So it’s official! We’re engaged!
There were a lot of events leading up to the big day:
Ring shopping before the engagement?
Was it a little weird that we both went ring shopping together before we were engaged?
Ok, yes a little bit… But if we are going to drop a ton of money on a ring, don’t you want to spend that money on one that you will enjoy wearing every day? Well, at least that what I thought. I’m glad that Bel agreed as well, haha.
So we decided to do some ring shopping in Los Angeles and we finally ended up finding the perfect ring at a jeweler called Nathan Alan located in South Coast Plaza. The ring we ended up was actually the combination of 2 different styles that we both liked. We didn’t purchase the ring right away, and I ended up ordering the ring after I moved back to SF. The owner was really nice to work with and he arranged to have the ring shipped to me when ready.
A little bit about the ring:
Platinum split shank pavé diamond ring, with pavé diamond frame surrounding an oval diamond.
Fancy!
The plan:
Chinese New Year was just around the corner, so I thought it would be great to propose to her that same weekend so that we could celebrate our engagement with her entire family. Although we both went ring shopping together, she had no idea that I had actually purchased the ring, and that I had just gotten it in the mail and was ready to surprise her with it. But before the proposal, I wanted to get her parent’s blessing.
The night-before:
At the time, I was living with Bel at her parents place. Since I just recently moved back to SF, we thought it would be good way to save some money.
It was getting late, and I was a bit nervous finding the right moment to talk to them without Bel knowing what was going on. So when Bel hopped in the shower, I decided to use that as my chance! I went to her parent’s bedroom and knocked on the door. They must have thought something was wrong because they rushed to the door and was surprised to see me standing there holding a ring box. I was also surprised to see her dad in his underwear, haha.
Afterwards, they hugged me and said that it was beautiful and that they were very happy.
The big moment:
I had planned to take Bel to union square and propose to her there since that where we went on one of our very first dates. I imagined the statue at the center of the square would be the perfect location!
As we walked up to the square, I got ready to take the ring box out of my pocket, but my heart sunk when I saw there was a huge private event in progress. Most of the square was occupied by a huge white tent, and the statue in the entire center area was blocked off to the public. Man!
At that point, I was starting to get nervous and we started circling around the square for a bit. I was sure Bel was wondering what we were doing. Finally, I saw a huge heart statue display at the corner of the square and decided to get down on one knee right then and there. The rest is kind of a blur, but I do remember her saying YES!
Definitely not as originally planned, but everything worked out. Thinking back, I wish I had asked someone to record or take pictures of the event, but I guess my memory will just have to do.
Party time:
Here are some pics from the Chinese New Years/Engagement party! enjoy!