WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!

The endless swiping on the quest of finding something rare is where our story begins….with the dating app, Hinge. At first it was the standard match, Ben liked Meghan's picture, she invited him to start the chat, Ben thought Meghan was "too good to be true" and asked pretty quickly to meet up for a drink. They met on a Friday night for what was only intended to be a quick drink, unaware their lives were about to change. Immediate banter was established with a familiarity usually found with people who've known each other for years. Non-stop laughter soon followed about everything from cookware to shark diving. The two didn’t want the date to end, aware they found something special, and decided to extend the date into dinner. Hours had passed with further dialogue about free flights as a dating perk, wearing matching outfits to Disneyland, and buttons that allowed dogs to talk. Dinner had wrapped up but Ben wasn’t ready to let Meghan go after he had just found her and asked her out for dessert that night at a different location. She immediately agreed and when they got into his car, Ben leaned over and kissed her for the first time. Looking back on this moment, Ben later confessed that he simply couldn’t wait any longer. By the end of the night, it became very clear that love was in the air to everyone outside the dessert spot, especially as they walked by Meghan singing the chicken dance song for all to hear and Ben’s questionable attempt at the dance in front of his car headlights. Unwilling to follow standard post-first date protocol, Ben and Meghan saw each other every day that weekend and have been together ever since.

To fully appreciate the proposal story you need a little history from the very beginning. As previously mentioned, the two broke first date protocols after meeting that Friday and canceled dates with other people to see each other again the next two days. Ben was eager to impress Meghan and set out on planning a date that showed he listened to her. First, it started with some mini golf and duffleboard to appease their competitive spirits and their enjoyment of trash talking all while wearing matching costumes Ben brought for them. For dinner, Ben wanted to share with Meghan his favorite pizza spot, Rocco’s. He then took her to the Ferris wheel, something she mentioned she hadn’t done yet but wanted to since moving to the PNW. Ben ensured the ride was special by getting the two of them a private gondola. By the time they made it on to the Ferris Wheel, they were both so captivated by each other that they didn’t even realize the ride was over when they were asked to leave. They ended the evening with a night cap at a cozy outdoor spot with campfires. For the engagement proposal, Ben believed it would be special if they could “accidentally” re-enact that special night and propose to Meghan in the Ferris Wheel Gondola. He was on a mission to make it a surprise too which proved to be the biggest challenge since they had never gone back to the Ferris Wheel since that date. After getting the thumbs up on the plan from both his family and Meghan’s Dad, he locked in plans with Meghan to have a “Date Night”. He was able to convince her to play mini-golf and duffleboard as he needed to try to redeem himself. Ben suggested trying to find a new pizza spot, counting on Meghan requesting to go back to Rocco’s instead of finding a new one, which she did. Ben knew that it would look suspicious if he then asked her about the Ferris Wheel so his plan was to spontaneously suggest it at the end while they were having pizza. Funny thing was that Meghan would randomly suggest it the morning of forcing Ben to play it off as a “maybe” as to not make things obvious even though he bought tickets a few days before. On the day of the “Date Night”, Ben was a nervous mess, overthinking about all the things that could go wrong like whether he should actually have the oversized ring box on him. It was the middle of summer so he wouldn’t have a jacket and keeping it in his pocket was clearly a dead giveaway. His brother’s recommendation to keep it in the front of his pants wasn’t helpful either, especially when he would need to take it out for the actual proposal. Luckily, the night went as planned. Ben lost again at duffle board but did win mini golf the first go around. The two talked trash and laughed like they always do, they over ate their favorite pizza at Rocco’s and as dinner was wrapping up Ben “agreed the Ferris wheel would be fun” continuing to let Meghan think it was her suggestion. They got into their Gondola, reminisced about their prior date there, had a few minor interruptions (like other proposals occurring below them!!), and as the sun was setting, Ben got down on one knee, told her that he has never been happier and that she is the love of his life before asking her to marry him. It was intimate and personal, a perfect surprise for Meghan. Just like that first Saturday, they ended the evening with a night cap at a cozy outdoor spot with campfires but this time they shared in a promise to spend their life together.