GREAT EXPECTATIONS

When it comes to weddings, there is immense pressure on both parties—but it all starts with the proposal. My buddies clearly got the memo, because their proposals were damn good. Needless to say, I had a lot to live up to. A few years back, my best friend surprised his girlfriend while she was on vacation in the Caribbean with her family. The guy flew to freaking Aruba so he could propose on a rose-petal-scattered beach. Just a few months ago, another friend proposed on a trip to Chicago. His girlfriend thought the Blackhawks game was just a last-minute event, but during the game the team’s mascot walked up to her with a sign that read “Celia, will you marry me?” as my friend got down on one knee. The proposal was caught on the Jumbotron, and the audience roared with congratulatory cheers. So this is why I set out to make my proposal different from those of my friends. It’s no easy feat, especially in this Instagram era, where things have only gotten more competitive—and public. As a writer, I felt that presenting my proposal in a magazine article would be unique, romantic and something nobody in my social circle could do. I wanted it to be creative and no less spectacular than freaking Aruba. B.B.