Him: I’m sure Preeti had a pretty good hunch as to when I was proposing. It was going to be sometime between Thursday, December 20th and Saturday, December 22nd. Ultimately, I decided on Friday, December 21st. As the day was quickly approaching, I needed to figure out the where. I had numerous Philadelphia locations in mind including One Liberty Observation Deck, the Franklin Institute, the Logan Hotel, City Hall Tower, LOVE Park, and the Bellevue Hotel. As soon as I saw the Bellevue Hotel, I knew this was going to be the place. You see I made several visits to the Bellevue Hotel to “scope it out.” I talked to the maître d' and the restaurant staff several times before the day of the proposal. I admit that it was easier for me to do reconnaissance for the proposal with Preeti out of town. It was especially important that we capture the moment in real time as it was just going to be the two of us at the proposal. This way we could share the special moment with our family and friends, both near and far. Three days before the proposal, I told Preeti I had a client meeting early in the morning. Instead, I visited the Bellevue Hotel with the photographer to do one last walkthrough before the big day. Each detail was meticulously planned including where I would pop the question, what time I would pop the question, and how I would pop the question. When I initially checked the weather, the forecast called for rain all day. I know they say rain is supposed to be good luck, but last I checked, no one ever said that a clear and sunny day was bad luck. Leading up to the proposal, I feverishly checked the hour-by-hour forecast about a dozen times. I was hoping the rain would clear up in time for the sunset proposal on the rooftop balcony of the Bellevue Hotel. (4:39 PM to be exact) Her: I already had a hunch that the proposal was happening that weekend; I just didn’t know when.

Her: On the morning of December 21st, Chintan had told me that I had to get ready by 2:45pm. I was naturally curious as to why. When I asked him, he said to guess. When I guessed that we were going to see a Broadway musical, he told me that I was correct. I was so excited. At around 2:45pm we set out to go to the musical. However, as we were driving, we passed the exit for the NJ Turnpike, which concerned me. I asked Chintan if he missed his exit. When he denied that, I even asked him if we were taking the train into NY. He eventually told me that we were going to see How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, a Broadway musical, playing at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. I laughed so hard and also lectured him for the rest of the car ride about how when someone says he or she is going to a Broadway musical it is more than likely that people will assume that the location of the musical is in NYC. Chintan eventually parked in a parking lot and suggested that we grab a drink at the Bellevue Hotel. When we first entered the hotel restaurant on the 19th floor, I was in awe. At that point, I thought he may be proposing soon, but I did not want to jump to conclusions. Him: On the day of the proposal, I left work early and surprised Preeti at home. I told her that we had to dress up because we were going to a “Broadway show.” The plan was to grab a drink and have dinner before the show. It all sounded perfect in my head. I had even looked up multiple shows that would be playing near the proposal spot in case she became inquisitive. I will say that Preeti was pretty good about not trying to pry any information. As we drove towards Philly, Preeti asked why we weren’t taking the NJ Turnpike to NYC. When I didn’t answer, she asked if we were taking the Amtrak up to NYC from 30th Street. I quietly admitted that we were going to see an “off-Broadway show.” I mentioned that there was a great restaurant on the 19th floor of the Bellevue Hotel where we could grab a drink and have dinner.

Him: As we made our way upstairs, I didn’t feel nervous. I’d like to think it was because I had taken this route many times in preparation for the day. After we were seated, I excused myself to go to the bathroom. I turned and ducked out of view into a closed dinner area of the restaurant. The timing could not have been better. After a very rainy day, the rain had completely stopped, just as I was about to propose. I quickly spoke with the photographer; everything was in place! I returned to the table and told Preeti there was an amazing balcony view that we should check out. As we stood on the balcony, I pointed out a building to Preeti. While she looked, I dropped to one knee and waited for her to turn around. This was it, this was the moment. I was ready. I purposely didn't practice or script what I was going to say. I don’t remember the exact words, but I conveyed to Preeti that she was my best friend and the love of my life. Trust me, it sounded really good. She said yes! Her: He sat me at the bar and decided to walk around to find a waiter since we had been waiting for a while to be served. Later I learned that he was actually just looking for the photographer. Once he returned and we got our drinks, he suggested we go to the balcony to take a look at the view. When we reached the balcony, I saw a woman in the corner, looking out into the distance. That made me think he wasn’t proposing at that very moment. Once we reached the railing, he asked me to look out and see if I saw a sign anywhere. At cursory glance, I said that I did not, but when he told me to look again, I looked around more meticulously. When I turned around, there he was down on one knee with the ring in his hand. At that point, I realized that the woman in the corner was actually a photographer documenting this important moment. To this day, what he said to me in that moment is a bit of a blur. I just know that when he officially asked, I said yes. And no, we never went to see that musical.