After receiving Myosia’s engagement ring from the jeweler in early February of 2016, the clock was on for me to figure out when, where, and how I wanted to propose. I didn’t feel comfortable walking around with the ring everywhere I went, and I hated the idea of her accidentally coming across it before I popped the question. I had to act fast.
Since this was February, I thought that Valentine’s day would be the perfect day to propose. That year, Valentine’s Day fell on a Sunday and the following Monday was President’s Day, a work holiday. After thinking through a number of ideas and bouncing them off of a few friends, I decided that proposing at The Driskill would be the way to go. After all, we had met right across the street from that hotel and if I could secure a room overlooking that very spot, it’d be perfect.
I got on the phone with the Driskill reservations team and told them that I wanted to propose at their hotel. Though the 14th also happened to fall during the weekend of the Austin Marathon, they worked miracles to ensure that we had a suite overlooking the very location we met, balcony and all.
After securing the venue, I had to figure out how I was going to go about decorating the space and getting Myosia there without her suspecting a thing. Since she had mentioned that she had always wanted to go on a carriage ride through downtown Austin, I figured that I’d get us a reservation at our favorite restaurant (Truluck’s), pedicab to the Driskill where the carriage ride pick-up and drop-off were, and then end the night at The Driskill. I knew that it’d be perfect!
After buying all the roses, champagne, candles, and printing out photos from our years together, I had to figure out where to keep them in my apartment without Myosia knowing that they were there. It was a struggle, but I somehow kept everything under wraps. Whew! The day of, we were suppose to hang out all afternoon. I made up some excuse as to why I had to leave and told her that I’d pick her up later on that evening.
I rushed home, got dressed, and loaded up my car with all the supplies. Once at the hotel, three members of the concierge team graciously helped me prepare the room. As things started to come together, I was getting increasingly nervous. Luckily, the Driskill bar makes an excellent Old Fashioned so that helped calm my nerves a bit.
I Uber’ed back to Myosia’s apartment to pick her up, instructing the driver to not mention that he picked me up at The Driskill, and we made our way to Truluck’s. After our delicious dinner and a short pedicab over to The Driskill, she was surprised that we’d be taking a carriage ride. She said that it was her best Valentines ever. She hadn’t seen anything yet!
After getting back to The Driskill, I suggested that we go inside to explore and grab a drink at the hotel bar. Despite us both being regulars downtown, we’d never actually gone into the hotel together. As we sauntered up the grand staircase, I suggested that we go and explore the second floor foyer. As we took in the ambiance, I was able to get her to follow me to the entrance of the suite, where I quickly ducked inside to make sure that everything was ready. I could hear her calling my name confusingly, thinking that I was trespassing. I eventually emerged from the suite and asked her to follow me in. Initially, she refused, but I told her to trust me.
Judging by her reaction, she was very, very surprised. After the tears of joy started to flow as she looked around the room at the photos that I’d hung up, I quickly reached into the dresser and grabbed the engagement ring. She was still thinking that all of this was just for Valentine’s Day, but I told her it wasn’t, and dropped to a knee. She said yes.
– Paul