About Us Alan's Engagement Story While Viktoria's version is beautiful and touching, it unfortunately leaves out a few salient facts. While we did get engaged at a chi-chi hotel in South Beach, it was not that simple from my end. Originally, my plan was to place a diamond ring on her beautiful hand while on the beaches of Costa Rica during our December vacation. Until Viktoria reconsidered, and promptly canceled, that trip. So, I planned to surprise her in Montreal on our way to visit her mother for the holiday. We took a wonderful trip to Montreal earlier in our relationship and it was often cited as the place Viktoria finally knew that I was the person for her. Unfortunately, regardless of the excuses I created, she refused to go to Montreal as it "isn't that nice in the winter." Giving in, I decided to book a beautiful room at the nicest hotel in Ottawa and propose to her there. Until Viktoria changed her mind again and Ottawa was no longer on the agenda. Now I was frustrated, but how do you get angry at the woman of your dreams for just being herself? Well, I was getting close. Plan D into action. I had to go to Miami for work and knew Viktoria had never been to Florida. If I am planning it, I figured she would have less opportunity to screw up my plans. Boy, did I get that wrong. Starting with Montreal, my plan was always to get a beautiful hotel room, fill it with flowers, caviar, classical music and the like, and to propose on one knee. I always envisioned that I would pick the hotel and arrange everything with the concierge. Well, four Miami hotels later, after Viktoria kept changing her mind where she wanted to stay, we had settled on the Shore Club. Everything was arranged. What could possibly go wrong? It probably didn't help my nerves that Viktoria decided to take a bus to the airport and almost missed the last available flight to Miami. American Airlines and the weather also did me no favors by delaying the flight over 3 hours. By the time Viktoria landed, I had been waiting 9 months from the time I met her and a number of painful and nerve-wracking hours that particular day to finally tell the woman I loved that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. Anxious would be an understatement. Unlike Viktoria, I fell in love with her on the first date. And that first date almost didn't happen. Viktoria had to be convinced to go out with me. I was geographically undesirable. Didn't matter that I was more New York than her or Mayor Bloomberg. I was 3000 miles away and if it wasn't for some serious selling by her friends Karina, Caroline and Eva, that first date never would have happened. Once it did happen, it didn't take me long to realize she was smart, interesting and beautiful. She also had a carefree attitude surrounding a quirky nature that I found irresistible. When she grabbed my hand to walk home from the restaurant, I knew I had met the woman of my dreams. A continent away didn't seem that far after that as we both did our best to eliminate the distance. Amazingly, after I finally moved back to New York, we calculated that we had spent approximately 60% of the previous 7 months together, as my flexible job and her ability to sleep in coach allowed us to see each quite frequently. And learn more about each other than most couples who lived together for years ever experience. And the more I learned about Viktoria and the more time I spent with her, the more I loved her. Back in Miami, when Viktoria finally landed and we arrived at the hotel, I practically pushed her in the room and threw her towards the bed. Given the setting, she must have known I was going to propose or just figured that a flower shop had exploded in the room above us. My proposal was quick. I had waited long enough. "I am happier than I have ever been. Will you marry me?" Now, I have been told that many women forget that they have been asked a question. But it is somewhat disconcerting when they don't answer right away. Not that Viktoria didn't speak. Quite honestly, she probably said something quite beautiful and prophetic. It just didn't happen to start or end with "Yes". I inquired again. Whether it was my eyes that distracted her or the overwhelming smell of flowers, fish and soap, she finally realized that a question was pending and made me the luckiest man alive by saying "Yes." Read Viktoria's Engagement Story

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