Marriage Proposal at Lincoln Park Conservatory in Chicago

If you don't know, I am engaged. About two years ago, my fiancé Cam swept me off my feet. He is always making me laugh and helping me enjoy each and every day. Now, let me tell you how he proposed.

When he popped the question, I was completely caught off guard. The proposal went down in Chicago on a snowy December night of last year.

It was a Saturday and we were both getting ready to go out. He told me his friend’s wife rented the Lincoln Park Conservatory to throw an epic surprise party for her husband. Little did I know, this “surprise party”-- which had been on our calendars for months-- was all a front!

As I was getting dolled up for this surprise party, Cam goes, “I think I’m going to propose to you in Thailand. Wouldn’t that be cool?”  

I’m like, “Shhh! don’t tell me that! I want to be surprised!” He is always too excited to keep a surprise a secret, so I totally bought that he was proposing on our trip, which was about two months away.

We arrived just as the Lincoln Park Conservatory in Chicago was closing, so it was emptying out. He led me through the rooms of tropical plants and flowers. When we got to this room filled with poinsettias - beautifully decorated for the holidays - I stopped.

“Wow, this is beautiful! I need to Instagram this.” (Typical.)

“Wait, wait,” he said. “Let’s just enjoy this for a moment.”

Then he started saying nice things to me. Really nice things. I’m like, “yeah, yeah I love you too.” Not quite getting it. Finally, he gets down on one knee and reaches for the ring. I look around like, Is this really happening? Is anyone else seeing this? Well, it really happened.

Of course, I said yes!

Serendipitously, there was a photographer nearby who was taking photos of the flowers. She learned what happened and offered to take our engagement photos on the spot. That’s how we ended up with all these professional photos! (Huge thank you to, Ashley Letourneau!)

Duped by Cam’s surprise party story, and with my brand new fiancé by my side, we grabbed a drink at Mon Ami Gabi across the street. It wasn’t long before he told me there was another surprise.

We made our way through the snow to North Pond, a lovely restaurant nestled in the middle of Lincoln Park (the actual park) which overlooks the Chicago skyline. While walking into the restaurant, I spotted two of my favorite people: my mom and dad.

I immediately started tearing up. My parents mean so much to me, so I was incredibly touched Cam included them. I gave my dad a big hug, and he congratulated me. I gave my mom a big hug, and she was confused.

“What happened? Why are you crying?” she asked.

It hit me. She had no idea Cam had just proposed! Cam and my dad wanted to surprise her too. I held up my hand to show her my ring. She burst into happy tears too. 

We had the most fabulous dinner together. Smiles, champagne, and so much love. Then with the snow falling around us, we basically danced our way to the cab. We were all so excited.

Cam sure did dupe me that night!  I never thought I’d like an engagement in such a public place, but I actually love how it all unfolded.  Years from now, we can walk through the conservatory and share our story with loved ones.