Crystal and Alex

Crystal and I's first date was in 2009 at the High Art Museum in Atlanta. We went to see the Terracotta Soldiers exhibit together for a high school project. I remember being a little nervous when I was picking her up, but as soon as she came outside of her house and smiled, I knew there was nothing to worry about.

Once we arrived at the High, I paid for our tickets and we started walking through the exhibit. I remember looking at Crystal when she would look at the art because honestly I was much more interested in her than any of the paintings, statues or artifacts on display. I flirted with her a good bit, we held hands, and Crystal was laughing a lot, so I knew things were going pretty well.

Just as we were leaving the museum, I took a picture of Crystal standing on the front steps of the museum as the sun was setting over the city and I will never forget how gorgeous she looked in the sun light that day. Crazy to think over 10 years later we'd end up getting married to each other!

-Alex's recap of his first date with Crystal in 2009

It was a beautiful summer day in San Juan, Puerto Rico...

I had arrived at what was my first official "family trip" with Crystal's family. A few days prior to our trip, I made arrangements to have the shop where I got Crystal's engagement ring to call and leave a voicemail saying it was going to be delayed. I made sure to play this message near Crystal to ensure there was no way the proposal would be taking place on this trip. Little did she know, I had already given the ring to her sister Chantal to hold onto for safe keeping and avoid any chances of Crystal accidentally finding it in our luggage.

We stayed in a gorgeous hotel right on the beach and spent the first few days enjoying our new scenery. The original plan was to find a spot by the ocean, propose to the love of my life, and then go sight-seeing followed by a lovely dinner on the beach with the family. Well, as fate would have it, we couldn't find parking, ended up being late for the tour, and had to jump right in as soon as we got there. 

Nonetheless, we had a great time seeing old San Juan, hearing about its history, and meeting locals of the area that by the time we arrived at the final destination of the tour, it was almost time for sunset. Chantal give's me the glance, then looks at the clock to let me know it's time and we only have minutes to get to the closest shore so I can propose before the sun goes down. We tell Crystal that we have to leave immediately to make it to our dinner reservations and swiftly make our exit. 

At this point the whole family is weaving through crowds and briskly walking our way through the alleys of San Juan until we see the glorious ocean beyond the castle walls of El Morro. I take Crystal's hand and lead her to the wall to take pictures.

Crystal is smiling and I'm smiling, the fam is taking pictures, and all is well until Crystal starts to walk away, but I kept hold of her hand and didn't move. When she turns around to see what's going on is when I drop down on one knee.

In that moment, I remember having tunnel vision and being so incredibly focused on her face. As I looked in to her eyes and told her how much she meant to me, I couldn't help but have flashbacks of how we met, our journey together, and how it all led to this incredible moment.

As soon as I finished, she said yes!! I hadn't noticed the little crowd of bystanders that stopped by to witness the proposal, but it was kind of perfect hearing an eruption of cheers and seeing how happy her whole family was for us after she said yes. I couldn't have done it without the help of the whole family and I'm so thankful that we have a fun story to reminisce on for the ages. Here's to love in Puerto Rico!

-Alex's recollection of how he proposed to Crystal in San Juan, PR on a family trip.