Dave & Ali

Dave's Story

The first thoughts about an engagement started around December of 2012 when we were planning a trip to California. The trip came up too quickly, so the timing just didn't work out…but in my benefit, I now had some more time to think about the perfect location, and more importantly for Ali, the perfect ring.

Summer came up, and my family put together a trip to Southern France…PERFECT! The trip came up quick, so again, I didn't have much time to get all of the details figured out. First issue, how do I scope out the perfect spot without being able to go there first? Technology to the rescue! From previous trips, I remembered an amazing walk on the coast of St. Jean Cap Ferrat, so I popped open Google Maps and worked off this picture to see if I can make this work.

It was tough to see for sure, but I figured I can make it work. On to the ring. The last thing I wanted to do was give Ali any sort of clue about even the inkling of an idea of a proposal…so I did what any good boyfriend would do. I told her I would be ready to get married sometime in the next ten years, and even started fights with her about not being so sure about marriage. With that, I didn't really have the option to go ring shopping, so with the help of some family, I was able to get in the vicinity of what Ali's style.

My mom came to the rescue with picking up the first ring…yes, the first…I'll get to that later…in NYC from a family friend diamond district jeweler. The problem? I couldn't get it to me in time to check things out in person first before we had to leave for France, plus I didn't want to chance Ali seeing it. So we planned for my mom, who was also meeting us in France, to bring it with her. While waiting anxiously day by day, I decided to shop around a little more, and came across a ring that I could custom make. I figured, just in case, I will get this and give Ali a second ring to give her the option of being able to make exactly what she wanted. In retrospect, I should have never doubted myself! So I ordered a second "placeholder" ring and shipped it to my mom to sneak into France. She got it with just hours to spare. It was on!

Fast forward a little, and we're all relaxing on the beach in Southern France, hanging with the rest of my family. When we do France, we like to do it up, so we plan a ton of activities…ATVs in the mountains, jetskiing to Italy, cafe in Monaco. Surely with all this it will still allow for an opening to pop the question? You'd think! We ended up jam packing so much, there wasn't a second of free-time to spare.

Finally the last day comes around, and I knew I had to do it then. Jet skiing was planned for the morning, I could ask Ali to go for a walk afterwards! What we didn't realize…jetskiing is a WORKOUT! We got back and just wanted to pass out…but I knew what I had to do! Ali isn't in the know, and all she wants to do is sleep. I bug her about taking a walk, but she just wants to sleep. ALI, IT'S THE LAST DAY! I wanted to yell at her! Ok, take a 10 minute nap, and then lets go. 15 minutes later I wake her up…she wants more sleep. I say, ok…30 more minutes and we have to go. I wake her up 45 minutes later, she is fighting me to keep sleeping, but I can't make it too obvious. I tell her, fine, I'll ask my mom to go with me instead, hoping to make her feel bad. Of course, she says ok. Ughh! I proceed to go downstairs, to fake ask my mom, to go on a walk with me. I run back up, tell Ali my mom isn't there. I finally get her to feel bad enough to go…it's on!

We end up going on our walk, along the coast of one of the most beautiful places in the world…and the rest is history!

Ali's Story

Twas the last night of our amazing vacation with Dave's family in Southern France. We had woken up early that day and spent three hours jet-skiing to the coast of Italy. Awesome but exhausting. Later that day we were enjoying the pool when I really needed to take a nap. Dave and his brother went to play ping pong, that's why I should have known something was up because Dave was back in our room within just 20 minutes. If you know Dave, you know he could spend hours on hours playing games, any single game, as long as its a game, he'll play it and he'll play it for as long as anyone else is willing to.

Anyway, he wakes me up asking if I'll go on "that walk" we said we would go on. Referring to this beautiful walk along the coast we took the last time we were there, that I bothered him about making sure we did it again the entire month before we left. I felt bad that Dave didn't want to waste our last few hours before dinner just taking a nap, so I said "Give me 10 more minutes". 10 minutes pass and Dave walks back in to wake me up. "10 more minutes", I whimper. Another 10 minutes later, I finally wake up, sit on the floor and as I try hard to tie my tennis shoes, which is oddly enough very difficult at this point, I beg "can you just go see if your mom will go on this walk with you?!?" He left to look for her but not too long after, he returns saying he couldn't find her. I jump up and agree to go on this goddamn walk! I still had no inkling that he was going to propose at this point, because quite frankly, who waits until 6:30pm, the night before we have to leave paradise and spend the next day traveling home!

As I start moving, I feel better, get a little adrenaline and we are on our way. I guess this is where I started to notice that he would not stand to my left and was very adamant about holding my hand the entire time, to keep me on his left side. We walked for about 20 minutes until we got to a fork in the "road" and I followed Dave up the right side, which ended up being a little lookout point. We stood there for about a minute just looking out and then Dave took my hands, took a deep breathe, almost gasp-like, (which he does when he's super nervous or has to speak in front of people) and started his proposal.

What he said to me, I will keep to myself. But he got down on one knee, presented me with a gorgeous ring and preemptively jumped up, I think before even letting me say yes, and quickly pulled another ring box out of his pocket and started to explain. I was so confused but long story short, the ring he was having made wasn't ready in time so he brought just the stone on a band…and another ring he hadn't seen yet in person prior to the trip blah blah blah. Well, I loved that ring and now I call it mine. And BOOM, we are engaged.