This day was especially busy.  Not only was it a weekday (Tuesday) but it was Spencer's birthday!  I had been in the process of coordinating a surprise birthday dinner at 42^nd Street Oyster Bar with approximately 30 close friends and family.  I told Spencer that it would just be the two of us for a quiet evening out.  On the day of, I was so anxious because I wanted everything to be perfect.  However, nothing was working out as planned.  My day at work was hectic, I got off later than expected, I still had errands to run, and to top everything off I received a call from Spencer asking if we could leave early because he had to make a stop before dinner.  I had no choice but to say “ok” because I didn’t want him to get suspicious, so I called my parents to pick up the cake from my apartment.    

When we arrived at our final destination (Raleigh Rose Garden),  there were numerous people outside reciting lines for a play and little children dressed up like fairies.  I spotted a random man taking pictures, which I thought was strange and voiced my concern to Spencer.  He just blew it off and stated that he was a freelance photographer.  We walked around and looked at the roses while “waiting” on this person he was meeting.  The next thing I knew, Spencer was pulling out a ring, the photographer was rushing over with his camera, his friend Ron jumped out of the bushes, and the fairies were jumping up and down!  I was in complete shock and at one point I walked away and Spencer told me to come back!  It was such a beautiful surprise and of course I said YES! 

After the proposal, we still had his dinner to attend.  We were both excited and decided to grab a couple of drinks before our reservation.  Spencer started to express concern when no one was texting him back.  He wanted some people to meet us out to celebrate.  I blew it off and told him that people were probably busy.  When we arrived at the restaurant his face lit up!  He was surprised that his friends and family had come to celebrate his birthday and of course they were surprised that we were ENGAGED!  Not only did he surprise me, I surprised him, and we surprised everyone!  This day will defiantly go down as one of the best days in my life!

Ashley mentioned something about taking me to dinner for my birthday. However, I had been making plans like Usher on the Wale Matrimony hook. I knew she wouldn't expect it if I proposed on my birthday and it worked out nicely.

I picked her up and told her we had one stop to make before dinner. Ashley was asking questions about where we were headed, but I told her not to worry. We arrived at the Raleigh Rose Garden and she had no idea I was about to propose. She spotted the photographer off the bat, but I told her maybe he was just freelancing. We walked around the rose garden and I finally found a spot that fit the occasion. I asked Ashley how long we had been dating and she replied almost one year. I told her interesting because I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I pulled out the ring and asked her to marry me. She replied yes and the rest is history.

We arrived at dinner and I was extremely surprised to see family members and close friends there to celebrate my birthday. Ashley planned a great surprise birthday dinner and we were able to celebrate our engagement at the same time. Everything worked out nicely and we both ended up surprising each other.

To be perfectly honest proposing was a walk in the park. I was fortunate to have an impeccable photographer (Dare Kumolu-Johnson) and an epic videographer (Ron Williams). Together we orchestrated a flawless proposal. I'm blessed we were able to capture the moment of our special day.