Apparently I wasn't the first person to come up with the idea of proposing in the Tuscan countryside...
Working with a location scout, we decided on a field in Montefollonico made famous by the movie Gladiator. However, on the morning of May 23rd heavy rain had turned this field into a mudpie. We needed a new solution...
5am Friday March 23rd: Crystal finally gets to sleep after finishing a late night conference call. She's cross at being dragged to Italy at the last minute for such a short trip; she thought it totally unnecessary. I had no hand to play, on the face of it, the trip was a bad idea. Then again, she had no idea what was coming... At 9am I awoke to a biblical rainstorm. Sideways rain. Forrest Gump rain. Its a race against time to find a new location. We are staying at the Villa Vignamaggio, a stunning Tuscan Historical Villa from the 14th century, surrounded by vineyards and olive groves and one of the most beautiful gardens I've ever seen. Legend has it this was the home of Mona Lisa in the early 15th century. The decision was easy! In the meantime, guests are flying in from NYC, London and Paris. The plan is coming together.
Crystal wakes at 1pm, and we head to Florence for a sandwich and a stroll.
The original plan: a champagne proposal from a tethered hot air ballloon overlooking Paris on Valentine's Day 2014...
The new plan: In April 2014, project Tuscany was secretly launched. The location, date and team were all in place. Memorial Day weekend was the chosen window.
To ensure surprise Crystal was told no plans were in place to go away for the weekend, right up until Tuesday May 20th when I "suddenly found free miles flights to Milan". We were to fly out the following evening...
Around 4pm, the clouds parted, and it was a perfect sunny Tuscan afternoon. We head back to the Villa around 5pm.
Serendipitously, Crystal wants to take a stroll in the garden when we arrive...
The view of the rolling Tuscan Hills is amazing. She asks to take a photo of me...Now its her turn.
Pretending to take a skywards photo, I drop on bended knee, take a pic, and then calmly (!) swap her iPhone with a diamond ring...The pictures tell the rest of the story!
After dancing a little jig...I told Crystal that some friends were at the nearby hamlet of Greve in Chianti at the beautiful il Ristoro di Lamole.
In true form, my new fiance looked stunning in her little black dress. We arrived at the restaurant just in time to enjoy a magical sunset.
As we walked up the stone steps to the restaurant, Crystal swore she saw someone who looked a lot like her mum...
Choosing the Location
Showtime.
The Big Moment.
And for our next surprise...
An extraordinary girl called for an extraordinary proposal...
Paris. The plan had always been Paris.
But as a wise man once said, you can never predict the whim of a beautiful woman. And so it was when, on the morning of February 12, 2014, I asked Crystal if she would like to have dinner that Friday night in Paris, and she steadfastly declined saying she was just too busy to get away. I needed a new plan and fast.