon realized, was not going to propose to me anytime soon.

It was time to take matters into my own hands.

I would propose to her.

After weeks of secret scheming, I asked her to marry me with a picnic down by the lake. Neither of us could stop grinning. I didn't get down on one knee. But I did give her a rose and a lovely handmade ring.

- - -

So now you're engaged, you say, let's get this party started and plan the wedding. Great, except we're moving from Wisconsin to the Bay Area this summer. Which is where we want to have the wedding. And it's really hard to pick a venue from halfway across the country. And we can't settle on a date without having a venue. And we don't really know what our budget is. Which leaves this planning-obsessed girl with little to do but look at pretty wedding porn and try not to annoy her partner too much with what-ifs.