As I write this a day later, I'm wearing my ring and have not responded to the warm social media wishes from friends and family. Well, kids ...
Let me tell you about the day I got engaged to the best man a woman could ever ask for :)
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It was towards the end of the year when back-to-back gatherings and meet-ups with friends and family were happening
so it was pretty nice to have a day at home with family
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I started the day with breakfast with my parents
Weeded out the yard and picked up the wilted leaves (it has been a while since we did chores after my new job required me to work from the office)
Then, KY went off with my mom to pick up our Christmas lunch order, whilst I did some knitting beside dad at the corner of the house.
When Sam and Yee Zhe came over, I cleaned up and dressed up for the occasion and marched downstairs proudly with the bag of Christmas gifts I'd picked for them. I was quite sure they'll like the gift
We had our food with wine, and towards the end, we had our gift exchange.
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KY said to me with a cheeky smile "Wait, I have a 2nd gift for you"
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Deep down I knew that this was it! We've been talking about it these past few weeks, and he told me that he's going to bring me on a trip I can't refuse to Singapore. I jokingly asked him if that was the only day Hui Xian can make time for us and can help with the proposal. He caved in a few days ago and told me that was his original intent. Thus, giving away the proposal surprise.
We had a couple of emotional nights talking about how our present is so different from the past. As we spend more time at work and with our friends and family, we have less time for each other. We spent time reflecting and reassuring each other that the future is uncertain but it would be with each other.
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Half a minute after these thoughts were surfacing, my family fell quiet and Sam started recording on her phone.
KY walked out cheekily from the storeroom with a bouquet of 99 roses and a bunch of balloons, one of which says "will you marry me?"
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I started smiling and tearing up, focusing on him, whilst my family fumbled to set the stage
(i.e. calling Yee Xuen and Wye Wye who's travelling in Bali, turning on "How Deep Is Your Love", rearranging chairs for him to stand in front of the dining table, using a chair to prop up the surprisingly heavy 99 roses)
He pulled out some papers from his pocket and started spilling out the sweetest words anyone could have ever said to me.
His 3-pager proclamation of love shall remain private to those who were present, just know that it involved a line from Hamilton the musical, the word "philosophy" and a reference to our favourite song.
With tears in our eyes, he got down on one knee, put away his papers and pulled out a tiffany-blue box from his back pocket.
"Will you marry me?"
With a laugh and a chuckle, I replied "Yes I do", he put his ring on my finger, and we hugged and kiss.
Yee Zhe broke the spell as he said "wah so sweet got script some more" to which we all laughed in tears. This was followed by hugs from my family and a photoshoot indoors and outdoors using Sam's and mom's phones.
At one point, Yee Zhe was kneeling down holding a bouquet of flowers for us to take a close-up shot of the ring
Of course, after the photo shoot, there were a few minutes of silence as the photos were uploaded onto google drive and sent to close relatives.
Later, we proceeded with the regularly scheduled programme of a gift exchange after common Christmas dinner, but this time with a ring on my finger :)
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When I was younger, I dreamt of a proposal in front of the Disney castle; a flashmob ending with my boyfriend dancing clumsily whilst holding up a ring; a proposal by the beach during sunset; a proposal with my friends and family giving me a rose as I walk down to him.
None of which compared to this
The charming kind of mess that only a family can give.
The sense of completeness that can only happen with close family to hug after saying yes.
The sincere and raw emotions that can only happen if we are comfortable with being vulnerable with the people around us...
and without me knowing, he gave me the perfect proposal I could have ever wished for, and in the presence of the people who mattered most, in a place where I'm most comfortable with being myself.
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This was a reflection on how I felt about our relationship, there are certain elements and characteristics that I didn't know were important to me, and those empowered me to become a better person.
If this ain't a dream come true I don't know what is :)
Whilst I continue to enjoy just being engaged, I know that the true next step is getting married.
I'm ready for this new adventure with the perfect man.
In one of the upcoming posts, I'll have to reflect on this incredible year of big changes for us.
