In honour of my lovely friend's wedding week, a little story about my proposal..

So, I think you must know by know, we got married in Vegas - two years ago in September for any of you that are counting. It wasn't something we had planned for months or even ever thought about before. It was all a bit backwards. 

My lovely husband went on a business trip to Houston, Texas, and because he is a lovely husband he went in to De Beers. He bought me an incredibly pretty diamond pendant necklace and goodness me I was pleased when I got it. But, it was a little shorter than I would prefer so we agreed I could change it. Then I saw this ring. This rather beautiful, awfully perfect ring. 

And somehow or other we agreed it would be just right as an engagement ring. I can't even remember who suggested it. If it was me, and it quite possibly was, I would like to say that it wasn't in a pushy way. Actually.


So as it turns out, they don't have De Beers in Norway, so as I was in London the following week I went to buy it myself. Yep, for realz. I didn't tell the girl it would be an engagement ring, I really couldn't think of anything more desperate than going to buy an engagement ring on your own. Without an actual other half with you. Imagine all the pity. Very Miss Haversham.

A few days later I was back in Norway and handed the ring over to my then-boyfriend-not-yet-fiance. We talked about a wedding and whilst I love me a bit of attention I suddenly panicked a bit at the thought of getting married in front of actual people. Even actual people that I actually like. So we decided on Vegas. And from there it went super fast. We only did this a few weeks before we actually went so that we could get married on the anniversary of the day we met. Super cute and awfully efficient, only one date to remember.


Anyway, the point of all of this was the proposal. It was, of course, perfect. After the necklace, after the ring, after the Vegas deciding, my then-boyfriend-not-yet-fiance asked me to marry him when we were home, just the two of us. Then the kids came over later that day and it was all very lovely. 


Oh and spoiler alert, I did say yes...

Another American story for you in what turns out to be the longest post ever as I try to point out what to expect in Vegas despite the fact that it is probably only me that was even a little surprised.

Yeah, so despite all the research I normally do, I didn't bother with so much on Vegas, because you know, it's Vegas, it's kind of obvious. Really, what do you need to know?

No-one told me you have to queue to take a picture. 

Firstly, and in my defence, we obviously went there to get married and we were there for something like six days before that happened, so we had a little time, but we needed to get rings and a suit for my honey and our paperwork done, so there was a bit of a to do list, it wasn't just a drinking jolly. So when we went to the Coyote Ugly bar (yes, really, I liked that film, secretly quite a lot actually), I just wasn't feeling the urge to lean backwards against the bar and get 'free shots for the ladeez' and take my bra off. Shame on me. 

Pure class, that place.

So, Vegas, it is full of casinos. Yep, for reals. Not sure why that was anywhere near a shock, but it was a bit. I think it is the sheer volume and relentlessness of them all. 

All worth it with the Fonz.

I have no idea what happens if you spend longer than a few days there, the whole world is in one street, when you walk past New York City to a pyramid to Paris to Venice it is really rather disconcerting. Especially if you aren't expecting to see Camelot or a big old pirate ship on the way.

Pretty sure he's in it for the boobs.

It turns out that buying things wasn't so easy - we had to special order our wedding rings and have tailoring adjustments to the suit. They were all shocked that we wanted it done in the next couple of days, at one point it did seem like we wouldn't have wedding rings. Uh, hello wedding capital of the world?

Shiny new rings.

Brilliantly our wedding chapel was down the strip between a petrol station and motel with adult movies and short rent rooms. We tried to get the photographer to take some photos with the Adult Movie sign in the background but she was having none of it. It is just possible they might consider it bad publicity I suppose..

Not a porn motel in site.

I totally should have watched The Hangover before we went.

Another American post in which I tell you a little story about how me and my husband were a little silly...

We decided to get married in Las Vegas and planned it all in a couple of weeks so that we could get married on the anniversary of the date we met. I know, right? Couldn't be any cuter. Anyway, despite my usual obsession with endless holiday research, I didn't do so very much - enough to choose our hotel and get decent flights and that was about it.

We stayed here - the Trump hotel - and I loved it..

The whole hotel tower is shiny and gold. 

Turns out it isn't like Friends when you rock up drunk and just get married by mistake, or perhaps its easier if you are American, but we had to get some paperwork done and buy rings and a few things so it wasn't just hanging out there by the pool.

We decided to take a trip to the Grand Canyon while we were there, and started off small with a little drive to Red Rock Canyon..

That was our gigantic hire car.

Then we thought we would go to the Grand Canyon, I didn't fancy a helicopter trip where you hover over and fly back, I wanted to drive ourselves so that we could do what we wanted on the day. Plus we had an awesome big car.

Yeah, no. It's like a 7 hour drive each way. Suddenly not possible when you only have a few days left and need to get married on one of them. 

So really the moral of this story is for my husband to not take the piss so very much when I spend hours planning trips. It's probably better if I do.

Still, the trip was fabby and we did get our happy ever after.

In praise of America - five awesome things in no particular order...

1.   M*A*S*H - only the best TV programme ever.

(Image)

2.   Cheddar cheese Ruffles - just yum.

(Image)

3.      Big suburban houses - so many bathrooms.

4.   Big empty roads - so much space.

(Image)

5.    Las Vegas - so unbelievably extreme in so many ways.

(Image)

Sorry for being inadvertently snippy yesterday, America, hope this makes up for it.

Saturday snapshot: Wedding day death grip.

This was one of the shots the wedding photographer took, zooming in on the flowers and engagement ring.

Cute.

Yeah, about that.. It was a lovely wedding and just right for us. But did she not see the white knuckles? Look at that vein popping out on the back of my hand, I couldn't have held those roses any tighter. 

Am awfully glad they didn't have thorns.