FROM THE BRIDE // It is not too common, I think, that a person is able to remember the exact evening that let her know that she has met someone to really hold on to. In my case, I count myself lucky to be among those who had a moment when they just “knew.”
Right from our second date, we really started to hit things off –literally! We had just made it downtown to get dinner and do a local art/wine walk when Rameen accidentally ran his car into a concrete wall while parking in a downtown structure. Thankfully, he was going very slow and no damage was done, so we just had a bit of a laugh and continued on to dinner. He took me to his favorite Italian restaurant in downtown Santa Barbara; there, we laughed some more and swapped stories and opinions over delicious but very generous portions. Soon finding ourselves completely full, we had the leftovers bagged to-go and left the restaurant to continue with our wine tasting. Rameen lagged behind as we started walking, however, and I heard him say, “Hey, you hungry?” Thinking that he was talking to me, I turned around to reply, but instead saw him offering our leftovers to a homeless man nearby on a bench. It was a small gesture- lots of people might not have even noticed- but it was one that has stuck out in my mind for years. It was what first clued me in to what a genuine, generous, and kind person Rameen was– and I’d somehow had the luck to meet him!
We went to only 1 of ~10 intended wine tastings that evening. To be honest, I completely forgot that that was what we were supposed to be doing. Instead, we just idly wandered up and down State Street, talking about basically everything. By the time he drove me home and we said goodnight, I knew that this was something different.
FROM THE GROOM // The weekend I proposed, I had everything set up–breakfast out at her favorite restaurant, the ring I knew she’d love, a decoy Valentines Day trip to Vegas for the next weekend in order to throw her off my trail (she’s a naturally suspicious person), and a plan for how to proceed. A nonchalant suggestion that we make the small hike to the nearby monarch butterfly grove got us started (it was the perfect time of year for it, and she’d never been–I knew she’d be excited to go). The hike itself was casual, but I’d rarely felt so nervous and anxious. I had to keep cool, and also prevent her from bumping into the little box stored in my jacket pocket. We made it to the grove, and there were butterflies all around. We sat and chatted for a bit while I waited for a good time (and to build up my courage). It started to drizzle lightly, and people cleared out. I saw my moment, perfect and intimate. I looked at her, got down on one knee and pulled out the ring. I honestly can’t remember what I said, but next I knew she was nodding her head and saying “Yes!” Her eyes welled up, I smiled, we kissed, and she became my fiancee.
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