|
Jeremy and Kimia Engagement Story with a day FULL of surprises
|
 View Previous Story
|
 View Next Story
|
||||
|
* Please click on the picture to enlarge
You cannot vote for this story anymore, as this story participated in constest that ended on August 31, 2011  |
My name is Jeremy Washburn. I met Kimia Besharatpour three years ago and we have been each others' backpacking/traveling partners ever since. Our fifth date was a fifteen hour road trip to New Orleans and my first exposure to the romance of the city of Jazz. We have since made small trips to go rock climbing in Alabama, volcano surfing in Nicaragua, hot air ballooning in Turkey, sightseeing in Paris, and even several smaller trips in our own local area to enjoy camping or fishing. She is the reason I have my passport and the reason I have experienced the world in any way which may be described as memorable.
When we had been dating for about a year and had just returned from our nine day trip to Nicaragua and our volcano surfing adventures, I realized that if the two of us can travel lightly and without argument through the third-world and a the challenges of navigating in different languages we could accomplish anything together. I began thinking of Kimia as my future wife from that moment on. About nine months later in the summer of 2010 we were presented with the opportunity to fly to Turkey in what would become my first trans-Atlantic flight and my first trip to two other continents! Some members of Kimia's family on her father's side live in Iran. Due to travel restrictions and the oppressive government, they are unable to visit us in the United States without fear of being stuck here or receiving retaliatory threats from the police in their country. We were able to meet them in Antalya, Turkey for a grand family reunion! In all, over twenty five people were able to get together from different sides of the world to visit and catch up on lost times. I had planned on proposing while we crossed part of the country in a hot air balloon but I had not been able to save enough money for my ring just yet. With my intimate familiarity now established with her family in both the United States and in Iran, my resolve to buy her ring in the next few months was redoubled. By the time October of the same year rolled around, I had saved up four month's salary and was ready to quell my excitement with the purchase. Little did I know that my excitement would only grow from there. I had drawn designs and searched for months prior to this time in an effort to find the perfect ring. No picture on a web page, nor any drawing I could render would convince me that I was looking at THE ring until the day of October 12, 2010 when I walked into Bay Hill Jewelers in Orlando, FL. That is when Robyn showed me the Simon G design which would be my gift to the woman I will love forever. As I held it in my hand a thousand ideas began to swirl in my mind and every one of them ended with Kimia saying "yes" as we kissed and hugged, and held each other knowing that we will soon be married. I didn't wait another day. Robyn helped me find the right diamond and we ordered the ring to be made to Kimia's size. The only thing for me now was to plan an engagement that she will remember forever and one with a story that she will never tire of telling. Robyn told me that I had about four weeks until the ring would be ready and I began immediately. I searched the internet, scoured my memory, invaded the ideas of my colleagues and friends, and read magazines to find an idea that would suit us perfectly. I could not find my inspiration in another person's story in the end. I then began thinking of places that Kimia had told me she wanted to visit as well as places we had never been. About three weeks went by and I had no clue as to where I would be able to "pop the question" and give us the story that we deserve as a couple. I have an umbilical connection to the beach and it seems that no matter where we go, we make the effort to visit the ocean at hand. My first view of the Pacific Ocean was at Poneloya in Nicaragua. My first view of the Mediterranean was at a small beach in Antalya, Turkey and these are some of my most treasured memories with Kimia. These thoughts led me to remember that we had never been to a lighthouse together. Here I was with the light and love of my life, and a beautiful engagement ring to give to her and I began my search for a lighthouse which would suit my proposal. After quite a bit of searching, I found what I was looking for at Amelia Island in north Florida. There is a wonderful replica lighthouse there called Katie's Light. It is located right on the Atlantic Ocean and is a board for board replica of an old 19th century lighthouse in Nantucket. I booked the lighthouse and I waited for the call from Robyn. On November 7th I got that call to tell me that Kimia's ring was in! I was elated and I drove as fast as I could to go and pick it up. I hadn't expected the ring for another week or two, so I had booked the lighthouse too far out for my impatient imagination to handle. It took every bit of mental strength that I had not to shout it from the rooftops and I must have "confided" in about forty different people what I had planned for the event even though my greatest worry in the world was that Kimia would find out about my plans and ruin the greatest surprise I had ever concocted for another person in my life. The day of my reservation was fast approaching so I began to show my fatigue from work more than usual and I asked Kimia if she wanted to get away for a day or two at the beach. We had not done this kind of getaway in a few months and she was relieved at the suggestion. We were now looking forward to a few days of sand and surf and only one of us knew that this would be a huge event, but I was not even close to finished in my planning for a perfect event. I had the stage set, but there were some things missing yet. With one week to go until our little vacation, I began shopping for an evening gown for Kimia to wear for dinner as well as a few more diamonds to sparkle her up for the occasion. Kimia was told only to pack for a beach trip. She did not bring fancy shoes, jewelry or clothing and her full understanding of the trip was that flip flops and tank tops would be our evening-wear at a local fish joint. My big day finally arrived and I was not nervous at all. I had everything planned and I was ready to execute. We arrived at the beach early in the day to unpack our things and go for a walk in the downtown Fernandina Beach historical district. This is where my plan went slightly awry. The lighthouse, on top of which I had planned to propose, did not have access to the top! I searched each of the four rooms in the building and none even had a window access for such a climb. My plan was immediately altered to meet the requirements of our situation. I would do it on the beach now. After we chose a place for lunch, I remembered the ring that was in my pocket. I stole away to the restroom to ensure that the box still worked. Now is the time for me to mention that the box is a Euricase. This is a ring box with a 2 inch LCD screen inside it which will play your movie or pictures as well as a song or some music when it is opened. Here is the link to the video which I put inside the box: I ensured that the box still worked which was not in the least bit necessary, but my nerves were getting the best of me by this time. I wished for nothing else to go against my plans. As the day went on, I grew more nervous. I knew she would say yes, but my nervousness came from my lack of confidence in myself to do it "just right." Eventually we made our way out to the surf just before sunset. I kept a close eye on my clock. The sun was scheduled to set that evening at 5:23 pm. I would not miss my chance, so I ensured that we went for a walk along the beach to scour the sand for sharks' teeth. At 5:15, I planted a small tripod with a pocket sized video camera on it into the sand as Kimia was searching for sharks' teeth. I then walked over toward her and overheard her voice telling me that she had "to find the perfect one for me." This was my chance! She had given me the opportunity of a lifetime and I accepted it. I responded by dropping down to my right knee and pulling the little box from my pocket as I said "I have already found it." Kimia looked up from the sand where she had indeed found a shark's tooth a little bit earlier (I have attached a picture) and she glanced momentarily at the ring, then her eyes ran to mine. Tears appeared almost immediately and she sat there for a moment. While she is fluent in English and speaks without an accent, I said "Ba man ezdevaj meekoni?" and I received no response. I had decided to ask her in Farsi (her first language) to show my dedication toward her. When she gave no response save the tears and a smile, I asked again in English all the while knowing that I had the whole thing being filmed for her to view later. She then leaned in and began kissing me. Between her tears and her smiling gasps for air, I finally got her answer....YES! After a few minutes of kissing and being in the moment, I brought her attention back to the ring and the box which I had spent so much time in planning and piecing together. The video which took me many days to compile was as big a source of excitement for me as the ring was and I wanted to share this with her. This is the exact moment when the battery died in the ring case. In my excitement earlier at lunch, I had drained the battery of it's life and deprived my new fiancee of her video! She continued to shower me with kisses as I promised to show her the video later when we could charge the box and I told her that I was not finished for the day yet. After walking back toward the lighthouse, I asked her if she was hungry at all or if she would be soon. She of course said that she was and she asked where we would go to celebrate. This is when I told her that I had lied to her about he casual affair which we had planned for dinner and that it would be MUCH nicer than "a fish joint." At this she was worried and began to panic that she had nothing to wear and was not prepared for such a meal. My response was calm and direct. I said "go to the upstairs closet and look inside." She had of course looked in all of the rooms and closets as we explored our lighthouse earlier in the day and she responded that there was nothing in it. Of course, I knew that I had gone in behind her and hung up a gown for the occasion. She went upstairs and opened the bag with her new gown in it and the tears began again. She now had a new diamond on her hand and a new gown to wear. When we had showered and gotten our clothes on for dinner, I came out of the other room to show her my new suit which I had purchased for the occasion and I had another gift in my hand. I told her that she was beautiful just the way she is and that I would not change a thing, but there was just something missing. She had not yet put on her makeup and that is a good thing because when she opened her gift with diamond earrings and a diamond necklace in it, she began crying again. I provided her with shoes, jewelry, proper undergarments, and her makeup and toiletry bag which she had not packed and she was now properly ready for a night out on the town with her new fiancee. It was my goal to make a day FULL of surprises, not just a single question and answer period with a single ring to offer. It turns out I had succeeded. We do not have a lot of money but we make do with what we have. I saved for a long time to give her these things and in return she has given me a best friend, a soul mate, a travel companion, a person to play games with, a future mother to my children, and the best thing to ever happen to me. She will be my wife this year. We will have a small wedding and we have yet to plan a honeymoon. The timing and pricing are not quite right but the two people involved are absolutely perfect. I have attached pictures of the shark's tooth that she found which I had mounted on a silver necklace for her Christmas present this year as well as pictures of the proposal and the two of us at dinner. |
||||
|
View Previous Story
|
View Next Story
|
|
BEST for BRIDE = Best Dresses, Best Quality, Best Service and Best Prices!
|
|
At Best for Bride Bridal boutique, we are proud to offer our Lowest Price Guarantee.
We will beat any price you find in authorized retail store in Canada by 10% of the difference. Just bring in or email us the lower advertised price or the price quoted along with the store name. Price match applies only to purchases made within 14 days excluding alterations, clearance products and cleaning. Price match requests can not be combined with any other special offers. Lowest price comparison is based on the actual cost of the merchandise before taxes and shipping. Best for Bride does not match online or U.S. prices. All price matches are subject to management approval. Management reserves all right to remove or modify the lowest price guarantee at any time. Buyers beware! If you find a website selling designer gowns at very cheap prices compared to the regular price, you are buying a knock off. |
Best for Bride Boutique offers professional in-house seamstress services for Wedding Dresses, Evening Dresses, Prom dresses, Mother of the Bride dresses and almost any kind of women's formalwear. Click here for more details.
Bridal Excellence Awards
Limited Time Only!
