The next four years after meeting were a whirlwind of 1.5 years of long distance, Pyk trying to move to NY, me moving to France, me learning French and opening up a business, us getting our first apartment together, getting a civil union, and many many adventures in between that all lead to the proposal!
In December '15 we flew out to Mexico to photograph a wedding. We were on a gorgeous resort in Playa Del Carmen with the most amazing group of people. I say it all the time but let me repeat it for those in the back: MY CLIENTS ARE INCREDIBLE. I had photographed Dan and Kat in Paris for their engagement and a few months later received an email ending with them asking if I’d come to Mexico and photograph their wedding. Umm, HELL YES.
Three days of amazing wedding festivities go by and our last day was the only real day ‘off’.
Original plan: Pyk brings me to the paradise island of Cozumel for snorkeling and then proposing on their gorgeous beach.
How I ruin it: I was exhausted from photographing the wedding the night before and told him I wanted to just stay on the resort and veg out. Pyk can’t be like, “But babe THAT’S where I want to propose!” So we stay at the resort.
Plan B: Pyk plans a romantic candlelight dinner on a pier for that night with the resort. He’ll do it then.
Ruined: It gets rained out and we show up to a pitch-black pier and a cancelled dinner.
Ruined: We go to dinner at one of the tapas restaurants right next to the beach. For an appetizer we get a bowl of roasted vegetables. I eat a little pepper thinking it was one of those roasted Spanish green peppers forgetting we’re in Mexico.
It’s like I swallowed a dragon.
I run to the bathroom and throw up. Yes, it was THAT hot.
We finish dinner, me without taste buds and Pyk with a few dry whiskeys. He brings me out to the pier and while we’re walking arm in arm, I can feel his heart beating. It dawns on me that this could be a big moment and OMG HE’S GOING TO PROPOSE. He proposes on the pier. I cry. He cries. Of course I say yes. We celebrate with margaritas and some champagne..
AND VOILA! Our totally un-romantic and very much series of unfortunate events engagement story.
The best part about it all? It’s so us. So often in life the universe throws stuff at us and you just have to laugh about it (sometimes vomit) and roll with the punches.
In the end, both the result and meaning are the same. I said yes, we got married a year and a half later, and most importantly, we love each other.
For hot pepper or worse.
P.S. All of these photos are from out post-proposal trip road tripping up route 1 in California.