Well folks, I have a new favorite
accessory and I’m never taking it off. Zack & I celebrated our 8 year
anniversary last Tuesday, and he proposed! After 8 years, you’d think I
would’ve seen it coming, but, guys,
I was totally & completely surprised!! Of course we had discussed it and it was
definitely in our plans, but with the big move a few months ago & getting
settled in…I just wasn’t expecting it! Needless to say there were lots of tears
& laughter & shock…but I’ll get to that.
Now I know what you’re thinking;
get to the story…
Like I said, it was our 8 year
anniversary & we had dinner reservations at Yamashiro, an Asian-fusion
restaurant in Hollywood. The evening started out rough when I hit worse than
normal traffic on my way home from work. Meanwhile (as I later learned), Zack
was busy pacing around the apartment trying to keep busy and calm (I guess his
nerves were starting to get to him). Over an hour later (and 3 phone calls from
Zack asking where I was & how much longer), I made it home, and I wasn’t
going to let the traffic get me down.
Zack was right there to greet me
when I walked in the door, and he led me to our room where he surprised me with
roses and champagne (ah, the 3 phone calls make sense now). It was so sweet and
I got a little teary-eyed from the sweet surprise.
I quickly got ready (thank
goodness I bought a new dress for the occasion) and we decided to call a Lyft to take us to dinner (absolutely no more driving after my evening commute!).
We arrived to Yamashiro and were
not disappointed. The restaurant sits on the side of a mountain overlooking all of Los Angeles. Seriously amazing view, and our table did not disappoint.
We were seated at a corner table that faced a window overlooking the city; we
drank & dined & talked. Everything was delicious. As our dinner was
coming to a close, the waiter brought us the dessert menu. It looked amazing,
but we were full and even though there is always room for dessert, we decided
to pass. It was still fairly early in the evening, so I suggested a walk around
the gardens outside of the restaurant.
It was quiet and we were
completely alone as we strolled along the garden paths. We walked around for a
while just talking when Zack asked something along the lines of, “Did I
surprise you earlier with the flowers & champagne?” to which I replied,
“Yes!”
Now here’s where things start to
run together because it all happened so fast, and I think I actually went into
temporary shock, but Zack continued by saying, “Well I have one more surprise
for you.”
My first thought was “dessert.”
(Obviously my mind thought this made the most sense since we skipped dessert at
dinner.) Well…in case you haven’t put two and two together, the surprise was
most definitely NOT dessert.
He began sharing his feeling
& thoughts with me, and in my head I started to put together what was
happening, but I couldn’t convince myself that it was, in fact, really happening. I believe the words,
“Wait, what?” escaped my lips at one point. But yes, it was happening, and Zack
got down on one knee, I said yes, and we laughed and cried and stood there
holding each other in shock and happiness.
And no one in the entire world knew what had just happened except us.
And this brings me to
my next bit:
“Rules of Engagement”
1. Don’t Ruin the Element of Surprise
Talking about the next step in
your relationship is very important, and you should definitely make sure you
are both ready to take that next step, but, LADIES, let the guy take charge in
the engagement process. Zack and my friend, Brittany, (who works in jewelry-you
can check out her blog HERE-and helped Zack out with the design of my ring)
literally had to BEG me to come look at rings with them. I knew Zack wouldn’t
disappoint me with whatever he chose, but I did give in and went ONE TIME to
give my input. After that, I was out. And it was soo worth it. Even after 8
years, Zack was still able to pull it off without me ever having a single clue.
2. Do Be Polite
Your man just asked you to marry
him! (Not to mention that little piece of jewelry you are now wearing.) Say
thank you, and I love you, and make sure you tell him how much you love the
ring because he just wants to know that you love it as much as he hopes you
would.
3. Don’t rush to Social Media
Be in the moment. Zack hadn’t
told anyone of his plans for that evening so we were literally the only people
in the world who knew, and we embraced it. We didn’t call our friends and
families until the next morning, and waited almost 24 hours before posting it
to social media. Once the news is out, there’s no going back, so take time to
enjoy it with each other for a moment. And make sure to reach out to those
closest to you to tell them in person before changing your relationship status on
Facebook.
4. Do Take a Selfie
As important as it is to just be
in the moment, I think it’s equally important to document the event, even if
that means taking a selfie or asking a police officer to take your picture (see below).
Anyway, Zack & I are thrilled
(and, to be honest, I’m still in a little shock) about this new chapter. Thank
you to everyone for all the congratulations, and I look forward to sharing more
of this journey with you as it unfolds!
XO – Courtney
PS-- Never heard of or tried Lyft? Use code COURTNEY417218 for a Lyft credit and learn more about it here.
[okay, a few more]
