"She made the whole room disappear", exclaimed the young bachelor. After weeks of ambiguous text messaging, downplayed anticipation, and previously cancelled plans the future Mr. & Mrs. Phipps had finally met in a cozy Cuban restaurant in the heart of Marietta. "He was so cute and different from any man I've ever met before", the beautiful bride-to-be mentioned to Lloyd over the phone during their very first late night conversation that followed the first date. Little did they know, after speaking until 2am that next morning, this conversation would be one of the many endless interactions between the two. Funny enough, their first date came with it's own set of challenges. Challenges that brought forth quotes like: "I thought I blew it" - Lloyd Phipps, Jr. And... "I thought you didn't like me" - Alcairis De La Cruz Phipps "arrived" 11 minutes late for the date that was set to start at 7:00pm. The restaurant was so small Phipps didn't realize he was already there at 6:57pm and didn't see it. He continued to drive up and down Roswell rd. until his GPS brought him right back to where he already was. If that wasn't enough, he also ended the date early. Arrived late THEN ended it early? This left the beautiful Alcairis De La Cruz wondering if they didn't have a good time. Lloyd only planned to leave because of how crowded the restaurant was attempting to be considerate of the servers. Or so he thought... Phipps was so focused on Alcairis that night he didn't realize that the restaurant had cleared out totally, with only 9 people in the restaurant including them. Hence Lloyd's quote, "she made the room disappear". At the end of the of date, 8:36pm, Phipps realized he was already in love with Alcairis De La Cruz.

Despite the all blunders, this made for a very interesting and fun filled phone conversation after their date. Phipps called Alcairis to clear the air after speaking with his friend, Bryan, who set up the introduction. This is where the two really connected, speaking until the early hours of the morning. After Lloyd fell in love with her on the very first night they met, De La Cruz's love was soon to follow. And the rest is history.

He went to Jared! On May 31st, 2018, Lloyd Phipps decided that it was time. Reluctantly, Lloyd had to ignore the attempts that Alcairis made to contact him after work to maintain the element of surprise. The newly hired stock broker went to the office the morning after spending what seemed to be an eternity, 9 hours actually, in his favorite blue suit with the ring burning a hole in his pocket the entire day. He decided to really put the funds earned from his new-found career to work. First, he showed no restraint when selecting the ring. Alcairis deserved the best and Phipps insisted on delivering. From the office, Lloyd set up the appointment and sent Alcairis the nail salon. There were going to be a lot of pictures of her hand that night. She needed to be ready. Later on after work, Lloyd met up with her at the salon walking in to the sight of his very soon-to-be fianceé being pampered, mimosa in hand. Lloyd also received a manicure and pedicure to mask his soon coming proposal as simply quality time with the one he loves. They arrive at the restaurant. Lloyd spent every free moment he had in the office that morning working out the details of for that night at Fogo De Chão, an upscale Brazilian steakhouse in the Buckhead area of Atlanta. Alcairis was horrified by the prices she saw at the restaurant. The two have never spent that much on one meal a day in their young lives. Witnessing her horror, Lloyd knew she had no idea what would happen within the next 2 hours.

Perfect. The meal is over and it is now time for dessert. Lloyd asked Alcairis if she wanted dessert. She replied no, still in absolute disgust at how much money was being spent. Lloyd ignored her reply and ordered a slice of key lime pie "for himself". As the dessert was being brought to the table, the details he orchestrated from his office earlier that day were put into action. This included the agreement with the hostess to select the perfect table for the proposal where there was enough space to get down on one knee yet still able to be seen by all within a 20-foot radius, the secret video taping of the special moment, and an order of key lime pie. On the plate, to her surprise, the heart felt proposal written on the plate in strawberry syrup... Will You Marry Me?