[...read about the set-up]
The Arrival
After flying via helicopter 40 minutes from Baltimore, M had no idea where we were about to land. We flew over the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay, and the helicopter finally landed at the rear of a gorgeous resort called the
Inn at Perry Cabin in St. Michael’s, Maryland.
Side Note: The Inn at Perry Cabin was featured in the movie Wedding Crashers starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson. You may recall the Secretary of the Treasury (played by Christopher Walken) hosting a wedding reception for his daughter at a place on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where Owen Wilson uses his magical powers to deduce the content of each wedding gift. Or perhaps you remember the scene where Vince Vaughn heads to a private beach with Isla Fischer (!). This is the place.As the helicopter made its approach, the hotel Concierge and a couple of bellboys were standing at attention, as if we were some kind of VIP (our pilot had called ahead to let them know we were about to land). Upon arrival we were greeted by our very flamboyant Concierge, then offered some complimentary Hors d’Oeuvres and a drink outside…
The ProposalThe Concierge escorted us to a gazebo surrounded by several tiki torches on the front lawn of the hotel overlooking the Severn River. Inside the gazebo was a decorated love seat, a table with two silver domes, a single red rose, an ice bucket with an Australian Moscato wine from the Barossa Valley called “Brilliant Disguise”, and, of course, an inconspicuous box of tissues on the gazebo floor (the Concierge insisted on having a box of tissues nearby for the bride to be; it was blowing back and forth in the hurricane-force winds!). Given that the weather was chilly now that the sun had set, the Concierge decided to wrap M up in a blanket, which was very cute to say the least. After the Concierge opened the wine he disappeared into the surrounding darkness and we opened up dome number 1, which was a fruit and cheese spread. After a couple of bites, I reached for dome number 2, where the engagement ring was waiting.
Not one for much formality, I slipped down from the loveseat on one knee and asked M to marry me. Thankfully, she said yes!!
We sat around for a few more minutes to take in the moment while laughing at the Concierge who kept appearing from the darkness to relight our tiki torches which kept blowing out by the strong wind. After retiring to a private room in the inn lobby to enjoy our wine, I shared some of the planning details behind the evening events, including the visit to the M’s parent’s house a few days earlier on April 1st (yes, April Fools Day) to ask for their eldest daughter’s hand in marriage…but that’s another story.
The Dinner
We had a lovely dinner at the hotel restaurant - some of the best lamb shanks I’ve ever had and M selected the salmon - also outstanding. After dinner we were presented with an awesome chocolate cake I had especially selected for the occasion. On top was a love heart with the writing “Moo & Aussie.” In case you don’t know, those were our nicknames when we first met :)
The RoomAfter dinner we were escorted by the Concierge to our room which was decorated throughout with tea lights, rose petals on the bed, flowers, and for a personal touch, several framed pictures of M and I over the years. If you look closely at the picture below you will see some of the photo frames on the mantel piece above the fireplace. I had selected photos of us doing our thing in Tahiti, Sydney, Brisbane, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Florida, and
Malua Bay (we spend our Southern Hemisphere summers here at my parent's beach house in Australia).
The WeekendThe weekend was spent leisurely exploring the town of St. Michaels. A cute little town with lots of places to eat and shop. Given that it was early spring, the crowds had not quite hit the town which made the weekend so much more pleasant. The places we would recommend should you ever visit St. Michaels include:
- St. Michaels winery is a cute little winery with a limited selection of wine at reasonable prices. For $5 you can get a flight of 4 wines based on the same style e.g. dry, sweet, etc. We ended up buying a few bottles of the Gollywobbler white and red which are more like dessert wine.
- Eastern Shore Brewing is an even smaller micro brewery located on the main street. Again, I opted for the flight and wasn’t overly impressed. The hefeweizen is ok, but the others were too hoppy for my taste.
- Blue Crab Coffee is a little coffee shop serving espresso and small eats. Good place to get a quick coffee fix in the morning.
- Ava’s Pizzeria & Wine Bar is a relatively new pizza place in St. Michaels, and supposedly a local favorite. We liked the pizzas. Apparently they have the biggest selection of beer in the area, so worth a visit!
- Bistro St. Michaels was a great place to have a formal dinner outside the hotel restaurant. French cuisine with great food and service. Save room for the dessert!
- Sherwood’s Landing is the main restaurant at the Inn at Perry Cabin. We ate here twice and the food was first class. It’s probably the best restaurant in town in terms of the view, especially if you can get a table by the window. It’s also the priciest but when in Rome…
While tasting some of the wines at the
St. Michaels winery, we told our story to one of the employees, whom, with much excitement, retold the story of
Michael Jackson flying into the Inn at Perry Cabin last year, in the same style we did. I don’t know if this is a good thing or bad thing, but we found it amusing!! The rest of the weekend – when we weren’t eating or drinking - was spent walking around the town, relaxing on the big white rocking chairs overlooking the river, and watching a couple of movies back in our suite. And yes, we watched the movie Wedding Crashers – at least just the scene which featured the hotel.
The Return
On our final day we asked M’s parents to join us for the afternoon to celebrate the occasion over dinner. We took the opportunity to show them the resort and take a few more family pictures to hang on the walls. Here’s a picture of the four of us in the gazebo where I proposed.
And here’s a picture of Marty and I striking a pose reminiscent of a Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson scene in the movie Wedding Crashers (see the resemblance?).
After a quick stroll through the town of St. Michaels we came back to the resort for dinner at Sherwood’s Landing. With the aid of several servings of whipped cream, Marty helped us finish our cake before we hit the road back home to Washington DC.
Overall, a great weekend with the love of my life!
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