How We Met
Travis and I met in January, 2011 at work in St. Louis. We quickly became friends and started dating a couple of months later. I got an offer to move out to San Francisco with our company in 2012, and moved in December of that year. Travis and I did long distance until he moved to San Francisco in the fall of 2013. We moved in together six months later, and Travis proposed on February 20, 2016, almost exactly five years after we started dating.
how they asked
I woke up on the morning of February 20 looking forward to the helicopter ride over San Francisco that we had planned for the day. Everyone has since asked me how I knew I was going in a helicopter but was not the least bit suspicious that we might be getting engaged, which is completely understandable. Misleading me, though, was part of Travis’ elaborate plan.
In December, we got a text from our good friends, Matt and Amanda, letting us know that they won a helicopter ride for four from Matt’s holiday party, and asked if we could get it on the calendar for a Saturday in February. Of course I was not the least bit suspicious, and instead very excited, and after a bit of back and forth, we settled on Saturday, February 20.
Travis and I met Matt and Amanda at The Fairmont hotel for a pre-flight mimosa. All of our attention happened to be on Matt, who was very nervous for the flight. The shuttle driver arrived at the hotel and we were on our way to SFO for takeoff. The four of us boarded the helicopter and after takeoff, I began taking photos of the beautiful city below while Travis was filming everything on his GoPro. When we got near the Golden Gate Bridge, our pilot Steve asked if we wanted to fly under the bridge. We all responded with a resounding yes, and as we came under the bridge, Steve told us that we would be flying along the shoreline for better views of the city.
As we flew towards Chrissy Field, Travis, Matt, and Amanda pointed my attention down to the field towards a crowd of people who were standing below. Once we got closer, I realized that the group was holding a huge red sign with white lettering. We got close enough to read the sign, which is when the surprise and shock set in as I read, “Marge, Marry Me!” I turned back to Travis who was holding the ring and asked me to marry him. I quickly said yes and then I asked who was holding the sign below us. Travis told me that it was a group of all of our friends, who had been in on the suriprise the whole time. I was speechless.
We flew back to the airport for landing and I called my parents and close friends to share the good news while we waited for a car to pick us up and bring us back to the city. We then went to meet everyone at a restaurant in the city, where friends, champagne, and cupcakes were waiting for us. The surprise continued when I saw that three of my best friends and two of Travis’ best friends had flown into town to be part of our special day. Needless to say, it was a day filled with so much love, surprise, and excitement and is one that neither of us will ever forget.
