The secret’s finally out… Zack and I are engaged!
It was tough keeping quiet about this, but I wanted to enjoy the moment privately before sharing it with the world. Now that everyone knows, I’m relieved I can ditch the long sleeves and stop editing out my ring from photos.
I’ve been getting two main questions: how did Zack propose, and how did we meet? I wanted to write about how we met for a while, so now seems like the perfect time to share both stories.
How We Met
Let’s rewind to six years ago. I was living with two of my best friends in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, a cozy beach town. There was this local dive bar called The Shanty nearby—think cheap drinks, cigarette smell, old jukebox, and the whole dive bar vibe.
One night, my roommates insisted we go out, even though I wasn’t in the mood. So, I joined them, and as I scoped the place, I noticed Zack across the room. One of my friends always seemed to spot the hottest guy first, so I jokingly called dibs and said, “I’m going to marry that guy.”
Seeing Zack wasn’t love at first sight for me, but he was definitely attractive with his skateboarder style and charming long hair—totally my type. Luckily, a mutual friend was sitting next to him, so I had an “in.” I chatted with my friend, hinting at Zack, and soon, Zack and I were deep in conversation. That night, he walked me home, and for the next few weeks, we were inseparable—hanging out at parks, playing chess, and more.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Zack had just come out of a long relationship, and meeting me was tough for his ex-girlfriend, which I completely understood. To give everyone some space, Zack and I decided to step back a bit.
A few months later, while visiting my grandpa, I got an email from Zack. Things had settled with his ex, and we picked up right where we left off. Two years later, we moved in together. Fast forward to now, after six wonderful years full of ups and downs, we’re finally engaged.
I’ve never been someone who dreamt about my wedding since I was a kid. I was more focused on finding the right person, and that’s Zack—my perfect match. We only started casually discussing marriage last year, and then on February 25th, everything fell into place.
The Proposal
A week before the proposal, we found a stray dog roaming the streets. I instantly loved this dog, and we took him to the vet, hoping to find the owner. The vet said he would need time at the Humane Society, and I couldn’t wait for him to come home with us. Zack was also distracted with jury duty at the time.
On February 25th, Zack left for jury duty as usual, and I called the shelter about the dog, now named Howard. They unexpectedly said he was ready to be picked up! I called Zack, but he couldn’t answer, so I called Arielle, my photographer friend, to cancel a shoot. She insisted we go anyway, as we couldn’t reschedule for weeks.
Zack called me during a jury duty break, and we agreed to meet later in the day to get Howard. Arielle picked me up, and we drove to an incredible rooftop location she wanted to shoot at. While we were there, I was busy scrolling Instagram and didn’t notice she was texting a lot.
As we took photos, Arielle led me to an area with a great view for a shot. Suddenly, the roof door opened, and Zack walked out. I knew then what was happening, but I was still in total shock. Zack got down on one knee and reminded me we were on the same rooftop where he had asked me to be his girlfriend six years ago.
As he stood up, I realized I hadn’t even said yes yet or looked at the ring—I just threw my arms around him in excitement. I noticed he had a new shirt, teasing him about my messy nails. Apparently, he had taken the day off from court and had been waiting in a coffee shop all morning!
It was truly the best proposal ever—intimate and meaningful. Having my photographer friend Arielle there to capture the moment was perfect, even if my nails weren’t done. We celebrated by picking up our new dog, Howard Idaho, making it the best day ever.
Thanks for reading and sharing in our joy. I can’t wait to take you all along on this wedding journey with me!