We are super excited to share this amazing proposal at Sandals Barbados. If you didn’t know, Sandals has an entire Engagement Concierge to help proposals like this turn out perfectly! Enjoy this sweet one and be sure to watch the entire video – it’s awesome!
How we met (her story)
Vincent and I met three years ago and I thank God every day for that day! I’ve always been the kind of girl who believed in fate, love at first sight, and happily ever-after’s but right before I met Vincent, I have to admit that I almost started to give up on finally finding the one. At the time I lived in Alabama and was working 50 hours a week at a bakery and never really had time to go out and meet new people. I was never really the type of person to try blind dates or online dating but a co-worker of mine had mentioned this online dating site and I decided to give it a try out of sheer boredom and curiosity. I was on the site for a few months and just as I was getting ready to delete my account and give up, I received a message saying, “You look interesting.”
At first, I wasn’t going to respond because at that point I was pretty much over the whole dating thing….but out of curiosity, I did. My response to him was, “Is that supposed to be a compliment?”
And from that point our journey began, we talked everyday after that first message for 3-4 hours every night. At the time Vincent lived in Atlanta but he was planning to move to Alabama for a job opportunity. We talked for two weeks via phone and then he drove to Huntsville for our first date. We always joked and said we hoped we wouldn’t get “catfished” because neither of us had ever tried a dating site before. In my mind, I still had my guard up and I thought it was too good to be true. We decided to meet at the restaurant, and when he stepped out of the car, I was so surprised, because he came up to me and literally swept me off my feet. I still can’t believe I met my fiancee on a site called Plenty of Fish! LOL! I like to think of our story as my testimony! You have to have faith and believe that the person that God has created for you will find you!
How I asked (his story)
I have always wanted to propose in a dynamic fashion, being an architect and a very creative person, I was seeking a way to be over the top. I always loved to watch the movie “Hitch” with Will Smith, and got the idea when he had the messenger deliver 2 gifts to the woman and had her choose one and he then based the date off what she choose.
When I met Takasha, within the 2nd month of us dating, I saw posted on her closet door, all the places in the world she wanted to visit and Barbados was at the top of the list. So, in my mind that was the destination I wanted to bring her. About a year into our relationship Takasha became a Sandals Certified Specialist, but never had been to any Sandals Resort. I love to preplan everything I do, so I started to research Barbados and realized that Sandals was opening a new resort in Barbados. So I jumped on the idea of booking the Sandals resort not knowing that they were shutting it down for renovations. SO!! By the grace of GOD I booked it February 19th-24 not knowing that was after the renovations were completed.
Once I booked the resort, everything else fell in place, I wanted to make sure I was able to show her how much I loved her mind, body, and spirit without me being there. Every vendor I talked to had the same reaction of why and how are you going to do all of this, but everybody was gracious enough to help me out with putting my special lady on their schedule for that day. I told the plan to all my friends and even my family, my mother was upset, that I was going to fly to another country and have Takasha fly by herself. But , I knew my girl was a big girl and could endure that intense 5 hour flight.
I would always joke and tease with Takasha and tell her that my proposal if “she was” the one would be an over the top internet viral hit, not being serious at all when I was saying it. I actually was quite nervous about any of the events going wrong and myself being over in Barbados alone for 5 days. I flew to Barbados a day before she did , and had to meet with the videographer, driver, and resort to get everything together. When I walked in Sandals by myself, the staff and security were looking at me as if something was wrong, until I broke a smile and said my girlfriend is not here yet and I am planning a surprise proposal for her. Shanise and Deidra were some of the staff that absolutely played a huge role in getting everything setup in Sandals Barbados. Once I saw her walking on the beach towards me I knew it was real!! I wouldn’t change anything!
how they asked (her story)
Honestly, I had been bugging Vincent about proposing about a year into our relationship, I started getting impatient. I knew he was the one for me and I didn’t understand what was taking him so long! When our two year anniversary was approaching, I was hoping and praying that he would propose.
I still don’t know how he was able to keep everything a secret for an entire year, especially since I would bring up proposing every few days. I would show him videos on YouTube of cool proposals, not knowing he had something extravagant planned the entire time. On February 18, 2015, that morning a snow storm was coming and everyone was off work. I called Vincent when I woke up to see if he was going to come by my house and hang out for the day. I was prepared to stay in and watch movies. Vincent said he was on his way over to my house, so when the door bell rang I was confused. Why would he ring the doorbell was my first thought, but then I figured maybe his hands were full.
So I opened the door, screamed and shut it back. At that moment I was freaking out because there was a camera crew outside my house and Vincent’s friend Stephen was standing holding gifts. I couldn’t let them see me with my robe on and head scarf! When I was getting dressed, I was running in circles and my hands were shaking! Why is there a camera crew outside my house and where is Vincent? As you’ll see in the video, there was video instructions for the entire day. I was so overwhelmed. I was told not to try and call Vincent during the day because he wouldn’t answer my calls. That to me was the most nerve wrecking part because we don’t go a day without speaking to each other. When I found out we were headed to Barbados, I thought he was hiding behind the door and we would leave together. I would have to say the most shocking part was when he said he was already in Barbados! And I only had a few hours to pack and leave that night for Birmingham to catch my flight. Vincent truly thought about everything, I still don’t know how he managed to sneak my passport out of my house!
When I arrived at Sandals Barbados, I was so nervous and excited. As a Sandals Certified Specialist, I had always talked about going to the new resort with Vincent when it opened and I couldn’t believe he had already booked our trip a year prior. The staff at Sandals Barbados was so amazing! As I was sitting at Club Sandals, getting checked-in, I kept asking if they had any idea what was going on. I had no clue, Vincent had already talked with everyone at the resort and they helped keep it a surprise from me. The whole proposal was such a blessing and I’m so thankful! When the driver took me to the beach to meet Vincent, I still was in shock. I couldn’t believe he planned for a full day of pampering, showered me with gifts, flew me to Barbados, and asked me to marry him. Who does that?!
February 19, 2015 was the best day of my life! We had such an amazing time at Sandals Barbados and one of the coolest parts of the trip, was when we came back from the beach the night he proposed, as I stepped out of the car, I realized the man helping me out of the car and congratulating us was Butch! I nudged Vincent and said OMG the owner of Sandals just greeted us and congratulated us! How cool is that! We are seriously considering returning for our first year anniversary because it was simply amazing!
the video
Plan a proposal as perfect as this with Sandals Engagement Concierge! Have a Sandals or Beaches proposal story of your own to share? Email weddingmoons@uvltd.com with a photo (or two or three or four) and tell them about your engagement and you could find your story featured on The Sandals Wedding Blog.