Last month I had the privilege of photographing Sherry and Matt’s wedding at the Grand Island Mansion on the Sacramento Delta. It was an absolute amazing day and I am so incredibly happy for the two of them. I asked Matt if he could put his proposal into words and he came up with a pretty awesome story. So awesome that I have to share it with you. It’s a little lengthy but I would be lying if I said my eyes didn’t get a little misty towards the end. These two were truly meant for each other. Read for yourself:
Sherry and I had been dating for about 2 ½ years when discussions of taking the next step came up. Surprisingly the idea didn’t send me into a state of paralyzing fear, which told me she really was the one. After a crash course in ring shopping from a few friends and Google, I was off to brave the various jewelry stores in the greater Sacramento area. I found this to be a daunting and overwhelming task until I found out that one of Sherry’s good friends worked at Sharif Jewelers. I knew Sherry wanted a vintage looking ring, but not much more. Sherry’s friend Nerina and I looked over all the new designers, found a few possibilities, but nothing really stood out. Then she remembered seeing an older ring that was being stored in a safe in the back room of the store. She brought out the ring, and immediately we knew, this was Sherry’s ring. It was perfect.
Sherry and I were set to travel to the Philippines in a few months with her dad, to vacation and visit some family she has there. I knew this is when I would make my move. I just had to keep the ring hidden until then.
Plane tickets were purchased, visas were up to date, clothes were bought, and insurance, crap! I had forgotten to get insurance on the ring, which I had been continuously moving around the apartment so Sherry wouldn’t find it, as I knew she was suspicious of my plans. A few frantic calls and a visit to State Farm later, and my anxiety level was back down to a manageable level, for now.
We were set to be in the island nation for three weeks, while I didn’t have a specific plan, I knew the moment would reveal itself to me. This plan was fine in theory, but in reality, with all the logistics and paranoia of travelling to a foreign country, proved to be…challenging. If you don’t know, in the Philippines there are porters at the airports that carry and load your luggage for you. This presented a problem to my blood pressure as I had the ring safely stowed in my carry-on. It became immediately apparent that I would not be carrying any of my luggage, to do so would draw suspicion upon myself. I was left to saying quiet prayers to myself and trying to maintain visual contact with our porters as they darted through the crowded airports with our luggage, and my plans, in hand.
After a few days staying in Manila, Sherry’s dad wanted to take me out for a night on the town, to give me a taste of Filipino hospitality. I saw this as my best opportunity to ask him for Sherry’s hand. After a long night bonding and partying, we were finally alone, with the exception of our driver, and heading back to the house. I knew it was now or never. While I felt my chances were good, the reality was, this was one of the most important conversations I would ever have. The outcome would not only dictate how this trip would go, but also it was really the point of no return. Sure the ring was bought. But up until that point, it was only Sherry’s friend Nerina who knew what was going on. After this conversation, my intentions would be known to all of Sherry’s family, as the grapevine would surely apply to this situation. Luck shined down on me that night, because Sherry’s dad gave his permission, and things were still a go.
Rain. We could see it hit the windows of the plane as we made our final approach to airport on our way to Boracay. Sherry was not happy, and I had once again just recovered from another hair-raising game of find the porter. The monsoon had passed though, and hope remained, that clear skies awaited us at the resort. A short speedboat ride later, we found ourselves on the most beautiful beach we had ever seen. Leonardo Dicaprio would have been impressed. The sky was still overcast but it did not matter, even the clouds could not darken the turquoise water and white powder-like sand.
We had been on Boracay for a few days dodging intermittent showers, and supporting the local economy by overpaying for everything, when like an angel riding down on a unicorn passing out money; the sun finally broke through and showed us exactly why Boracay is the jewel of the Philippines. And while the sand may have been blinding, I could clearly see that my moment was approaching.
We lounged on the beach that day and made plans to return that night to take it in under the stars. After securing a decent bottle of wine, bottle opener, and glasses; I had everything tucked away in a bag and we set out for the beach. There is nothing more nerve racking for a guy than popping THE question. It’s not necessarily the chance of rejection, because unless you’re deluded, you have to be fairly confident that it will be received well. But more that it’s a bench mark moment in life, and if done poorly, all her friends will know. The moment was right there, the wine was…helping, and the rain was jealous. Out of nowhere it came, it didn’t stay long, but long enough that we had already retreated to our room. Dammit.
I had one more chance to not find, but tackle that shifty little moment. The weather was perfect on our final day in paradise, another day on the beach and another plan for a nighttime walk under the stars. With replenished supplies in hand, we set out to find a secluded place to sit and listen to one of the bands playing on the beach-walk nearby. No clouds in site, only a pair of Korean tourists who decided to conduct their own top model photo shoot in the surf just beside us. My moment apparently has a sense of humor. To say I was nervous is an understatement, which was not lost on Sherry as she asked why I was shotgunning the wine. I’m sure she knew what was coming; I don’t think I could have been more transparent if I tried. The photo shoot finished, the wine disappeared, and then under the perfectly aligned stars I pulled out the ring I had been hiding and….. said nothing, I’m told. I like to think I was just allowing Sherry to bask in the beauty of what would be her ring. After a reasonable amount of time/incentive for her, I fumbled out those four little magic words. She said yes, and everything was perfect.
Our moment did not come as easily I had pictured, but I guess big moments never do. In the end it was imperfectly perfect. Neither rain, nor porter, nor Korean tourist, could keep it from coming. Our moment was inevitable, from the second we met, and I wouldn’t change a thing about it.
Happy Tuesday!
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