How we met: Luke and I met during college. Luke was the head of the campus tour guide program that offered prospective students and their parents tours around the university. During our sophomore year, he decided he wanted to hire some new tour guides for the next year. Coincidentally, I had always wanted to be a tour guide. Luke, truly by fate, was the one to interview me. As the interview began, I was instantly smitten and I immediately noticed how easily our conversation flowed. Luke, although less forthcoming, now admits he commented to others that the interview went “awesome”. From that day on, we became good friends (needless to say, I was hired as a tour guide!). During our senior year, we began dating (some would say it was a long time coming), and the rest, is history!
how they asked: Saturday night was going to be a date night for me and Amanda. We had planned to grab a drink at the J Parker, a rooftop bar with unobstructed views of Lake Michigan, Lincoln Park, and the Chicago skyline. It is a spot we visited previously and loved. The J Parker is located a short walk from Lincoln Park, where a food festival was planned for that Saturday as well.
Knowing I could get Amanda to the general area surrounding the J Parker without suspicion, I had to find a way to get her into the nearby park to a spot where I could pop the question. Luckily my colleague Jordan’s wife is a host of a locally televised program about Chicago area foods which would be the base for my back story.
Earlier that day, Amanda believed I was working on a project in conjunction with Jordan and that I would need to deliver to Jordan my portion of the work in person later that night. Conveniently, Amanda and I would be getting a drink at the J Parker, and he and his wife would be at the Food Festival nearby “shooting for her show.” I would be able to meet him in Lincoln Park, give him the work, and be on our way to date night.
Amanda and I made our way down to Lincoln Park in the early evening, walking around the South Pond to find a spot where we could wait for Jordan to come out of the festival and meet us.
To carry “my work” with us, I was using a bag I had not utilized since moving to my new apartment. In the bag was the binder of “work” but also a photo album Amanda had made for me as a gift almost a year ago and that I had packed in that bag to move. Amanda had left the last page blank which presented a perfect opportunity for me. I changed the last page to read “September 7th, 2013” as a header, space for a photo, and “He popped the question…” as a footer.
After having taken a seat on a bench near the pond, I dug into the bag to retrieve the binder of work for Jordan but instead pulled out the photo album remarking to Amanda, “I can’t believe this is in here! I must not have unpacked it.”
We began flipping through the album and laughing and reminiscing, getting closer to the last page. Finally we reached what Amanda had thought was the last page and I stated, “I think there’s more …” turning to the page I had made, and then she gasped.
I turned from the bench, got on one knee and asked her to marry me. Through choked back tears she exclaimed “Yes!”
After revealing that Sarah was in the bushes, photographing this special moment, we then headed to J Parker to finally get drinks to celebrate this special night.
One final surprise awaited Amanda as we got to the rooftop bar – waiting for us were both of our parents, who made the trip into the city to celebrate with us.
We partied the night away taking in plenty of “Congratulations!” and feeling truly blessed.
Photos by Sarah Postma Photography