We’re Engaged!

In case you missed it, COLIN AND I ARE ENGAGED!

We got engaged on October 18, 2020 at the top of Mount Munson in Penticton, BC. The proposal was absolutely perfect and I’ll share more about it, and my ring, below. But first, a little relationship history!

Or if you want to skip ahead, you can check out our wedding post from 2021!

Our relationship timeline:

Colin and I met online and went out on our first date in April 2015. We went to a frozen yogurt shop and ended up talking for hours – we stayed so long that the staff were stacking the chairs up around us. A few weeks later and we were officially in a relationship. That summer we met each other’s parents, and Colin came home to Toronto with me to meet the rest of my family. We also went to New York on our very first trip together.

In 2016 we travelled to Los Angeles with Colin’s mom but sadly faced some difficult times as well. Colin’s dad passed away in 2016, and we lost some other family members that year and the next. It was a painful time but I am so grateful we could be there for each other through all of it.

2017 was a big year of change for us! We moved in together, adopted our dog, Ellie, and then bought a condo. We also travelled to Mexico twice and San Francisco twice!

In 2018 we travelled to Ireland and Austin in the spring, and then London and Iceland in the fall. We also went back to Toronto for Christmas so Colin could experience the many dinners, lunches and brunches that make up my family’s Christmas celebrations.

Last year was another huge one for us. We travelled through Southeast Asia for three weeks on Colin’s first trip to Asia. We rented out our condo. And we moved to Prague! We travelled all throughout Europe, hosted our moms for a few weeks, and ticked lots of new countries and experiences off our bucket lists (drinking beers at Oktoberfest, sipping wine in Tuscany, eating pizza in Naples and exploring the cool city of Budapest, to name a few!).

2020 has been a year of many ups and downs for us. We got to travel with my siblings in Spain, visit Morocco and Slovenia, and be on House Hunters International. But we also had to cut our year abroad short and readjust to life in Vancouver in the middle of a pandemic. I don’t think 2020 has been anyone’s best year but there’s no one I’d rather be going through it all with than my fiancé (!!!), Colin.

All right, now that you’re all caught up, let’s get to the good stuff!

(Side note: Can we talk about Colin’s beard progression from New York 2015 to Oktoberfest 2019? Impressive!) 

Talking about marriage

Having been together 5.5 years and as co-owners of a dog and a house, marriage is definitely something Colin and I have been talking about for a long time. I’m a big believer in talking about and planning for the future – sometimes to the point that I get stuck there and forget about the present. But I do believe that couples should talk about marriage and their long-term plans. I hate the cliche of a woman waiting around for her boyfriend to propose and dropping hints about what ring she wants. We should all have a say in our lives. If you’re scared that talking about marriage will spook your partner, then maybe you’re not ready to get married.

So Colin and I have been discussing marriage, broadly at first, for years. We went from “if we get married…” to “when we get married…” conversations. We first started talking about marriage when we bought our condo together in 2017. We used to joke that it would be easier to get out of a marriage than out of a mortgage!

But our marriage conversations got more serious in the last year or so. In Prague, I remember talking to Colin about a timeline. When did we want to get married? When did we want to get engaged? Did we want children? Did we want to be married beforehand? From there, we talked more about the kind of wedding we wanted and even the kind of proposal. It was really reassuring to be able to have those conversations together and get on the same page.

The ring

From the start, I told Colin I did not want a diamond engagement ring. There were a few reasons for this. I don’t value them. Having a diamond isn’t important to me, so I didn’t want us to spend our money on it. I definitely wasn’t interested in a mined diamond, and even the lab-created ones were expensive. It wasn’t that we couldn’t save up and afford it; it’s that I rather we put that money elsewhere (like towards a dream trip!).

I also loved the idea of having a gemstone that was unique and non-traditional – a bit more like us. And I wanted it to be reasonably priced, so we wouldn’t have to take out a second mortgage if I ever lost it and needed it replaced.

But I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted. I would save photos I saw online and point out options to Colin when we passed jewelry stores. But I wasn’t 100% sure and I couldn’t expect Colin to read my mind. So it just made sense that we would go and look at rings together.

I know this isn’t for everyone, but I really loved looking at rings with Colin. It was helpful for me since I didn’t know what I wanted and needed to try them on. It was also really fun to get Colin’s opinion and see what stones and styles he liked. I loved that we both got a say in my ring and could pick it out together. If this is going to be the ring I wear for the rest of my life, I definitely wanted a say in choosing it.

We ended up choosing a pink sapphire ring on a rose gold band. I don’t know much about ring styles so I’ll say there are three stones: a larger rectangle stone in the middle and two triangular ones on the side. And I absolutely love it! I think the colour and the style are so pretty and so unique. I smile every time I look down at my finger.

The proposal

I had told Colin a long time ago that I wanted to get engaged on a trip. I loved the idea of getting engaged in a cool spot that we could go back to and visit over the years. I also loved the thought of us getting engaged just us two, without an audience, and that we could include our love of travel in our engagement.

Sadly, covid has ruined a lot of travel plans. We were supposed to be in Europe until this summer and I had been planning a trip to Japan and Taiwan for the fall. Would it have been cool to get engaged at the top of some European castle or in a bamboo forest in Japan? Of course! But we absolutely made the best of it.

We planned a weekend away to Penticton, BC – a small city in BC’s interior, about 4-5 hours from Vancouver. I had never been to Penticton and Colin pushed for that to be our long weekend destination, knowing I would appreciate a proposal in a new place.

On our second day in Penticton, we drove up to Mount Munson to take in the views of the city, the mountains and the lake. Given that it was a cool day in mid-October, we pretty much had the place to ourselves. On the short walk to the peak, we ran into a few people on their way down and one family at the top.

Once we got to the top, Colin lingered. He said he wanted to wait for the family to leave so we could appreciate the view. I had a feeling he might have something up his sleeve, so I agreed. Eventually, the family left and we had the entire mountaintop to ourselves. The views really were stunning. I stared forward to take them in. And when I turned around, Colin was on one knee.

Right away, my eyes welled up with tears. Even though I knew a proposal was coming and even though I had chosen the ring with him, the moment was still so special and so emotional. Colin was shaking (though he swears he wasn’t nervous!). He had the ring in one hand and his phone, where he had written his proposal speech, in the other. Colin read me the sweetest proposal speech as tears streamed down both our cheeks. Finally, he asked the question and, of course, I said yes!

Before he could put the ring on, I leaned down to kiss him. He stood and we wrapped each other in the biggest hug, pulling apart only for a moment to sneak in a few more kisses and I love you’s. Wiping away our tears, I gave Colin my hand and he put the ring on. It looked even better than I had remembered and I was so excited to finally have it on my finger.

I was amazed that we still had the mountaintop to ourselves. We took a few tear-stained selfies with the view and scooped up Ellie, who had no idea what was going on, for a few family photos. Cameras and hearts full, we walked back down the mountain. The path was a bit steep so Colin had to take my hand, my left hand, and I smiled like a giddy child watching the ring sparkle.

After a few more moments of soaking it all in, we called our parents and sent texts to some friends. It was so exciting to share the news and have people be so excited for us. We celebrated our own way – not with a fancy dinner or party but with a spontaneous craft beer pub crawl followed by take-out sushi dinner in bed while watching Schitt’s Creek. It was us, and it was perfect.

What’s next?

Well, eventually, a wedding!

For now, we’re just enjoying our engagement. We had a blast telling friends and family. I loved seeing my parents’ reactions on video calls and hearing from loved ones who were so excited for us. It’s been fun showing off the ring, calling each other “fiancé” (though we often opt for “betrothed” because we’re hilarious like that), and thinking about our wedding.

Not much has changed, as we already live together, but there is an excitement and lightness in the air that 2020 desperately needed. I get a little grin every time I look down at my ring and think back on our perfect proposal.

Colin and I have always wanted a small wedding and, with covid, that seems to be the best choice right now. Since we want to keep things small and fairly casual, I can’t see us needing years to plan, so I imagine we’ll get married sooner rather than later. But who knows? Nothing is set in stone yet, and we’re wanting to keep flexible given pandemic restrictions.

And if you know me, you know the part of the wedding I really care about is the honeymoon, anyway! New Zealand anyone?

2021 update: We got married!