After he got the blessing from Carrie’s dad, Jon sent her on a scavenger hunt as he carefully planned out the proposal. See what he had to say…

“The plan started the day I bought the ring; my mind started racing and contemplating how exactly I would ask the woman I love to marry me. That day I texted four people, Carrie’s two best friends (Hilary and Arianna), my mom, and Carrie’s dad. I texted Carrie’s dad because the first step in this plan to propose was to ask for his blessing to ask for Carrie’s hand in marriage. On September 4, 2013 I had lunch with Carrie’s dad and about 30 minutes into the meal, not knowing how exactly to bring it up, I asked Mike for his permission to marry his daughter. I will always remember two things that he said to me, he said, “You don’t need my permission, but you definitely have my blessing” and he made me promise to always take care of her and always take care of myself.

After getting Mike’s blessing I started thinking how exactly I was going to do it and when I was going to do it. I decided that I did not want to wait and I began to concoct a plan with Arianna to create a proposal that Carrie would never forget.

The plan we came up with was a scavenger hunt to all our firsts (e.g. first kiss, first I love you) and I got all my friends in on it. The first step was to get Carrie out of the house so I could set everything up. So Arianna asked Carrie to go get her nails done with her so they could have “girl time”. Once they were finished at the nail salon it was Arianna’s job to give Carrie her first clue.

The first clue was a riddle that once she figured it out would lead her to the place where we first met, which was my fraternity house in San Jose. Waiting for her there was one of my groomsmen, Brendan, who was waiting with her next clue (at some points Brendan seemed even more excited than I was). This second clue would then lead her to the place where we first kissed which was at her sorority house on the other side of the SJSU campus. Waiting for her there was one of her sorority sisters, Amanda, who was waiting with clue number three. The third clue then led her to the place where we had our first date (she asked me!) which was the DoubleTree in San Jose. Before we started dating she had asked me to go to her sorority dance with her and that is where it was held. Waiting for her there was one of my good friends Clayton, and he was awaiting her arrival with the fourth clue in hand. The fourth clue had her drive a little further this time, to the place where I first said “I love you” to her. This was at Big Basin all the way out in the Santa Cruz mountains and waiting for her there was the only person I knew would go that far to help me with no questions, my best man, Joe Herring. Joe was waiting for her with the fifth and final clue which would lead her to me. The final clue read, “Go to the place where your mom said yes to your dad.”

I was waiting for Carrie at the Shadowbrook Restaurant in Capitola, CA. If you haven’t realized it yet, the reason I chose this restaurant is because it was where Carrie’s dad had proposed to her mom. The night and the setting were perfect and all I needed was to see Carrie start walk down those steps so I could ask her to spend the rest of her life with me. When I saw her, she looked beautiful, and I couldn’t keep myself from smiling. When she got to me I pulled her close, I kissed her on the forehead, and I told her I loved her. Then I made one of the biggest moves I have ever made…I got down on one knee. I looked into her eyes and I told her I would always love her and take care of her. I told her that I wanted to grow old with her and have a family with her. I told her that I loved her to the moon and back (cheesy i know) and then I said the six words that would change my life forever, I asked her, “Carrie Donohue, will you marry me?” Then I put the ring on her finger and she said yes! That day she made me the happiest man in the whole world and it was the greatest day of my life.”

-Jon

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