Nearly 10 years ago, Hardik and I started talking through a mutual friend in high school. This was back in 2011 when online dating wasn’t common. Both of us lived in two completely different states that were over 1000 miles apart. It wasn't easy trying to date long distance especially when we were so young. For the first year of our relationship, we never got to see each other in person. We spent countless hours of video calling and texting to make our relationship work. Over the years through college, we were able to see each other more often and support each other through our journeys in establishing our careers. Although we were not able to go to the same college, we tried to fly and see each other more throughout college and after we started our careers!
Now finally, we are so beyond excited to get married and end our long distance once and for all! We can't wait to share this experience with all our family and friends!
In March, Hardik had planned a surprise trip to Santorini, Greece but due to the pandemic, he had to postpone the trip multiple times and eventually cancel. He wanted to still make it feel like we were in Greece! He invited me to come, visit him in Michigan after I was done with my summer semester for a small trip he had planned to go up North. He planned activities for us to do every day including private wine tours and a private hike in the sand dunes. On Sunday, August 9th he told me to get dressed up by 5:00 PM. I got dressed and went down to the main entrance of the hotel where a chauffeur driven car picked us up.
From there, we went to a restaurant to eat a nice dinner. Finally, the driver picked us up and took us to a beautiful marina in Charlevoix. I was so excited and confused! We made our way down the pier to a beautiful catamaran that was reserved just for us. We got to drink champagne and enjoy the beautiful sunset on Lake Michigan. As the sun was setting, he handed me a gorgeous bouquet of roses and shared beautiful words to make me feel special. He got down on one knee and popped the question! I was so excited to say YES!