Chris and I had known each other for several years and became friends a year before we officially started dating. Life got the best of us, and we didn’t reconnect until May 7, 2023, at Gini Fest, an Armenian wine festival. Later that week, we spent hours sitting on the bench outside Salt & Straw in Old Town Pasadena, catching up and talking about Lebanon, work, and everything in between. That’s when we both just knew it would all begin again.

On Monday of Memorial Day Weekend, my friend suggested we have a picnic at Lacy Park, a place that’s special to both me and Chris. I thought something seemed a little suspicious, but I tried convincing myself otherwise. When we arrived at the park, she mentioned there was a rose garden where we should have our picnic. We walked into the garden, and as I rounded the corner, I saw Chris and the setup he had arranged with my girlfriends. It was more beautiful than anything I could have imagined or dreamed of. The timing felt even more magical because May 27, 2024, the day we got engaged, marked exactly one year since Chris and I went to Lacy Park for one of our first dates -- but this time around, it was to begin our forever.

After the proposal, Chris and I had some time alone at the park, but he mentioned we had “dinner reservations.” Before heading to dinner, we decided to make a pitstop at my cousin’s for a "Memorial Day BBQ" to share the news, since I thought no one knew. But when we walked in, I was completely surprised by an engagement party with so many of our family and friends. Chris and my entire family had worked together to keep it all a secret, pulling off the perfect surprise! <3