We’re engaged! Zack and I are so excited to finally share the news. It’s been hard keeping it a secret, but it was nice to have some private time to enjoy the moment before telling everyone. Now that it’s out, I’m so relieved! I’m done hiding the ring and deleting Instagram stories!
Lots of people have asked how Zack proposed and how we met. I was planning to tell the “how we met” story anyway, so here’s both!
Six years ago, I lived in Cardiff-by-the-Sea with two friends. We frequented this really dive-y bar, The Shanty. One night, my roommates dragged me there, even though I didn’t want to go. I spotted Zack across the bar and, impulsively, decided I was going to marry him! I don’t believe in love at first sight, but I thought he was incredibly attractive, and he seemed different from the other guys there. A mutual friend made the introduction.
We spent the whole night talking and he walked me home. We became inseparable, hanging out, playing chess, listening to records. Then things got complicated. Zack had recently ended a five-year relationship, and his ex wasn’t happy about us. It got messy, and we decided to take a break so Zack could deal with everything. I totally understood because I’d been in a similar situation myself.
A few months later, we reconnected, and things progressed smoothly from there. Two years later we moved in together and we’ve been together ever since. People have commented that six years is a long time to date before getting engaged, but it felt right for us. We’ve experienced so much together, both good and bad. I never dreamed of my wedding day as a child; I just wanted to find someone like Zack, and I did. Last year, we casually started talking about marriage.
Then, on February 25th, he proposed! The week before, we found a stray dog. I was completely focused on getting him to a shelter. Zack was on jury duty all week. The Monday after finding the dog, the shelter called to say the dog, Howard, was ready for adoption. I called Zack, but he didn’t answer, so I called Arielle, my photographer, to reschedule a photo shoot. Arielle insisted we still do some photos.
Zack called back, and we planned to pick up Howard at 4 pm. Arielle picked me up and suggested a rooftop location for some photos. It turned out to be the rooftop where Zack had asked me to be his girlfriend six years earlier, during our first “break.” I completely forgot! I kept saying it wasn’t that place.
Arielle was texting a lot that day, but I didn’t think anything of it. We took some photos, and then Zack walked out onto the rooftop! I was so shocked. He got down on one knee and reminded me of where we were. It was perfect. He even bought a new shirt for the occasion! I completely forgot to say yes right away! I just hugged and kissed him. It turns out, he’d taken the day off from jury duty to plan this!
It was the most perfect proposal ever. It was intimate and meaningful. He knew I’d be looking good for the photos, and having Arielle there was amazing. She captured the moment and was part of it all. My nails weren’t done, but that was a good distraction tactic! After calling family, we went straight to the shelter to get Howard. It was the best day ever. Thank you for reading, and thank you for all the well wishes. I can’t wait for this wedding journey!