I always knew proposing to her wouldn’t be simple. I wanted it to be meaningful, memorable, and as close to perfect as possible—because that’s exactly what she deserves. From the beginning, I had a clear vision of how and where I wanted to propose, even if I hadn’t yet figured out the exact timing. Step one was finding the perfect ring. For months, she had been sending me countless Instagram posts of rings she liked—each different from the last. When it came time to make a decision, I went back through all of those posts and noticed that one particular style kept coming up. That became my guide. I visited the jeweler, shared the photos and my thoughts, and left with a custom ring designed just for her. When I picked it up weeks later, I knew she’d love it. Next came hiding it. She’s a professional detective—there was no way I could stash it anywhere in our home without it being found. So, I got creative (and maybe a little reckless) and hid it in a secret compartment in the back of my car—somewhere she’d never think to look. The next challenge was figuring out the right moment. Family is incredibly important to both of us, so I knew I wanted our families there to share in the moment. When I learned that both sides would be in Florida at the same time, I knew it had to happen during that trip. The key now was making it a surprise. I connected with a local company to set up a proposal spot on the beach. Coincidentally, she had been talking about wanting to do a beach bonfire that week, so I had them include that in the setup for a celebration after she (hopefully) said yes. Now came the hardest part—getting her to the beach without raising suspicion. A complication arose when the company could only pull permits for a beach a mile away from where we were staying, not the beach directly across the street. To make things more stressful, the weather forecast showed a 90% chance of storms on the day of the proposal. I barely slept the night before, worried that everything might fall apart. The morning of, she went to hot yoga while I visited the beach setup location with my dad to make a plan. Across the street was a spot called Stinky’s, a restaurant and bar with live music—perfect for a casual reason to go in that direction before dinner. But in the afternoon, it started pouring. The setup company suggested moving everything indoors or rescheduling. We decided to wait it out. Miraculously, around 5 PM, the rain stopped and the sun came out. The plan was back on. We told her we were going to Stinky’s before a nice Italian dinner, so everyone dressed up. My grandmother discreetly carried the ring in her purse during the mile-long walk and passed it to my dad, who handed it to me just before the big moment. After some live music and happy hour at Stinky’s, she spontaneously decided she wanted to take sunset pictures at the beach across the street—the exact beach where everything had been set up. As we walked there, my dad slipped me the ring. When we reached the boardwalk and she saw the setup, she exclaimed, “I want to do a beach bonfire like that!” She had no idea it was for her. The beach was packed—the first sunset in days and the only one we’d get during our trip. Just as we were approaching the setup, she jokingly said, “If you propose to me right now, I’m going to knock you out,” realizing how many people were watching. We played it cool, pretending to take photos by the setup. Then, I led her over to the spot and got down on one knee. A hidden photographer captured the moment. She was completely stunned. After saying yes and finally being able to formulate a sentence, one of the first things she said was “Where’s my family?”—and right on cue, they ran out from their hiding place. Despite the weather, the logistics, and the pressure of keeping it a surprise from someone who’s practically trained to uncover secrets, everything came together perfectly. And most importantly—she said yes.

People always ask me when I knew Jalen was the one. Honestly? I think I always kind of knew. Jalen and I had to grow up fast. I was in a hospital bed, and he was trying to choose a college. Around that time, we had one of those big talks—either we were breaking up for good, or we were getting married. We didn’t break up. The day it all happened started early—like 4 a.m. early. I should’ve known something was up then. Jalen’s not the type to be on his phone when he can’t sleep, but when I woke up, there he was, staring at the weather radar. I didn’t think much of it and rolled back over. Later that morning, I went for a walk on the beach with his mom, uncle, and little cousin. Jalen, his dad, and brother went to “work out.” Spoiler: there was no workout. He was on the phone with the setup crew, trying to figure out if the weather would hold. I’m also 90% sure he made a stop at a doughnut shop—but not for doughnuts. All day, his dad kept talking about going to this bar called “Stinky’s” for happy hour because they had a live band playing. The weather was a mess—chairs in the pool, trash cans in the road, the whole dramatic Florida storm scene. Midday, we made a quick trip to PCB to visit my parents and brother. It was casual—just hanging out, catching up, no big plans. They asked what we were doing for dinner, and I just told them we were doing our own thing. I didn’t think twice about it. Should I have? Probably. On the drive back, the skies cleared, and suddenly it was that kind of evening—the golden-hour glow, warm breeze, calm after the storm. A classic 30A night. We got back to the house, and I hopped in the pool like it was any other beach day. The “plan” was to leave by 5:30 to make it to Stinky’s by 6. At 5:17, I finally decided to get ready. I threw on a comfy romper, didn’t brush my hair, skipped the mascara, and wasn’t even wearing my photo teeth (just keeping it real). Jalen had on a white button-down, and I literally said, “You’re not proposing on this trip. You’d save that shirt for something bigger than a bar.” We walked about a mile to the bar, grabbed drinks, and my phone had no service. I suggested we take pictures while the sun was out—we hadn’t had a good sunset in days, and some of his family was leaving the next day. Totally innocent suggestion on my part. Everyone agreed and suggested a beach access we never use, which should’ve been suspicious. But I didn’t think anything of it. On the way, I was distracted on someone’s phone and completely walked past my brother’s truck without recognizing it. We got down to the beach, and that’s when I saw the setup—candles, flowers, the works. I looked at Jalen and said, “I want that when you propose.” He just smirked and said, “Oh yeah?” We kept taking photos like normal. Someone took my drink, someone else took my flower claw clip, and then Jalen tugged me toward the setup. I looked at him and joked, “If you propose, I’m knocking you out!” Still completely clueless. I couldn’t even tell you what he said when he got down on one knee—it was all such a blur. Then I saw my family walking down the beach, everyone clapping and cheering. And the most important part? Loki came sprinting down the sand, right to me. That’s when I finally realized what was happening. Looking back, the signs were everywhere, and I missed every single one. But honestly, that made it even better. It was perfectly us—sweet, chaotic, a little funny, and completely unforgettable. And the way Jalen pulled it all off, with every detail and surprise? I couldn’t be more proud of him.