The Perfect Surprise Marriage Proposal

The day was October 12, 2018 when I left the jewelry store with a beautiful engagement ring in hand and my pockets a lot less lined. I’ve spent several months searching for the perfect bridal set that would compliment the beauty of my soon-to-be fiancée, Savannah, and I was extremely satisfied with the final product. However, as I walked away from the jewelry store thoughts of how the proposal will ultimately play out immediately entered my mind. While I have kicked around possible scenarios over the last year, I quickly realized the clock was now ticking and I needed to find a creative way to propose.

Typically, I spend a fair amount of time thoroughly researching topics, especially topics outside of my wheelhouse that require me to navigate through uncharted waters. However, instead of taking the aforementioned approach, I decided to think outside the box and spearhead the proposal plan without any assistance. Although there are countless websites that offer fantastic advice and unique ideas for marriage proposals I wanted to own it. I wanted it to be creative, romantic, and memorable. I wanted to incorporate elements that would capture what is meaningful in our relationship.

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We Met on the Social Network, Vine!

The year was 2013 when Savannah and I first met. Unlike the traditional methods used to foster new friendships, Savannah and I connected on the now defunct social network, Vine. If you are unfamiliar with Vine, it was a Twitter-owned social network where users shared 6-second looping video clips. Some users shared raw slices of their personal life while others leveraged the platform to showcase their creative talents.

I was a popular content creator at the time who enjoyed showcasing my stop-motion videos on the social network. My 6-second loops were viewed by millions and shared by thousands, including mainstream celebrities such as Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family) and Joe Jonas (Jonas Brothers). Savannah was a content consumer who often watched loops that included music, comedy, and fur babies. On occasion, she shared her own clips, but preferred viewing Vines of interest. Although we were on opposite sides of the content divide there was a common denominator that sparked our conversations – our love of dogs.

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Kahlua, The Praying Puppy!

Shortly after Kahlua was born I spent a few weeks teaching him tricks so he could showcase his talents to a variety of audiences – family, friends, social media followers, etc. Kahlua was a quick learner in his infancy so I often increased the degree of difficulty when teaching him tricks knowing he would rise up to the challenge. After working with Kahlua to perfect a handful of neat tricks, I began searching for “that one unique trick” that would deliver an overwhelming amount of cuteness while melting the hearts of many. “That one unique trick” was ultimately named the Praying Puppy!

The Praying Puppy showcases Kahlua and me praying before eating a meal together. The trick itself only has 3 components so it wasn’t difficult for Kahlua to learn. However, teaching an 11-week-old puppy a trick that includes placing a large bowl of delicious food in their face is challenging to some degree. Having said that, once all of the components were completed and stitched together the result was adorable.

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