Engaged in the Caribbean
Our engagement happened on the 13th of February, 2018, and it was the most beautiful surprise of my life. We were in Sint Maarten on a trip that changed everything, not just because of the proposal, but also because it was during this trip that we decided this island would be our future home. We had been looking for the perfect place to start our dream dive shop focused on sharks and research, and we found it here. We didn’t know it yet, but a little while after moving, we would start what is now SXM Divers.
That day, we were supposed to fly out of Sint Maarten. We were on the way to the airport when suddenly Dan kept driving past it. I was so confused! Then he stopped in Pelican Key, right in front of a hotel, where a man was waiting for me… to do my nails! Dan knows me so well. He knew I would want pretty nails for our engagement (and he was so right). After that, someone took me to a hotel room where two massage therapists were waiting. We had the most relaxing couples massage ever. I was already in heaven.
Right after the massage, Dan told me to get ready because we were going out for dinner. I started to feel excited… I thought, “This might be it!” But with Dan, you never really know. He’s spontaneous and has surprised me many times before.
We took a taxi to a really cool restaurant called Emilio’s, which is in an old stone house full of history. The restaurant is located in what used to be a plantation house from the 18th century, and now it’s a beautiful and cozy place full of charm. You can really feel the island’s past and soul there.
After we ate and ordered dessert, Dan took out a book he had made for me. It was full of pictures and little texts from all the trips and adventures we’d done together. He wrote why he loves me, how we met, and all the memories we’d made. It was so beautiful and made me cry. When I got to the last page, there was a picture of our first home together (a beautiful apartment we looked at), and it said, “Will you marry me?” That’s when Dan got down on one knee and took out a red box with the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen. I couldn’t believe it! I felt so happy and surprised.
And then, he gave me one more surprise… Letters from my mom, my dad, my brother, and even from my in-laws. They all knew, and they wrote me beautiful things that made me feel like they were there with me. Dan really knows how much family means to me. I felt so loved.
After that night, we started dreaming and planning our wedding…
