Sam and Brittany met during their second year of law school. They were in the same Corporations class and ended up in the same study group. They challenged each other while studying for finals (i.e. Brittany was right and Sam was wrong) and laughed non-stop, which made the stress of law school finals much more tolerable. They had an unmistakable chemistry that drew them both in immediately.
During their first date in January 2016, Sam and Brittany were at an Italian restaurant past closing. As they were leaving, the owner asked them how many years they had been together. The owner was stunned to find out it was their first date because she said they seemed so natural together. From that point forward, the two of them were inseparable.
After graduating from Penn Law in 2017, they moved in together in New York City and both began working as corporate attorneys — I guess that Corporations class made an impression on them. Sam and Brittany traveled the world together and adopted a kitten named Dobby.
More recently, in the midst of the pandemic, Brittany and Sam moved to Boston so that Brittany can pursue her MBA at MIT. They also welcomed home a mini golden doodle, named Oscar de la renta, and have fallen more in love with each other (and their little fur babies) each day.
Sam and I decided to take a long vacation from work this year and chose to visit Italy for two weeks, followed by London for about a week. I was very busy at work in the months leading up, so Sam volunteered to plan our entire trip. A few of my friends texted me before we left, saying they thought Sam might propose, but I was certain he would not travel with an engagement ring for fear of losing it (or of me seeing it).
After two weeks of traveling through Venice, Tuscany and the Amalfi Coast, I was certain he did not have a ring with him. He was never concerned about his luggage and never used a safe to protect valuables. At one point we even lost our bags, but he was not phased.
When we got to London, Sam mentioned that his law firm had a relationship with the London Eye from hosting a number of events there, and that a partner he worked with made a call so that we could skip the long lines and get a private capsule. This was ideal so we could make the dinner reservation he had at a nice restaurant afterward.
When we walked into the reception area for the Eye, Sam mentioned his law firm's name at the desk and they issued him a corporate events ticket. Once through the ticket gate, a woman approached me and said she worked for the Eye and that they were filming some promotional footage on this gorgeous day (it was clear blue skies, which I am told is extremely rare in London). She noted that because it was just the two of us for a corporate event, they thought it might be a good opportunity to capture some footage. Sam and I agreed to let them come along, so we reviewed and signed her photo release form and headed up into the capsule.
Once we started ascending, Sam used his binoculars to view the river, while I was taking pictures and videos of the city on my phone. For context, he had told me the binoculars were for views in Positano (which we did use them for!). He acted as if he saw something really interesting and told me to come over and look through the magnified lenses.
Through the binoculars, I was able to see a large sign across the river that said, "Brittany, will you marry me?" in giant red lettering.
In complete shock, I turned around to find Sam on one knee and said the easiest "YES!" of my life.
But wait... there was more.
After I said yes, we cried and kissed, and then he asked me if I saw who was holding the sign. I once again looked through the binoculars to see my parents and Sam's parents holding the sign and jumping up and down across the river. He had flown them in from Iowa and Los Angeles! It was the most romantic, amazing and surreal moment of my life.
We met our parents at the bottom of the Eye and embraced, cried and laughed about all of the pieces of the puzzle that had come together for the perfect proposal. I was right that he did not bring the ring to Europe, but his mom had brought it instead. Sam had met my parents in our hotel lobby before the Eye (when he said he was grabbing coffee...) to ask their formal permission and also to get the ring. It was immediately apparent to me how much planning had been involved in this.
I later learned that Sam had been planning (and scheming with my dad) for six months. He had made up the whole story about his law firm and asked the Eye's reception desk to play along. The photographers did not even work for the Eye and the photo release form was also fake (it was drafted by Sam and my dad). Sam thought through every possible scenario and was prepared for it all - he even used geometry to figure out whether the sign would be viewable from the Eye and tested his theory in NYC skyscrapers.
Beyond the proposal, Sam also planned an incredible London vacation for the six of us, so for the next five days, we toured, ate and laughed our way through the city.
To say it was the proposal of my dreams does not do it justice. It was beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I cannot believe that this incredible story is ours and that I am lucky enough to spend the rest of my life with the man who made it all happen.