The Proposal

Karen and Mike had already talked about getting married, so Karen knew that she and Mike would be getting engaged sometime soon. They had two vacations planned later that year — a long July 4th weekend in Seattle and a week in late August in Hawaii. Karen figured they would get engaged on one of those trips. Makes sense, right? When July 4th came and went without a proposal, Karen thought to herself, “If he doesn’t propose in Hawaii, I’m going to be mad!”

In early August, before their trip to Hawaii, they decided to take a day trip to Healdsburg on Aug 8. That week, Karen was over at Mike’s desk talking to him about something work-related. He had his Gmail open on his computer screen and she immediately saw an email from Opentable that had the subject, “Your reservation at Cyrus is confirmed.” Like many San Franciscans, Karen and Mike love to eat, and they always wanted to try Cyrus! Karen screamed, but Mike was annoyed. Karen knew she blew the surprise by seeing that email and she knew something was up because Mike never planned surprises.

They ended up leaving for Healdsburg that Friday afternoon and checked into a hotel on the square. As they were getting ready for dinner, Karen reached for the door to leave their room. Mike said “Wait!” When Karen turned around, Mike was on bended knee with the amazing ring in his hand.

They got engaged and then scrambled over to Cyrus, just a little late for their reservation. It was definitely a dinner they’ll remember forever. They bought a bottle of their special cuvee and are saving it to enjoy on their one year anniversary.

The Engagement Ring

Karen always wanted a solitaire but wasn’t set on a particular cut. Surprisingly, Mike felt strongly about getting a round cut stone. They settled on the classic Tiffany setting: classic, timeless and blindingly sparkly.

Photo credit: Tinywater Photography