Nicole & Kate’s Engagement Story

5 Written by natasha on March 10, 2009 – 8:00 am

Here is another great engagement story — and it comes from the proposer’s perspective! Kate and Nicole were married on Friday, June 27, 2008 and are having their wedding celebration on Saturday, June 27, 2009 in Sonoma, California.

“I know it sounds cliche, but I knew I wanted to marry Nicole the moment I met her. A friend introduced us, our eyes met, and my first thought was … whatever you do tonight, Kate, make sure you get this girl’s number because you’re going to marry her someday.

A little over a month later, we were saying “I love you” and a year after that I knew  I wanted to be with her forever. But the idea of proposing was still scary, not to mention how difficult it was trying to figure out how to buy a ring, hide it, and surprise the one person that knows where I am and what I’m doing almost every second of the day.

After a number of secret shopping trips and quiet phone calls at work, I found the setting and diamond I wanted to buy. The problem was that the store would have to special order the size 3 1/2 setting and I’d have to wait 8-10 weeks before it arrived. Talk about a long, painful few months! The time passed slowly, but one day just after 5 weeks, I unexpectedly got a call from the store. Nicole’s setting had arrived. 

As I hung up the phone, it suddenly became real. I could propose to Nicole as soon as next week! Hmm, I thought. How could I make the proposal special, personal, a surprise all wrapped into one? I decided I’d pop the question on a Saturday at the end of June. After attending the Fillmore Jazz Fest and a sunset dinner, we would go for a walk along the water and I’d ask Nicole to marry me.

As opposed to life before I got the ring, the days leading up to Saturday flew by! I struggled to hide my excitement! Then Saturday arrived and we headed to the Jazz Fest with some friends — a good distraction for me. For once, it was a sunny, gorgeous day in San Francisco. After the festival, we went to dinner, as planned.

Unfortunately, while we were eating, the temperature had dropped dramatically.  The moment we stepped outside, the cold air combined with my nerves, equaled instant shivering. I told Nicole it was nothing and that I wanted to take a walk. She insisted we head back to the car. Think, Kate, think! I told myself. And stop shivering already! No such luck. But after 10 weeks of waiting there was no way I was going home without putting a ring on her finger. So, still shivering I nixed the long walk, took a step in front of her and grabbed her hands.

“Nicole,” I said, “I never expected to find you. I never expected to find someone that would make me laugh the way you do, motivate me and challenge me the way you do…” As I went on, Nicole figured out what was happening and started to cry. I pulled the box from my pocket, held it in front of her, looked into her eyes and opened it as I asked, “Nicole, will you spend the rest of your life by my side?”

She gasped.

“Put it on!” she said through her tears.

“You haven’t said yes, yet!” I giggled back.

“Yes! Yes, yes, yes! Now put it on!” she laughed.

As I slipped the ring onto her finger and saw that it fit perfectly, I let out a sigh of happy relief. The waiting and the secrecy were over. We kissed. I was still shivering as we raced back to the car to call our parents and that’s when it hit me…good thing I got her number.”

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