i got you, i got us

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Planning for the proposal began after getting the ring together in December of 2020. But I began collecting inspirations throughout the ten years that have past. Erin ensured that I was familiar with what she pictured to be the ideal proposal. After what felt like time standing still for almost a year and a half, we were finally planning our first trip out of the country since the end of lock down. I thought that the possibility of Erin having second thoughts would increase significantly if I continued to procrastinate on putting a ring on it. One month before our trip to Aruba, I reached out to our hotel's travel concierge about securing a private dinner during our stay for the proposal. This kind woman named Joy helped me in planning the day leading up to the moment, and connected me to a local photographer name Stiven. After a weeks of bouncing ideas around, the day rapidly came. After our initial checkin, I had to make sure to give the staff enough time to set up and decorate the back of our room where I will ask the question. To convince Erin to step out of our waterfront villa, I told her I took the time to plan for us to see the famous street art in the cultural capital of the country. It was only about a twenty minute drive, so before we even arrived, I needed to come up with a reason to come back to the villa. I went with my usual "my stomach is hurting" excuse. She was adamant at first that I use the side of the road since it was deserted. I was able to overcome her disappointment with worry, and she agreed to drive back to the room so I can temper the stomachache and search for a bottle of pepcid. We arrived back, and miraculously I start to feel better. But that moment of comfort is short-lived, as I make eye contact with the photographer for the first time. Realizing that the moment is just minutes away, I begin to panic internally. We grab a drink at the bar and sit down in front of the water. I step away for a minute to speak with Stiven, who was sitting next to us the entire time. After frustrating Erin about changes made to our dinner plans by the staff, I asked her to follow me to a table in the back of our room where we would be having our dinner instead. Flower petals led to the back of the room, where a table of more petals, flowers, candles, and champagne was waiting for us. As I go down on one knee, I hear the shutters of a camera behind a bush, and I asked the question. In return, Erin answered yes and provided me with one of the happiest moments in life.

TWO MONTHS BEFORE The actual proposal, we go out for Valentine's day. I'm assuming he's proposing and playing reverse psychology on me since it's a predictable move that I won't be expecting. But considering we have been together for 11 years, any special occasion was a possibility for an engagement at this point. I even got my hair refreshed, got my nails done. I was SO nervous I kept ordering drinks the entire night. Finally, dinner comes to an end and there's no ring, just a tipsy Erin (: TWO MONTHS LATER After the COVID travel ban was lifted we planned our first international trip and decided on Aruba. Initially, we agreed on booking an all inclusive hotel in order to save money. Then suddenly, he books a couple of nights at Aruba Ocean Villa to "treat ourselves." And I say oh? okay!! *shoulder shrug* The day of the proposal, we drive from our all inclusive hotel to Aruba Ocean Villa and lays out the plan he made for us. He tells me we were going to visit a town with cool street art to take pictures along with booking the hotel's private villa for dinner. He gives me specific times when I should be ready so we can follow his itinerary and I am stressed. We literally just checked in and I felt like I didn't have much time. In the back of my mind, there's always a possibility he will propose so I have to BE ready, I refuse to have a Valentine's day remake of embarrassment!! As I'm getting ready, Ed Sheeran's "Perfect" is playing outside throughout the resort and my heart starts to race, I'm so nervous, I spill my hair oil and makeup all over me. I didn't want to go outside because I didn't know what to expect, I feel the anxiety creep up on me. I finally finish getting ready and we drive to the imaginary town with cool murals - not knowing this place actually doesn't exist and it was just his way to get me out of the resort so the staff can prepare his proposal plans. After 20 mins of aimlessly driving to a place that doesn't exist, he tells me his stomach hurts and we have to go back to the resort. In my head, I'm like, "Oh god, he's ruining his plans." At this point, I'm confused and upset. I thought for sure we were taking pictures at this nonexistent place and he'll pop the question there. So much so, I suggested that he relieves himself by the giant rocks so we can follow through with his plans. LOL Now we return to the resort. We grab drinks at the bar and proceeds to tell me he forgot the keys to our villa in the car and left me at bar by myself. So I sit and wait, this entire time, I'm sitting next to the photographer he hired (who I thought were just a randomly couple staying at the villa). After a good 15 minutes, he comes back and reports another mishap: the resort made a mistake and double booked the private villa so we will have to eat somewhere else. Now I'm really upset, everything that has gone wrong, went wrong. He leads me to our villa, I follow with my arms crossed and a face of disappointment. THEN I open the door only to find candles and rose petals scattered all over the floor. I am so confused, stunned, mad, upset, excited - all of these emotions running through me. We continue walking to our back deck, where there is a romantic dinner set up for us. I turn to him and he goes down on one knee and I go numb. I'm overwhelmed with so many emotions and had an out of body experience of complete bliss. What brings me back to Earth is the sound of a camera clicking behind the bushes - I see the man who I was sitting next to at the bar taking pictures of us. The hotel manager holding Ding's phone and my mom on FaceTime and it hits me that this fairytale is all real. Side note: I told him once years ago that my one request when he proposes was to hire a photographer and capture our moment - years later, he remembered and delivered <3 The hotel double booking was also a lie. Everything that I expected didn't pull through, but to him everything was going according to plan.