How We Met
Before I go into the proposal, like every good story, I feel that we should start at the beginning.
I am 32 years old and have spent most of my life (Age:13-present) in a series of long relationships. Each relationship served its purpose. Some were great, while others showed me just how strong I could be. None of these made me feel head over heels, out of the park in love. For a hopeless romantic, that can be a scary thing. I started to wonder, does the love I strive for, the kind of love you grow old with even exist anymore in my generation? My last relationship had broken me down and I didn’t know if I even had anymore to give.
After a series of some bad first dates, I thought it was hopeless. A girlfriend of mine (Casey) and I were at the pool. She encouraged (ok maybe pushed lol) me to put up a profile on Match.com. I had tried the online dating thing before (hence the series of bad first dates) and it just wasn’t for me. After a little convincing, I was up and running. 2 days in, I received a message from Danny. He seemed nice and definitely worth having a conversation with. After our very first conversation, I knew he was special. One conversation led to hours of texting over the next few weeks. Both of us could not believe what we had found in each other. Especially since his last relationship had left him hurt as well.
The day had come, we needed to finally meet to see if the chemistry was real or if we were just falling in love with the person our minds thought we had met behind our phone screens. We decided to meet on a Thursday, (April 16 2015) at Starbucks. I remember that day like it was yesterday. I still can feel the butterflies in my stomach when I think about it. In a previous conversation, I had mentioned to Danny that my favorite drink from Starbucks was an iced Caramel Macchiato. The time had come. It was 5:30pm and time to meet the amazing guy I had been chatting with non stop for 2 weeks. I walked through the door and there he was. Just as handsome as I pictured and sitting at a little private table with our drinks already waiting. From the moment I walked in (stomach full of butterflies), we both knew what we had found in each other was rare. We were both so nervous we could not stop smiling. (I think we spent the first 10 minutes in an awkward smile) Our date was Amazing and we became inseparable!
how they asked
Fast Forward now a year-The Proposal (April 16, 2016) Danny knows most of my friends but one he has not had the chance to meet was Taryn. Two weeks prior to the proposal, Danny mention a big work meeting with his boss in Miami. This meeting was extremely important for the company and even though it was our 1 year anniversary weekend, there was nothing he could do and he needed to be there. A week later, Taryn had text me asking if I could go with her to a party at The Boca Resort for her co-worker. Her boyfriend could not attend, she did not want to go alone and she had already committed to going. Plus she mentioned we would only have to be there for an hour or so. Knowing Danny had the meeting the same night anyways, I agreed. That night while getting ready for Taryn to pick me up, I started thinking about ways I could surprise Danny for our 1 year Anniversary the next day. I was reflecting on our relationship and how happy he made me. I couldn’t believe I had gotten so lucky.
Taryn picked me up and we headed over to the resort. Once we got there we met Nick from guest services (who secretly had been working with Danny to ensure our perfect night). Taryn explained that we needed to meet her coworker up in her suite and we would all head to the party together. On the way to the suite, I sent a text to Danny telling him I missed him and how beautiful the hotel was and I wished he was there. When we arrived to the suite, it was dark and there was a projector on. I walked in and asked Taryn what was going on. Taryn quickly told me to push play on the computer and watch the video projecting off of the giant screen. At this point I was still confused. I then blurted out “wait, are you getting engaged?” She laughed and said “no, are you?” At that moment the video started and Photograph by Ed Sheeran played in the background. Across the video were the most beautiful pictures and words. I instantly started to cry. At the end of the video, it asked me to come downstairs because there was a question he was dying to ask me.
We headed back down to meet Nick at guest services so he could escort us to our next destination. (Still walking this whole resort in high heels and feeing quite wobbly from nerves). We finally got to this beautiful private garden with these large magnificent wooden doors. Nick and Taryn said goodbye and I headed through the doors not sure of what to expect on the other side. Behind the doors was not only the most breathtaking view, but the most gorgeous man dressed in a suit. As I walked to where he was standing, a large speaker started to play Ed Sheeran’s photograph again. In that moment I had realized two things. 1. I had never been so in love and 2. He was without a doubt my person! As we walked up to each other, he started crying. He told me how much he loved me and just how much I meant to him. Before I could even comprehend what was happening, Danny was down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. Without even looking at the ring, I cried and said YES!!! (We must have hugged and kissed a hundred times.) Danny placed the ring on my finger and I looked down at it for the first time. Not only was it the most beautiful ring I had ever seen, but I knew just what that ring signified. It expressed his love and devotion to me. It symbolized all of the hard work it took him to be able to buy it. But most of all, it meant I was his person too.
We then had dinner at a beautiful restaurant in the resort overlooking the entire lit up city. The night could not have been anymore perfect. I felt just like Cinderella. We spent the next day enjoying the resort and it’s amenities. It was the perfect ending to a perfect engagement. It is now four days later and I am more in love than ever with this man and completely surrounded by the love and support of our family and friends. I look forward to every moment I get with Danny and to all of the exciting planning leading up to becoming Mrs. Gutierrez.
