"Look, Ma! Our very own Eiffel Tower hat!"
Our Story
The Beginning:
Amy and Mark met at Dylan's, a Welsh pub in San Francisco in March of 2004. Dylan's, which has since been transformed into the Homestead, held a weekly Open Mic Night for musicians wanting to show off their chops and share a pint. Though both Amy and Mark have performed at Dylan's in the past, they met on a night when they were participating only as audience members. Amy went to support her friend Angela who planned to perform. Mark happened to recognize Angela, as the two had gone to school at the Berklee College of Music in Boston around the same time. Mark and Amy began chatting across the table, and soon made a plan to play guitar together.
A week or so later, Amy hauled her bass guitar and amplifier across the city to Mark's house. However, there was no music to be had that day. Instead, they spent hours talking up a storm. After a few more get-togethers, the two were sold on one another and have been dating ever since.
The Proposal:
Amy has lived in Paris twice and has a very strong love for all things French. She had been wanting to take Mark back to her old stomping grounds, but all attempts to make a travel plan fell through the cracks. In May of 2007, Mark surprised Amy by asking her if she wanted to take a last-minute trip to Paris. This time, the plan worked. The two packed their bags and headed to Paris in early June for a 1-week getaway.
With Tori Amos at the "Meet and Greet" in Paris.
Mark's timing couldn't have been better because singer Tori Amos, Amy's all-time favorite performer, was going to be performing in Paris the night after the two arrived in town. The morning of the concert and their first full-day in Paris, Amy took Mark on a walk across the city, showing him her old apartment and many other notable sights. Amy planned to have the two of them attend Tori's "Meet and Greet" before the concert - her ritual chat with fans prior to every show. Though Amy has met Tori before, Mark had never had the opportunity. Plus, unbeknownst to Amy, Mark had a secret agenda with Tori.
Amid the crowd of fans, Amy and Mark waited their turn to talk to Tori Amos. However, due to the number of people doing the same, Tori's time was limited, and Mark did not get do tell her about a song he hoped to request. The song, called "Bouncing Off Clouds" was one that Mark had been listening to a lot at the time, and it reminded him of Amy. He hoped to request the song so that he could propose to Amy.
Left without a plan, Mark felt disheartened as the two took their seats and waited for the show to begin. As the lights dimmed and the band took the stage, Mark's ears perked up. The very first song of the concert was "Bouncing Off Clouds"! In the limited space, Mark not too gracefully slithered off his folding chair and onto one knee. He proposed to Amy, and of course, she said, "YES!"
Speaking of "Bouncing Off Clouds", Mark entered a Tori Amos video contest, which took about 60 hours to complete. He edited the multi-camera footage, removed the green screen background, and placed Tori in an animated environment. Here's his submission: