James had been planning the proposal for a long time. He knew two very important things early on in the planning: Charlotte wanted to wait until after graduation, and she wanted it to happen on a trip. He also knew that incorporating her love of Game of Thrones would make it unforgettable. What Charlotte (maybe suspected) but didn’t know was that while she was happily helping plan the trip, James was quietly planning something else. Together, James and Charlotte mapped out an epic adventure, choosing destinations inspired by Game of Thrones and Harry Potter filming locations and including countries such as Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and England. They planned side by side, comparing notes, booking stops and planning the day-to-day activities in each, always including time to look at bookstores. The moment James stumbled upon Croatia on Google, he knew it was the one. Dubrovnik, aka King’s Landing from seasons 2–8 of Game of Thrones, was the perfect place to propose in his mind. This was originally meant to be the end of the trip, but James knew himself and 14 days meant WAY too many days to keep the ring both secret and un-lost. From there, James went into full secret-planning mode. He researched boat operators, found one with glowing reviews, and spent months WhatsApp messaging and calling to organize every detail. He carefully plotted a six-hour boat route, complete with stops for swimming, relaxing, and taking in the stunning coastline. When the captain suggested proposing on the boat, James immediately vetoed the idea, dropping the ring into the Adriatic Sea was not part of the vision. Instead, they devised a far better plan. At sunset, the boat would “break down” near a quiet island just off the coast. What Charlotte didn’t know was that James had coordinated with a local photographer, posing as a tourist, and arranged a surprise picnic waiting on shore, complete with cheeses, fruit, and salamis. As the sun dipped below the horizon and the “local” snapped sunset photos, James got down on one knee and proposed. The engine failure was fake, the picnic was real, the ring stayed safely out of the ocean, and Charlotte said yes. 💍✨