Jenny's Story

To say that I was surprised would be an understatement. While Daniel had a been a bit elusive about our weekend trip to LA, I thought maybe he had a surprise like camping or, even better, a spa day up his sleeve. But a marriage proposal was not on my list of guesses.

After we arrived at LAX and were waiting for our luggage, I noticed that Daniel had a safety pin attached to his backpack. When I asked what the pin was for Daniel smoothly responded with, "Well, hey, you never know...". And at that point I didn't have a clue. On our drive to Mullholland Drive, we were goofing around like usual, singing along to a silly cd of early 80's tunes that Daniel had made. When he pulled off at Fryman Canyon, I was amazed that he found the way to this somewhat hidden overlook. He told me he'd been studying the map for weeks.

When we got out of the car and saw the beautiful view, you'd think I would have gotten a clue...but no. You see, Daniel is always doing sweet, romantic things--I thought this was another wonderfully romantic moment we'd share. So when he turned me around and my ears heard, "Jenny, will you marry me?" I was shocked. Everything seemed to stop and go in slow motion. I couldn't catch my breath and my knees were trembling. Could this really be happening? I hugged him and cried and suddenly remembered all of those engagement stories where the girl forgets to say "yes". I too hadn't yet answered so I made up for it by saying "yes" at least a dozen times.

We got back in the car. 1 AM on the East Coast. I called my Mom and Dad. Dad had successfully kept the secret. Left a message for Michael and Rachael. I woke Karen (best friend) up with a phone call. She was a bit groggy but very happy. She called back 5 minutes later (when it had apparently sunk in) and yelled, "Oh my G-d, you're getting married!! You have a fiance. You're getting MARRIED!!!" It was the best reaction ever!

The weekend was absolute bliss. The day at the spa, our private bungalow, a gorgeous ring on my finger, and the guy I was thrilled to spend the rest of my life with. Life is good; Life is very, very good and it's just getting better.

Daniel's Story

Jenny's dad was very cool. We went for bagels on a Sunday morning and instead of just take-out, he suggested we sit and talk. Clearly he knew something was up. When I told him I was going to ask Jenny to marry me, he simply replied, "you've got our vote, but it's Jenny that's counts!" He asked when I was going to propose and promised to keep it a secret till then (something that's quite a feat!).

A few days later, I picked up the ring from my friend the jeweler and Anuj had done a perfect job. Then it was off to see my parents and let them in on the secret. I arrived at their place and my mom was visibly upset that Jenny wasn't with me (something I had told her repeatedly prior to coming). She kept going on and on about how she didn't understand why Jenny wasn't here. She asked if we had had a fight or if something was wrong. I finally had to stop her mid-sentence and shouted, "MOM, SHE CAN'T BE HERE... BECAUSE I CAME TONIGHT TO TELL YOU GUYS THAT I'M GOING TO ASK HER TO MARRY ME ON THURSDAY NIGHT. SHE CAN'T BE HERE!!!" It's not often that I can stump my mom, but this was one of those times. I showed them the ring (of which they approved) and mom gave me some excellent advice, "safety-pin the ring to the inside of your pocket." (which I did all the way to Los Angeles.)

Thursday came and we met to go to the airport. I still can't believe she didn't notice my hand constantly checking if the ring was still in my pocket. We landed in LA, picked up the rental car and I took her on a drive up to Mulholland Drive to one of the overlooks (Fryman Canyon Overlook - http://smmc.ca.gov/fryover.html). I told her how much I loved her and then asked her to marry me. She cried a little, said yes... and then I remembered that I had a ring for her.

We then drove to Pasadena to our hotel. We had a private bungalow that was huge. When we got there, I had made arrangements for a fancy bottle of champagne, chocolate covered strawberries and a plate of cheese and crackers (the latter because I knew that a long plane ride and a nervous stomach would equal extreme hunger). I had also had them spread rose petals all over the bed. It was quite romantic. Each day we were there, we had breakfast delivered in the morning and a bottle of champagne and choc strawberries in the afternoon.

On Saturday, I had a first: a spa day. Together, we got a massage, a facial, a manicure, a hair-cut / blow dry / style and a pedicure. Nobody is more shocked than I, but it was a great experience.