Surprise Proposal in Italy

on March 24, 2023
in Marriage Proposals

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Surprise Proposal in Italy

We love a fairytale proposal story straight out of a book, don’t you? When we heard about Christian getting down on one knee in front of a castle, we knew that we wanted to feature the story of Nicolle and Christian’s surprise proposal in Italy.

Share with us when and how you met each other.

We met in late 2017 when we were both members of an organization in law school. I was actually one grade ahead of Christian and was his boss. We became friends during school events and eventually Christian got my number.

He used the excuse of needing to text me for school purposes, but he would actually text me about other things and our friendship started. He finally asked me out on our first date on March 29, 2018. The most important thing to our relationship’s success was becoming best friends before anything serious.

What are your favorite things to do together as a couple?

We love to do everything together! We picked up the hobby of playing tennis so we try to play on the weekends, but we enjoy any sport together. We also love going on date nights to get dinner and drinks, or even days where we just sit at home and binge watch shows.

How long were you together before getting engaged?

4 years

Share your marriage proposal story…

While on a trip with my family to Europe for my cousins wedding in Florence we decided to extend our trip to sight see. One week into our trip we were in a city called Cinque Terre, Monterosso, in Italy. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to, a beautiful beach town.

I love castles and everything about castle looking buildings. In Monterosso, there was a castle building created into a restaurant at the top of a hill and once I saw it, I really wanted to go up for a closer look. We ended up climbing up the hill to get to the top and Christian pulls me to the side and proposed with the castle building and the ocean in the background.

It turns out, he had already planned to propose at that location. I was so shocked and going through so many emotions, I blacked out. I don’t remember anything that he said during the proposal. He also blacked out from the nerves and emotions.

After I said yes and hugged him, I see a lady walk out of the bushes with a camera. Come to find out he hired a professional photographer in another country to capture our special moment! This made it even more special to get pictures afterward as a newly engaged couple. It was one of the best moments of my life that I wish I could repeat.

What was the best moment of your surprise proposal in Italy?

After all my crying and freezing up, being able to run into his arms and hug him as he was still down on one knee.

Who did you tell that you were engaged first?

Fortunately, my family was there to witness the proposal but the first 2 people I Facetimed were my 2 best friends Nicole and Mariela.

Tell us about the ring!

The ring is a simple gold band with an oval stone. I always told Christian that is what I wanted but he actually designed it himself and added a few touches that he liked.

He added a hidden halo around the stone and raised the diamond so there was a diamond on the center looking like a crown. He designed it with a jeweler named PJ Rossi and I am absolutely in love with my ring.

Nicolle wraps her hands around Christian's neck showing her engagement ring, a gold band with a single large oval diamond.

Photo by Meche Ausina Photography || Ring by P.J. Rossi Jewelers

What aspect of being engaged has surprised you the most?

That I am not as stressed planning the wedding or any events as I thought I would be or was warned about. It has been very smooth.

What have you enjoyed the most about being engaged?

I love being a fiancé and planning our upcoming events. I also love how being engaged has brought us closer together.

Couple walks hand in hand through a field smiling

Photo by Meche Ausina Photography

What are you most excited about wedding planning?

I cant wait to see my vision come to life! I have planned everything ahead of time and I am just excited and ready to get marrie. It has been so much fun doing research for ideas and deciding on ideas and color schemes etc. and I cant wait to see how everything is going to turn out the day of.

Christian carries his new fiancé, Nicolle, piggyback style.

Photo by Meche Ausina Photography

If you’ve already decided, when are you getting married and what is your venue?

We are getting married March 9, 2024 and our venue is called the Howey Mansion

Why did you choose that venue?

I originally wanted to have a destination wedding and wanted an Italian/Tuscan vibe venue, something classy and aesthetically pleasing. Unfortunately, we had to keep our wedding in the same state we live in so I did a lot of research on wedding venues all over Florida and once we saw Howey Mansion, I knew it was going to be the one. It has a perfect aesthetic and what I was looking for.

newly engaged couple embraces in a field at sunset.

Photo by Meche Ausina Photography

How many guests are you expecting?

100 or less

What’s your approach to your wedding budget?

We have organized a budget and have tried to negotiate with vendors, trying to save as much money as possible. But we also want to be able to make our wedding dreams a reality, so there are things we are willing to spend on and other things we have to compromise on.