- I’ve known my husband was the person I wanted to marry since we met.
- He knows me so well and proposed to me in a library without saying a word.
- He also secretly filmed our engagement, and I’ll treasure the video forever.
Dean and I met in 2014 and had been together nearly 10 years by the time he proposed. We shared a mortgage, a cat, and a perfect life. I’d known I’d marry him from the moment we met, and started a wedding Pinterest board almost immediately (yes, it was every bit as cringey as you can imagine).
I impatiently and impulsively proposed to him in 2020 — drunkenly, over New Year’s karaoke — which he (rightfully) declined because it was the one traditional thing he wanted to do, and he wanted to wait until our finances were in a better place for the wedding of our dreams.
When he proposed to me, I didn’t know what was happening at first
For my 30th birthday that year, he’d booked us a weekend stay at Gladstone Library, which we ended up having to postpone due to the pandemic. Instead, my birthday was spent holed up in our home with my dad, who was staying with us in our “bubble,” and we drank Aperol Spritzes — a much more muted celebration.
When the pandemic died down, Dean rebooked our stay for August 4, 2023, deciding it was the perfect time to propose, and we made our way to Wales. The venue was spectacular — he knows I’m a bookworm and love being surrounded by old books.
And man, were there books. Everything from dusty, leather-bound copies of Chaucer to modern feminist essays — I was home.
While I was gazing at some Shakespeare, he beckoned me over to a little nook he’d found, pointing to a book he wanted me to look at. Even from a few feet away, it looked different from the other books in the library, and I gave him a puzzled look as I headed over, wandering away from a dusty copy of Hamlet. Exasperated, he silently gestured for me to pick up the book and look inside.
It was a ring-bound scrapbook, with “The road so far” written on the cover — when we’d met, we were both watching Supernatural, and the first thing he’d asked me was whether I prefer Sam or Dean. (Contrarian that I am, I replied with Castiel.) If you’re not a hardcore fan, “The road so far” is basically Supernatural‘s own “Previously on…” title card, recapping what’s happened before each new season, set to ‘”Carry on My Wayward Son” by Journey. It’s every bit as nerdy as you can imagine.
Courtesy of Tassia O’Callaghan
When I opened the book, I was met with dozens of photos of the two of us together, memories from the past 10 years.
Reader, at this point, I’m ashamed to say that I hadn’t clocked where this was going.
I took my time with each photo, silently reminisced (we were in a library, after all), and pointed at his (admittedly sparse) spelling mistakes. After 20 pages of memories, I reached the final page.
He’d attached the engagement ring (a stunning, minimalist white gold band with three diamonds — elegant and understated; he knows me) and written, “Will you marry me?” There was no getting down on one knee, no grand gesture, just us.
My heart leaped in my chest, I looked up at him, tears welling in my eyes, and mouthed the words “Hell, yes!” as I’d practiced so many times in the mirror, putting the ring on as quickly as my trembling hands would let me.
It was the perfect proposal for us
Little did I know, he’d recorded the whole thing, positioning his phone in the corner of the nook, capturing every bizarre facial expression and cheesy thumbs-up to the camera after we officially became engaged.
I don’t think any of the students or readers in the library had any idea something so amazing was happening around them — it really was just us.
My favorite part? Just as I got to the final page, Dean looks to the camera, a mix of nervousness, excitement, and coyness. It’s the only time I’d seen him nervous — except, of course, our wedding day.
I got to planning immediately, and we set a date for our wedding the next day. We married on February 2, 2024, the day after our 10th anniversary — the perfect day.
I couldn’t wish for a more perfect proposal from my husband; every detail was so us. It goes to show that the best proposals are every bit as unique as the couple.
