On November 13, 2019 I said “Yes!” to my 11-year crush, best friend, and now fiancé! Andres and I met when I was thirteen (he was fifteen), and the past eleven years have been filled with friendship, laughter, and eventually an amazing relationship, which all led up to us choosing to spend the rest of our lives together. I am so thankful to share my life with the most loving, supportive, and adventurous person I know.

The Proposal

Since the beginning of this year, Andres and I had been planning a trip to visit New Orleans. It was a top place on Andres’ travel bucket list, and we were excited to finally cross it off. Andres told me that he wanted to plan our itinerary since he had a list of places he wanted to see and visit, so I gave him full control of everything we were going to do. Little did I know…

Andres’ Side of the Story

“I knew I wanted to propose to Theresa in 2019, and when we started planning the New Orleans trip I thought it was the perfect opportunity. Once I picked out the ring, I contacted a local friend in New Orleans who was a photographer, and asked him to take surprise proposal photos.

Then I had to figure out where in New Orleans I wanted to propose. I originally thought Louis Armstrong Park since it was near our Airbnb, but when our reservation cancelled on us last minute, we ended up booking in a completely different area. With only one week to make changes, I decided to propose in Jackson Square in front of the church.

Theresa is my best friend, and it was so hard to not tell her about it. I knew I had to do it on the first day of our trip because I wouldn’t be able to contain my nervousness/excitement for longer than that.”

The Day of the Proposal

On November 13th, we woke up bright and early at 3am so we could drive to the airport and catch our flight to New Orleans. Once we arrived, we had some time to kill before we could check into our Airbnb. We decided to go to Cafe du Monde, which was practically empty since it was a late Wednesday morning (travel hack). We chatted over coffee and beignets (worth the hype!) before heading to our Airbnb.

Later that day, we decided to go back to the French Quarter for dinner, and then to check out some jazz clubs that night. When we got to the French Quarter, Andres suggested that we visit Jackson Square. As we were walking, I was admiring the beautiful architecture of the church and didn’t notice for a second that Andres had lagged behind me.

I turned around to ask him something, and saw him open a box with a ring inside and go down on one knee. My reaction? See below:

 

It was the happiest day of my life. Afterwards we went to a piano bar where they dedicated the song “Our Love is Here to Stay” to us, and spent the rest of the night and trip in happily engaged bliss.

The Ring

When I thought about the ring I wanted, I always knew I wanted something classic and no too over the top. While round cut rings are the typical classic style, I wanted mine to be a little different. Andres and I went ring shopping over a year ago, and when I tried on the oval cut ring I knew that it was the perfect fit for me.

Andres picked out the ring from Brilliant Earth, a company which ethically sources their diamonds and makes their bands out of recycled metals. Andres liked how easy-to-use Brilliant Earth’s website was, and how he could clearly see what the ring would look like and all the information on the diamond he needed.  Andres knew that an ethical and sustainably-sourced ring was important to me, and I love that he took the time and effort to choose a ring I love.

What’s Next?

At the moment, Andres and I are taking the time to really enjoy our engagement. But once we start planning, I’ll be documenting all of my different ideas and inspiration here!