How We Met
Juan and I knew of each other during high school as we went to schools close to each other and had each other on social media. It wasn’t until years later during university that we started talking online and hit it off straight away finding out that we had so much in common. We unknowingly were born 2 days apart in the same hospital, lived down the road from one another and even worked in the same shopping center.
After talking online for some time we finally met after he passed he private pilot’s license (he’s a pilot). Our first date was at Mt Coot-tha where we stood talking for hours getting to know each other in person. When we finally got back into the car, we ended up sitting in there for just as long talking and continuing to get to know each other.
Juan became my best friend first before eventually… only like 10 months later, he finally decided to ask me to be his girlfriend officially on Valentine’s Day, 2017.
We’ve been inseparable since!
How They Asked
Juan planned the most incredible and well thought out proposal I’ve ever seen. His mum had told us she would be giving us our Christmas present but it would be a surprise. She didn’t give us any hints except that it was pretty early in the morning on a Sunday. I immediately had an idea that it had to be a hot air balloon flight because what else is super early. Anyway, both Juan and I told each other that we thought we knew what it was but didn’t want to ruin the surprise so neither of us told each other what we thought it was… little did I know he was the one who organized it all.
a few days before the day, his mum told me that the dress code was white which completely threw me off and I had no idea anymore what it could be. Finally, the morning of, we had to get up at 2.30 am to be at the meeting point by 3.30 am. It was a struggle but I was so excited to find out what it was. When we got there it was what I had originally thought but everything after that was a crazy surprise. What I didn’t realize was that he and his mum had organized with the hot air balloon company that this was about to happen.
We were ushered into one section of the basket and after take off while we were facing the sunrise, the pilot offered to take a photo of us. After a ‘regular’ photo, Juan told me to turn around so we could get a candid picture facing out to the sunrise. A couple of seconds later and he wasn’t beside me, he tapped me on the arm so I turned around and found him on one knee holding the most perfect engagement ring that he got made to look exactly like ones I had been looking at in the past. It was such a surreal moment all I could respond with was, ‘wait, what?’. He then asked, “Ivana Renae Torres, will you marry me?” And without hesitation, I replied, “OF COURSE!”. After that, I don’t remember anything so I’m glad we have a video to watch. All the other people on the balloon were clapping for us which just made it so much more surreal.
The surprises didn’t end there, when we landed I turned around to our family and closest friends there, all wearing white. I couldn’t believe it! I lost it right there. He planned the most perfect proposal and I couldn’t be happier.
I can’t wait to marry my best friend!