If you follow me on Instagram then you already know – Tim and I are engaged! I decided to share our proposal story on here since there was a lot of curiosity about how he popped the question. Marriage had been in the talks for quite some time now, but our timeline was to be engaged by the end of 2018. As Tim left me buzzing with curiosity throughout the year, we were simultaneously planning our first trip to Italy – a place I’ve romanticized since I was a little girl. So, as always, the dreamer in me got carried away and started dreaming up all the different proposal scenarios.

months prior

Tim knew I was expecting a proposal in Italy since I wasn’t shy about calling the trip our engagement moon. One day, he sat me down and told me he wasn’t financially capable of proposing in Italy. He didn’t want me to expect it and be disappointed when it didn’t happen. I was thoroughly convinced and although bummed, I knew it would still be a trip to remember. I had a feeling he would propose on December 31st anyway. 😂

the week before

Right before our trip, I was contemplating whether or not I should get my nails done. Tim seemed indifferent about it, which was more validation that there would be no proposal. Then I got a message from one of my best friends about a manicure and realized that it was the second time that month she had mentioned it. I teased Tim jokingly that he put her up to it. Fast forward a day or two to when I saw a message pop up on his phone from her. I stopped myself from reading the whole thing once I realized what it was about. At that point, I knew the proposal would happen on the trip, but I didn’t know when or in which city.

when in Rome

By the time we got to Italy, it had been such a whirlwind that getting proposed to was a distant thought. Our first city was Rome. On our first morning there, we got up at 6AM to get ready for our first full day. As we got ready, Tim was oddly concerned about his outfit and us matching, but I thought it was just him being a great boyfriend since he knew I would want nice photos together. As we wandered through the streets of Rome at the break of dawn, I had absolutely no idea what was about to unfold.

trevi fountain

We arrived at the Trevi Fountain shortly after 7AM. I was a little bummed to see that there was already a small crowd. Tim was adamant about getting a photo together right away, so he asked a lady nearby to take a photo of us on his phone. She took a few and handed the phone back, asking if we would like some professional shots on her camera that she could email to us. Tim answered eagerly “Sure!” so I just went with it. She snapped away and the whole time I was thinking it was kind of strange how excited she was. Then she gushed,  “How romantic!” and I see a lot of movement coming from where Tim is. I turned to see what he was doing and found him on one knee. It took me a few seconds to realize what was going on. I was completely speechless. I didn’t even hear him ask me to marry him. All the noise and people around us just disappeared. I just remember he was so nervous that he was shaking, and I thought it was so sweet because there was no way I’d ever say no.

afterwards

Turns out, Tim had hired a photographer to capture the moment. Her saying “How romantic!” was cue for him to propose. She took us around Rome for our photoshoot and I literally felt like I was floating on clouds the entire time. It wasn’t until we finished our shoot, when it was just the two of us, that it all sank in. I think I cried on four separate occasions just thinking about it. It was everything I’ve dreamed of and more. Our trip really did feel like an engagement moon because we were both on top of the world. I’m still in awe of how Tim planned everything and I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. He is the most amazing, selfless man for giving us this incredible memory and I can’t wait for forever with him. Now, it’s time to plan a wedding!