Tired of the dating scene, we both took advantage of a new dating app our friends were talking about called Hinge. Shortly after joining, I saw a notification that a very handsome guy named Evans had clicked the "like" button on my profile. I saw this and decided to take a look at his profile. He had written in his "about me" section that his biggest fear was balloons. I thought that was hilarious and a little bit dumb, however, I felt intrigued and reached out to him to ask why on earth he would fear a balloon?! Well, that was it. From that day on we started messaging each other all day every day until we finally decided to meet for a drink on June 23, 2018. That drink turned into a 4 hour dinner and a second date and then a third...and now here we are! Oh, and you will have to ask Evans why he is afraid of balloons. ;)

Since receiving blessings from Lisanne’s family and friends, I knew that I wanted this proposal to be special and done in front of people we both love. I ambitiously tried to detail moony proposal ideas which varied. I imagined proposing in a fancy restaurant, the waiter brings Lisanne some dessert dish in which she subsequently discovers an engagement ring. Or a private jet that would take us away from the city for an evening and I’d propose shortly after we’ve watched an impactful musical(Ok that thought was sort of inspired by the film Pretty Woman, but still). Realizing my ideas where slightly impractical, I sought out help from Lisanne’s sister, Lucy. The plan worked perfectly, with Lisanne’s family coming to the city in a few weeks-the idea was to meet with Lucy and her fiancé in Bryant Park that Sunday morning. Some time passed Lucy mentioned wanting to take some pictures in front of an eye-catching large fountain, beginning with Lisanne and myself. While moments were being captured, friends and family slowly emerged after hiding in plain sight surprising Lisanne. At this point she had a look of bewilderment on her face as she peered over at me, sort of like she was looking for answers. My voice slightly trembled as nervousness consumed me, nevertheless, I mustered up the courage and said "Lisanne, I love you very much, would you do me the honor of being my wife?" I rustled the ring box out of my coat pocket, got down on one knee, and opened the box enthusiastically waiting for her reply. Lisanne was floored for the moment, then a look of astounded joy graced her face...she said yes!