How we met: We met on 6th Street Downtown in Austin. We were both out on a Wednesday night (21 years old at the time). My friend and I saw Christina walking down 6th Street and couldn’t help but notice such a stunning young lady strutting down the sidewalk. We then headed to our usual Wednesday night cheap drink spot on 6th. When we got to the door, we saw that same girl waiting in line to get in. So we walked up behind her and I asked if she was in line to get in to the bar (I knew she was in line but that was my “in”). We started talking and ended up hanging out the rest of the night. Numbers were exchanged and we began hanging out on a regular basis over the next few months as friends. Eventually the night happened where the sparks flew, a kiss happened, and since then (6 years ago) we’ve been inseparable.
how they asked: The proposal night went perfectly thanks to a lot of planning. Prior to our trip to Playa Del Carmen, I spent hours researching romantic dinner spots and the best way to go about doing it. I picked out and bought the ring about 6 months before our trip, so I had plenty of pressure to make it happen. Thanks to Trip Advisor, I came across Pavo Real at Maroma Bay. It looked like the perfect elegant proposal spot. And their romantic beach side dinner package seemed too perfect. I contacted the restaurant and after a few back and forth emails, I had the reservation and proposal lined up. The staff at Pavo Real was extremely helpful and discreet about the whole event from planning to execution. The next step was to find a photographer to capture the event. I did some research online and came across Melissa Mercado. After looking through her online portfolio, it was an easy decision. I contacted Melissa and set up the date. She was even nice enough to help me with the floral arrangement for the dinner setup.
The night of the proposal was Christina’s birthday, so I had a convenient cover story for the fancy dinner excursion. We left from our hotel and made the 20 minute drive out to Pavo Real where we were greeted at the front gate by a van and driver. He then drove us back through the dense forest for about 10 minutes until it opened up to a beautiful beach side restaurant setup. We got out and were greeted by Melissa, the photographer. Christina was beyond surprised to see that I had hired a photographer, which I told her was her birthday present since we didn’t have any professional pictures together. She bought it. We walked around the resort and down the most beautiful beach we’ve ever seen with Melissa taking pictures as we went. As the sun began to set, we sat down to dinner at the table the restaurant had set up on the sand. The setup was perfect, a dinner table on an elegant rug placed on the sand, surrounded by candles with the flowers Melissa had delivered placed everywhere.
The waiter then brought out the “first platter” which was actually the ring on display. Christina removed the lid to find the ring and a floral display. I got down on one knee in the sand and proposed, she cried, nodded yes, and that was it! Done! Finally, I could relax and take a deep breath. We then proceeded to eat the most amazing dinner we had while on our trip to Playa Del Carmen. Even if not planning a proposal or anniversary dinner, Pavo Real is definitely the best restaurant we visited on our trip.
Photos by: Melissa Mercado Photography