The Proposal

Vanessa always had a list of expectations for her proposal; Her hair and nails needed to be done, she wanted family there to see it but not in sight, and of course - all of this needed to be a total surprise to her.

With that mandate Patrick set out planning the perfect proposal in Febuary of 2023. The first task was to find the location. Initially planning on popping the question in Spain, Patrick recruited Vanessa and his best friend Malia to help and to make sure all of the plans would suit Vanessa's vision. After a few months it became apparent that Spain would have a few large hurtles and the venue search resumed - but this time stateside.

San Diego has always been one of Vanessa's favorite cities, so it quickly became the target location, but where? Logic would say on a beach or cliff looking over the ocean, but there are two big problems. One, is that a beach or cliff and wearing nice clothes don't mix - and two is that Vanessa wouldn't go on a hike if her life depended on it.
 

After searching, Patrick found the perfect spot - a beautiful bridge overlooking a pond surrounded by Spanish inspired architecture in Balboa park. The following months involved coordinating family travel, hiring a photographer, and planning the scheme.

After some thought, the plan was to take Vanessa on a trip for her birthday, and to plan a long layover in San Diego unbekknowsted to her - where it would all go down. And with that the plan, and date was set - Friday December 8th.

Vanessa was told her birthday destination was a surprise, and that we had a long layover en route. After landing in San Diego she was told we didn't fly until the following morning. After checking into the sketchiest hotel known to man, Patrick "found a nice restaurant" to go to get some dinner. Walking through Balboa thinking she was heading to dinner, a woman was on the bridge taking selfies and asked Vanessa to take a picture of her, which she obliged. Always down for a new profile picture, Vanessa asked the woman if she could take a picture of her and Patrick. Unbeknownst to Vanessa, this woman was the photographer Patrick hired, and Vanessa fell right into her trap! Once posing, Patrick dropped to a knee, and Vanessa answered "YES, OF COURSE!" Moments later the family emerged from their hiding spot to congratulate the happy couple, and after plenty of tears and even more pictures, the whole family went off to a great dinner - and the happy couple joined the family in a much nicer AirBnB for a few days of relaxation and celebration in beautiful San Diego.