YOGIS IN LOVE
AKiwi yoga festival might not seem like an obvious place to pop the question, but for super-bendy US couple Jordan Goff and Antonella Zabaglio, it was the ultimate romantic gesture!
Their February 3 proposal at Taupo’s Wanderlust came at the end of an hour-long seminar on relationships led by the couple’s pals, Instagram stars and married yogis Claudine and Honza Lafond.
In the seminar, marriage was compared to navigating a road map. The session ended with a Q&A and Jordan put up his hand. “I have a question, but it’s not for you guys,” he said, turning to his girlfriend. “It’s for you ... Will you navigate our road map together?”
The shocked mum-of-two replied with an emotional “yes” as cheers and gasps erupted from the audience. “I had absolutely no idea he was going to do it,” tells Antonella, 40, who first met Jordan in 2014 when he took her yoga class. “I was wondering why his palms were so sweaty when there was air con in the building!”
And 28-year-old Jordan – who teaches a blend of yoga and acrobatics with Antonella – reveals how he decided to propose in Aotearoa during their three-week holiday, secretly buying a ring in Arrowtown. “Antonella thought we were just looking for rings for her daughter,” he recalls. “She tried one on and said, ‘Oh, I love it so much, but we can’t possibly afford this!’ After we left, I made an excuse, sprinted back and bought it.”
The acrobatic pair celebrated with a bottle of champagne in a hot tub on the festival grounds, before Skyping Antonella’s kids – daughter Bailey, 17, and son Jordan, 14 – with the good news.
“Rather than getting engaged and then celebrating, this whole trip to New Zealand has been a celebration,” Jordan tells us. “And the engagement’s been the cherry on top!”