How We Met
Andrew and I met while performing on Disney Cruise Line, and it really was what I believe to be love at first sight.
The moment I met him I thought “geez. I want to marry a guy like him”. We were only able to spend 9 days getting to know each other as friends as his cast was finishing their contract onboard while mine was just beginning. One of my best friends, Janelle, was in the same cast as Andrew, and they were very close friends as well.
After about day 3 I went to Janelle and told her how much I liked him, and she replied with “I just had this conversation with him about you”. I was absolutely giddy. That never happened to me, where the guy I REALLY want wants me back. Like, what?!
We continued to get to know each other and had a lot of fun for those 9 days with good friends. When it came time for his cast to leave the ship, we exchanged phone numbers and immediately started texting.
We talked everyday as much as we could; communication is not the easiest thing when you live in the middle of the ocean, but we made it work and looked forward to every text, e-mail, phone call and Skype session. Andrew came to visit me three times throughout my 6 months on the ship. We very quickly fell deeply in love. It really was straight out of a fairytale. When I finished my contract, I moved to Los Angeles to be with Andrew; and the rest is history!
how they asked
We have been living together for the last two years, and sadly the most time we get to spend together is when we are asleep! We both work 2 jobs 7 days a week; so we really have to plan our “date days” well in advance. We planned to take the day off together on October 9. I had some ideas on what we could do, but he insisted he wanted to plan it all himself! He has done surprise days in the past, so as much as I wanted to tell myself “this is it! He’s totally going to propose!”, I didn’t want to get my hopes up! The morning of 10/9/16, we laid on the couch and relaxed until he said it was time for the first surprise. He took me to a sensory deprivation tank (you basically float in an epsom salt bath for an hour and a half in the pitch dark, and it is SO relaxing and theraputic). We had been there before, and I absolutely love it. He gave me a kiss and told me “Ok see ya in 90 minutes!”. I floated and relaxed and then fell asleep.
I woke up about an hour later and made my way out of tank and back to the lobby. When I walked into the lobby he wasn’t there, but one of my best friends, Kassie, was there instead! She had the weirdest look on her face and I am sure I did too, as I was so confused! She told me to look as my phone and when I did I saw a text Andrew had sent me saying “I’m so so sorry I just got called into work; it’s an emergency and I am the only one who can help. I promise it won’t be all day, Kassie is coming to my rescue and going to take you to the next surprise and then meet me for the end of the night”. They thought I would be mad, but I really wasn’t. Andrew is a wedding DJ, so I completely understand when he needs to help with someone’s big day last minute. Plus, I will never pass up a girls spa day!
Kassie took me to the nail salon where we both got mad pedis. When it came time to pay, I asked Kassie if Andrew had given her money to pay for our nails. She said yes and that he had given her an envelope with cash inside. I replied with “That’s weird…he was looking for an envelope this morning…” She just laughed and tried to move the conversation onto something else. We left the nail salon and headed back to our apartment when I realized that when Andrew left me at the float tank he took the keys with him. I didn’t have key to get into my place to get ready for the last surprise! I called him, and he sounded super stressed and flustered. He told me he was just sad that he had to work last minute and wanted to spend the day with me. I believed it. Little did I know he was doing some of him best acting!
He was “so busy finishing his work” that he couldn’t drive to our place to let me in, so we drove down to get it. It was a super short exchange and he was even more stressed than how he seemed on the phone. At that point I really believed he was just overwhelmed with the last minute work. He and Kassie both really had me going! We went back to my house where I got ready for the night ahead. Kassie helped me choose a dress to wear and insisted I wear the dress I wore on our first date :) we drove to Andrew’s office where I thought she was dropping me off with him. We pulled up and I let her know to just park in the back and we could wait for him to come out. She insisted we park and walk into the front. I haven’t ever gone in through the front, so I just said “okay….” and went with it. Kassie wanted to come in with me to say hi to Andrew, so we both walked up to the office together.
As soon as I could see the door, I knew something was about to happen. I saw rose petals on the floor and there was a photo of us on the front door. I walked inside to see a path of rose petals in a candlelit office. There was a photographer who immediately started to snap photos of me. I was so surprised because WHAT ON EARTH could be happening at this office?! But all I could think about was where the rose petals would lead me. As I walked along the path, I looked at all the photos of us that were lining the walls. When the path ended, there was a door with an arrow made from pictures pointing down to the doorknob. I opened it and peeked inside to see Andrew’s friend, Aaron at a DJ booth.
I said “hi” (very awkwardly lol) and walked into the room. The lights turned dark and I saw Andrew standing in the corner of the room made from white draping strung with twinkling lights. He was in a suit and standing at a mic.
I immediately wanted to run over to hug him, but he quickly told me to stand on my X on the floor (so the photos would turn out perfect). The moment quickly turned into something incredible. A feeling I have NEVER felt in my life. I have always said I want to dance to Hunter Hayes’ “Wanted” at our wedding one day. On the wall behind Andrew, a projection came up of his best friend in New York (who I adore) playing the piano version of the song. I was already crying, but when I saw that, I.LOST.IT. I ugly cried. Just all of the feels.
Andrew started singing the song to me live, and David joined him on the projection. It was the most loved I have ever felt in my life. Half way through the song, Andrew asked me to move to another X on the floor, closer to him at the microphone. He told me how much he loved me, and that he always will. He then got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him!
The feeling I had was unlike any other. It was the most wonderful rush I have ever felt. I could not let him go, and just wanted to hug and kiss him endlessly. But he “had to finish singing!!” So I let him go and listened to my dream man sing the rest of my favorite song. After he finished, I just could NOT believe what had just happened. We hugged and kissed and laughed and cried.
There were so many people who put their time, effort, and talent into helping with the proposal I was completely overwhelmed with the love from everyone involved. We finished the evening with dinner at our favorite restaurant where they brought us dessert with candles lit to congratulate us. We talked all night about the future, the wedding, and how much we love each other.
Since that night, we have had an intense outpouring of love and warm wishes from friends and family all over the world. We are so loved, and SO lucky. I cannot wait to marry the man of my dreams, and share that with all of the people who mean the most to us. I cannot wait, for our happily ever after!
