Today I have the most exciting story of this blog so far -- how I got engaged!
As some background, I have to mention the "perfect day". Three years ago, S and I were in Philly since he was a summer associate there at the time. It was the weekend before the 4th of July weekend, and I was about to go to the beach for my extended family's yearly vacation. We toured around old city all day, and everything was remarkably perfect. The weather was great, we found all of these cool, historic places and just enjoyed being together. We found Elfreth's Alley then -- it is the oldest continuously-inhabited street in the U.S. and retains a colonial look and feel. We also ate at City Tavern that night (outside in the perfect weather) which is where the founding fathers decided to declare independence. The perfect day ended with some early fireworks, topping off a day so ridiculously perfect, it inspired laughter. S had joked throughout the day that he felt he should propose, since the day was set up so nicely for us.
Fast forward three years: I had lunch plans with two friends on Saturday, June 21st. S seemed nervous all day, but I attributed that his brother being in town -- he had told me that his brother, his brother's boss, and maybe his brother's client(s) would meet us later that day, but he did not yet know the plan. So S asked me many times during the day what my plan was, and I kept telling him that I had lunch then was waiting on his plan. I even remarked to my friend that it was frustrating waiting for him waiting on someone else! My friends and I went to lunch in a "fringe" neighborhood in Philly. I thought it was strange that the one friend who planned it suggested the far location, but she said our other friend (in town from D.C.) would like that neighborhood so I stopped thinking about that then. After lunch, my friend commented that her nails had already chipped since her manicure the previous week so she wanted to stop by a place nearby and get them redone. This also should have been a red flag in my mind, since their excuse to get us back into town was that they had a spa day set up at 3. I suggested in the cab back that we were running late and they should call the spa and let them know! Little did I know, both friends were in on the plan and all of these little oddities were part of the overall plan. (I also luckily did not look at her nails, which were still perfect from her last manicure).
I got back to S's after lunch and he said we should leave "soonish" to meet his brother. He said his brother was being vague about the details but it felt like it was kind of a big deal. He said we would meet them all at Cuba Libre, in old city. In the uber, he mentioned that we do not go to old city much, "wasn't the last time for the perfect day?" This stood out to me because it was not at all true. We had been on a tour of old city with his parents just a few months earlier. Despite all of the little clues earlier, this was my first hint that something big was happening. We got to cuba libre and S checked his phone (way too fast to actually read any texts, this was my second clue) and said his brother was going to be an HOUR late. "We should go to Elfreth's or something, that way we have a story instead of wasting our whole day," he said. This is when I really started to wonder what was going on, but I did not want to get my hopes up too much. We strolled down the alley, in perfect weather again (even though rain was predicted most of the day). There were a bunch of tourists on the street, as well as someone who looked like a professional photographer (my fourth hint). S commented that it was really cool that this street still existed, that it was a tranquil place in the city, just like I was a tranquil place in his life. At this point, we had stopped in the alley. Even with all the hints, what happened next was a little surreal to me. S said that he wanted to be with me forever (or something to that effect), and dropped down to one knee. After this, I have absolutely no recollection of what was said. I remember a ring and I am pretty sure I said yes! It was funny how I had suspicions but still could not really pull myself together to remember all of the details!
After the actual proposal, we went into a courtyard, through a museum that was set up in a house owned by two women entrepreneurs. There was champagne set up with two glasses that fit together in a heart and a Carolina champagne bucket. S and I called our parents and I commented that they must be at a tennis tournament, since it sounded like they were surrounded by people. My mom at this point proved herself to be a terrible liar, but luckily did not ruin the later surprise. I knew that S had asked her in advance, but when I said I was engaged, she said "engaged? to be married?!" What other kind of engaged would I call my mother to tell her?!
S and I drank champagne in the courtyard for a little bit, and recovered from the shock a little. I asked him who all knew, and he flat out lied to me by playing down who all knew and did not know. This lie was exposed a few minutes later, when my parents and little sister, his parents, and a few of our friends from Philly, D.C., and New York came out of the other house attached to the courtyard! I was truly stunned by this development, and started crying (I had only teared up before, and laughed at the surreal nature of it all). S had set up snacks in the other house and we all toasted to our future. S's dad had written a sweet toast, incorporating the history of the alley in with our own story. His mom and my dad also gave great toasts. We then all ate dinner at City Tavern, and finished up the night at Bards, one of our favorite Philly bars.
This day was truly perfect and I thank everyone involved. I am so looking forward to planning a wedding, but more importantly, spending my life with such a sweet man who took the time and effort to plan an amazing proposal.
