The day of the proposal was planned to a T. Then Madi's sniffles almost foiled everything... I managed to drag her out of the hotel room and trudge her along the subway to Chinatown, where surprise number one was in store. She experienced the viral Lee Ren Beauty Salon blowout while I went across town to pick up Rainbow Bagels from Liberty Bagel. From there, I wanted to give her time to do her makeup and get ready to go out, as I had told her surprise number two was to grab drinks at the Plaza Hotel. What I didn't realize is that you cannot simply walk into the Plaza during Christmas time. We got all dolled up and ready to go, only to see a giant crowd of tourists attempting to come inside. The Plaza had roped off the entire entrance and had all of their doormen guarding the way inside. I was undeterred, however, and gave one of the doormen the classic NYC head nod, and he walked over to speak with me. I asked politely if we could simply grab a cocktail at the bar. He eyed me up and down, informed me it's normally by availability only, but to wait right there. I waved Madi over, and we waited for maybe a minute before someone came out to make a big announcement to the crowd - informing them that the bar was full and you could only come in if you had a room. As the crowd dispersed, I told Madi to wait a moment, as the doorman I spoke with returned with the bar manager. He introduced us and pulled the velvet ropes aside as we were guided into the Plaza. No clue why he decided we could come in, I didn't even tip him. We were able to take pictures in front of the Christmas trees in the lobby, before walking into a very empty Plaza Hotel Bar... We were seated right next to the grand staircase and the beautifully decorated trees, and enjoyed Christmas Margaritas and Espresso Martinis for the next few hours. The entire time, I have had the ring in my coat pocket since the night before, and I quadruple-check to make sure it's still in the same pocket it's been in all day. Before I knew it, it was almost too late, as I had hired a photographer in advance to be at Rockefeller Center at exactly 5:00, where the actual proposal was to take place. We paid the tab and headed out the door, where Madi saw one of New York's classic tourist traps: the pedicab drivers. She asked if we could take one, and while I knew it would cost me my firstborn child, I lamented. We hopped in the cab, and he biked us through traffic, allowing us to arrive right at 5 o'clock. As we walked around the corner, Madi began to tear up at the sight of Rockefeller Center's Christmas Tree all lit up, as this was the first time in her life that she had seen it. I rushed to save her makeup, as I eyed the spot I had pre-planned, not 20 yards ahead of us. I asked her to take a picture with me, as I saw my guy with his camera already taking pictures. We waited on the side for a break in the crowd, and I asked this "stranger" to take our picture on my phone. He took a few, asked if we would like some on his professional camera, and said he could send them to us. Madi immediately said no, as she thought it was a scam! I knew better and kindly accepted his offer. As he handed me my phone back, I put it into my pocket where I had the ring, and went down on one knee. I looked Madi in the eyes and told her she makes me happy, and asked if she would make me happy for the rest of my life. She, of course, said yes, and the crowd went wild! I had secretly planned to have both of our parents there, as they popped up from around the corner to celebrate. We finished taking photos, then enjoyed a lovely dinner at Trattoria del Arte and a night out at the Rockettes. And the rest, as they say, is history.