We, too, have been waiting with bated breath to find out and, with a deafening silence emanating from the original enquirer, were beginning to fear the worst. However, throwing all caution, tact, and diplomacy to the wind, we sent the would-be groom an email demanding to know the outcome. Here's what he wrote back:
"She said YES!
"I went with the old reliable and went down on one knee on the gondola ride at the Venetian. The staff was great in helping with the planning. They made sure we had one of the better singers, though they all sounded good to me. It's fantastic that they have a staff photographer there; our picture came out great, though it wasn't of the proposal itself.
"I proposed when we came out into the large open area and the people watching caught on immediately as to what was happening. I had the ring in a small silk bag. Tip: It's important for the gondolier to know what's going on, so that he won't freak out when you undo your seatbelt. I slipped off the belt, went to one knee, fished out the ring, and asked, 'Anne, I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?'
"Our gondolier announced to the crowd at large that, 'She said YES,' which brought a great cheer and lots of snapshots.
"I left messages at several hotels for the marketing departments to see about renting the marquee, but never got a call back. I thought about a helicopter ride as a fallback, but it was so windy that most of the choppers were grounded. My betrothed is still giddy over the Venetian proposal, so in the end it was probably the best choice. The staff there say they get at least one proposal a day.
"We bought our marriage license while we were in town, so that will be one less thing to do when we return to tie the knot -- it's good for a year. We spent Friday buying the license and cruising the chapels. We'll be back next Christmas with family and friends for nuptials.
"The toughest part of this highly secret operation was keeping her off of LVA on Christmas Eve, so she wouldn't see the QOD. She likes LVA as much as I do. We're both counting on the 2008 POV to help defray some of our wedding expenses!
"Thanks again for all of your help! Happy New Year."
You're welcome. And congratulations. Don't forget to pick up a copy of Neon Nuptials before the big day -- it's not subtitled The Complete Guide to Las Vegas Weddings for nothing and will tell you all you need to know about the hows and the wheres.
One last thing before we sign off, namely some other ideas and stories that readers sent in when the original QoD ran on 12/24, which we thought were worth sharing.
