It was a very normal Wednesday evening in the middle of the work week, and Lauren had just wrapped up her friends Amanda and Matt’s wedding rehearsal, where she and her roommate and friend, Lizzy, served as witnesses. After dinner, the crew migrated to their go-to Astoria spot: The Ditty. As the night went on, the group slowly trickled out, but Lauren and Amanda decided to stay a little longer. Meanwhile, just a few barstools away, Peter was plotting a very different kind of evening. Having moved to Astoria only days earlier, he was ready to embrace single life in a brand-new neighborhood. His first stop? The Ditty — a place he thought might become his new local hangout, where he could relax, unwind, and definitely not meet his future wife immediately. But fate had other plans. Somewhere in the middle of the late-night chaos, Peter and Lauren’s paths crossed, and before long they found themselves deep in conversation. Eventually, Amanda called it a night, but not before leaving Peter with one final “parting gift” — the kind of line only a true friend could get away with: “If anything happens to her, I’ll gut you.” Peter still brings it up (and laughs nervously) to this day, because nothing says romance quite like a thinly veiled threat. And just like that, Peter’s single-life plans were over before they even started. What began as a casual night out at a neighborhood bar turned into the beginning of something much bigger. Peter went out looking for his new favorite spot in Astoria… and left with his future wife and a permanent +1.

Peter and Lauren set off on a two-week adventure to Japan to celebrate three years together, hitting incredible spots like Kyoto, Nara, Arashiyama, and all the various districts in Tokyo. They walked over 30,000 steps a day, explored forests, temples, and towers, and tried every new food and delicacy they could find. Of course, Peter couldn’t resist torturing Lauren with fake proposals at every major tourist attraction. At first, she laughed—then she started to wonder if the real thing would ever happen. Her hope waned even further when she realized Peter had left all his belongings, including the engagement ring, unattended in the hotel lobby during their final hotel change of the trip. Surely no one would leave an engagement ring in a backpack on the floor, right? Well… Peter did. The grand finale of their trip took them to Peter’s favorite place: Tokyo. On the second-to-last day, he whisked Lauren off to the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, with its lush lawns, sparkling ponds, gorgeous greenhouse, and flowers blooming everywhere. He strolled at a suspiciously slow pace, which Lauren didn’t realize was him hunting for the perfect, private spot with zero crowds. After one last fake proposal—because, of course, he had to keep her on her toes—Peter finally got down on one knee. Nerves in full swing (and the ring box accidentally upside down for dramatic flair), he said, “No, but for real this time,” and asked Lauren to marry him. She said yes… but only after giving Peter the look and demanding, ‘Put it on me already!’ Because if you’re going to propose upside down, you’d better at least seal the deal properly—officially retiring from the grueling sport of fake proposals forever. After Peter proposed, one of Lauren’s first thoughts was bittersweet: she longed to share the joy with her mom, LeeAnn, who had passed away before ever having the chance to meet or know Peter. After taking a quiet moment to soak in the celebration, Lauren asked Peter if they could return to their proposal spot to take a photo to capture the memory. To their amazement, when they looked at the picture, a beam of light seemed to pierce through the sky, landing perfectly on the very spot where Peter had proposed. It felt as if the universe—and perhaps Lauren’s mom—had left a quiet, loving mark on their proposal, making the memory even more precious and unforgettable.