How We Met
Daniele and I met in 2012 at The University of North Georgia where we both attended college. We were introduced to one another by mutual friends and then hung out in Athens a few weeks later. Unfortunately, our paths in life went in different directions. We bumped into one another after that but did not speak for years. In 2017, we reconnected with one another after a mutual friend passed away, who was there that evening in Athens which sparked both of our memories about each other. I finally had the courage to reach out to Daniele after creeping through her Instagram on Cinco de Mayo and liking a picture of her and her dog from years ago. At the time, I was not even sure I would get a response and assumed that Daniele was in a relationship.
Luckily for me, she responded and we began chatting and reminiscing about our days in college and what we were up to currently. Daniele’s birthday was coming up and after texting for a few days she invited me to her 26th birthday in Atlanta, which worked out perfectly because I was already going with a group of friends. I remembered how excited I was to see her and even told my friends back then that I hoped it worked out. Daniele checked every box and was my dream girl from day one. She is beautiful, smart, funny and the list goes on. Everyone had an awesome time on her birthday weekend and I told her that I’d really like to take her out on a date. We met the following Tuesday for sushi and had a wonderful evening, which leads to spending the weekend with one another hiking, drinking milkshakes and finishing it off with a date in Atlanta. Daniele and I talked for a few weeks and I finally asked her to be my girlfriend to which she said yes. The past 2 years have been filled with so many amazing adventures, with fun and laughter every day.
How They Asked
After months of planning and talking to family and friends, the day finally came where I was going to propose to Daniele. I knew I wanted to marry Daniele for a while, but I was determined to surprise her. Nothing gets past Daniele, it’s so difficult to surprise her because she figures things out before they happen! Her parents and my parents knew, and only a handful of her friends were aware that the proposal was coming up soon. My plan was to surprise her. She models for the Rustic Rack Boutique in Winder, GA. I spoke to the owner, Veronica, who is a great friend of ours and she was on board straight away ready to help. We planned a photo shoot at Fort Yargo State Park, which is a special place to Daniele and me as we spend a lot of leisure time kayaking and walking the dogs there. Daniele was going to take pictures as usual but I would come up behind her to surprise her.
Nicole, Daniele’s life long friend, is a photographer, so she was also on board to help plan the surprise proposal and catch it on camera! The three of us met the day before to organize exactly how it was going to play out. Friday, June 14th finally arrived and I played it off like a normal day to Daniele, but she texted me while I was waiting at the park saying “something’s fishy.” She even called me asking where I was! I had to cover it up somehow. I had no choice but to lie to keep the surprise. Unknowing at the time, when she arrived at the park, she began looking for my car.
Because I didn’t drive it there, she thought nothing of it and let the thought go. They began taking pictures and Veronica texted me letting me know it was my time to walk up behind her. As she was on the bridge over the lake, I quietly walked up. Daniele turned around when I was a few feet away from her and the nerves immediately hit me. I was so excited and Daniele knew what was coming by saying “I knew it!” I told Daniele I loved her, then dropped to one knee and asked her to marry me. Daniele made my dreams come true and said “yes!”
Her parents and dog, Dooney, arrived shortly after to wish their congratulations. We ended the evening by eating a wonderful dinner at Fleming’s, which was very appropriate because will soon be Mr. & Mrs. Fleming!
