The Credits (E10)

And here we are, at the end (middle?) of the road.

Scariest Road in Iceland

This blog series, the proposal, my plan, and the Iceland trip wouldn't have been possible without help from so many important people.

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The Angeles Family

Kristine

Thank you for helping me design the ring,  and for being my confidant while April was in the shower or whenever we had any alone time together. You were the only one we both knew I could talk to in person about it.

Nikki

Thank you for spending Thanksgiving in the Bay Area with me and Kristine. It really did feel like we were already family when we whipped up those carne asada fries and watched Friends' Thanksgiving episodes all day.

April's parents

Thank you for picking up the phone and for listening to what I had to say. I'm very grateful that you are supportive of our relationship and that you would be willing to travel anywhere to see us get married. Thank you for keeping it a secret (from April) all this time, and thank you for telling the extended family!

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Our friends

Albert

Thank you for being my main man for bouncing ideas off of and for telling me of your own "plans." All of our g-chat sessions made it easier for me to plan this engagement and ultimately the wedding.

Winston

Thank you for hosting us in Taiwan. Thank you for hosting me those nights when I was drunk or when we had to pull all nighters. And thanks for coming with Albert to our marathon so that I could play guitar and ask April to be my GF while you guys held up those signs haha.

Noel

Thank you for being April's sister from another mister. You guys seemed to click even before you officially met (I recall April telling me a story about how she heard that another girl from SF was at the Tokyo JET orientation and how she was already excited to meet you). See you soon!

Ayumi

Thank you for befriending us while we lived in Japan. Without you, our experiences in Japan wouldn't have been as amazing as they were. You are really becoming quite the world traveller!

Stephanie

Thank you for being our neighbor and friend. And thank you for helping us out whenever we needed random stuff (e.g. internet, burgers, ramen, schedules, translating Japanese letters...). We hope to see you in Iceland next year!

Aki

Thank you for being an awesome friend, neighbor, and climbing buddy. You are always down for anything when it comes down to it. Thanks for your kind words and for helping us (mostly me) really get into studying Japanese. It's crazy how we met in Japan but still hang out back in the states.

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My Family

Mom, Dad, and Ate

Thanks for all of your support with my decision to ask April to marry me, and for being on-board with our Iceland wedding plans. It'll be a fun vacation! We haven't been on one together since I was 4 years old. It's long overdue!

Cousins

You guys are awesome. Gener, stay in school. Jonah, don't do drugs. Please come to Iceland if you can! If not, we can hang out in SD.

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Iceland Crew

Mark Andrew

You are the most amazing photographer I know. Thank you for coming on this trip and making our engagement ridiculously beautiful. Looking to see you in SD and then next year when you're taking our pictures at our wedding!

Edward

Old friend, thank you for capturing the proposal on video and for being my friend since preschool. Also, thank you for agreeing to be my best man (YOU SAID YES), and for being awesome. Kymmi!

Kevin

Thank you for fulfilling your lifelong dream of coming to Iceland and sharing that with us. I'm convinced that you need to move to Iceland and live there for a couple of years. You would fit in perfectly. You learned like half the language while we were there and you already have a network! See you at our wedding!

We have to go back here!

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Old friends

Lastly, thank you to everyone who congratulated us. I never expected the reaction we received when April posted on Facebook last week. I haven't talked to some of you in years, yet you took the time to reach out to me. Thank you so much! It really means a lot.

Thank you for reading this series of blog posts! I'll be blogging again soon.

<3 Brian

The Messages (E9)

None of this would have been possible without the help of many friends and family. Here are a few things some of them had to say upon finding out I was going to ask April to marry me:

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Noel

Friday, April 10th, half asleep, while reviewing Facebook, I saw out of the corner of my eye, a photo of Brian down on bended knee. I immediately jumped out of bed and shrieked. For those that know me, this can be very loud and high pitched. I investigate further to view more photos, and of course, wanted to know what the ring looked like! My heart filled with joy. I immediately texted April I was up to speed, as well as express my utter adoration of her and Brian's relationship.

I had the pleasure of knowing April and Brian in Fukushima, Japan. April was my instant best friend and family. After a few short months in Japan, April told me her boyfriend, Brian, would be joining us. Slightly nerved, I feared I would lose my best friend and was unsure of our new dynamic. Brian's infectious laugh melted any trepidation away. Brian instantly felt like another friend I had known my whole life, as I did with April. We shared our love for Bay Area music, cooking, and adventure. We all went on road trips and even ventured to Korea together. As I got to know Brian more, I knew how right they were for each other.

I used to ask April pretty regularly when she thought she would marry Brian, as April and I shared a love for planning the future. "Spring wedding? Do you want to own a house first? Would it be in San Diego?? What do you want to spare expense on and what are your must haves?" April and Brian have thousands of incredible photos together that capture their travel experiences, love of nature and running. It was fitting, Brian hired a talented photographer to capture the engagement, which couldn't have been more spot-on with what April would want. April and Brian are a beautiful balance and am thrilled to celebrate their engagement!

"Actually, the best gift you could have given her was a lifetime of adventures.

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Edward

Brian was down in San Diego during Christmas time when he told us that he was planning to propose to April in Iceland.  Ironically, April was the one to invite us on the trip without knowing Brian's true intentions!  I felt really excited to be involved with planning the proposal; it added another layer of anticipation for our Iceland getaway.

Without being able to scope out a proper location for the proposal, we had to rely more on our instincts to determine the perfect moment; Brian was so eager to make it happen, but I kept telling him to be patient.  At the beginning of our trip we endured a few setbacks, but the night of the proposal felt like pure redemption.  The clear sky allowed the stars and the Northern Lights to create the perfect backdrop.  Being able to witness the proposal in tandem with the dazzling array of lights elevated our already high spirits.

An engagement is a big deal and I know that Brian isn't the type to rush to such a decision.  I was fortunate enough to travel with them this year a few times and see them together as a couple, but also as a great opportunity to get to know April better.  However, in our brief time together, it felt as if I had already known her for years!  April and Brian share the same kindness and warmth; they just fit together.  You'd have a hard time finding two people more deserving of each other.

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Albert

First off, congratulations to you guys! That was an epic proposal and I'm so happy for  both of you, looking forward to Summer of 2016!

I remember the day Brian told me he was planning to propose to April, I had actually messaged him first to tell him about I was planning to propose to my own girlfriend. I believe we were both mind blown when we told each other our plans. I was waiting for him to say "BAZINGAH!". That didn't happen! And then I learned about Iceland =)

Not only had we started grad school at the same time, sort of finished at the same time, endured countless projects and long nights of studying with Fast Delivery Pizza and 7-11 coffee, and hung out in Japan, but now we were buying rings from the same Mom+Pop shop for our girlfriends and proposing to them....almost at the same time.

I honestly couldn't ask to share something like this with anyone else. I consider Brian to be one of my closest friends, even though we don't see each other as much anymore as we did during grad school days, but when we do hang out it feels like just yesterday we were catching baseballs in the quad in between class.

It's been an interesting ride of my own since I'd realized, and having someone going through the same ride to talk to has made it even more memorable.

You guys are an amazing team and I'm sure you guys will have a ton of memorable adventures ahead! I hope to hear all about them from you when we're hanging out on the porch in Hawaii, attempting to do Parkour or something. Congrats again!

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Winston

How I feel when B told me he was going to propose to A?
One Sunday evening Brian, Ashley and I went to have dinner at a Chinese Restaurant in Oakland. He told us that they were planning to go to Iceland. Of course I asked, WHY! Isn’t it super cold?! That is when he told us his special plan for April.

I have known Brian since the first few days of grad school. Routinely, Brian would come to my place to hangout, do school work / workout / Starcraft LAN with his buddies. One of these days, the hopeless romantic Brain told us that he can’t hangout on the weekend.
ME: How come :<? Brian: I am going to see April.

AHH… we all knew that he is seeing someone special.

In 2013 we visited Taiwan together. That is when I get to know April better. She is smart, easy going, knowledgeable and easy to talk to. She is very adventurous, not yet one time she complained about the food, or the crazy truck ride up and down a treacherous mountain, where 4 of us we were rolling side to side, back and forth in the back of the truck.

So back to the question: How I feel when B told me he was going to propose to A?
I felt happy for my buddy Brian when he told me the arrangement. What came up in the back of my mind is the first time I met April at one of Brian’s guitar performance; you don’t need a PHD in Romantic Studies to see that they belong together. I saw so much passion, admiration, and love just by the way she looked at him.

Congratulations to you both!

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Aki

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Stephanie

I was scrolling down my Facebook feed half-asleep on the train to work, and I saw amazing photos of April and Brian looking all lovey-dovey. They were so beautiful I was about to teasingly comment “These look like someone’s super awesome engagement photos! (winky face)” until I hit the ring picture and realized that that was what they were! I stopped myself from screaming in joy on the train and let my feelings flow on a most incomprehensivemessage (mostly in caps) on the album, but I really was so happy that it was impossible to contain it in one message. I only knew April and Brian for about a year while they were in Japan, but they’ve become dear, dear friends of mine—I’m sure they understood through my typos and excessive exclamation marks that I was truly, truly happy for them. I remember a conversation April and I had on the difficulties of keeping in touch with people exclusively linked to certain “chapters” of your life, and I want to prove to both April and Brian that this neighbour in your Japan chapter will definitely make a reappearance in your life, on your big day, the beginning of your next chapter in life. Can’t wait to see you guys again!

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Ayumi

I was not surprised, just thought " the time has come." I already know he is the best man for my best friend.

2人の婚約を知ったとき、驚きませんでした。ただ、その時がきたと思いました。彼は私の親友にベストな人だとすでに知っているから。

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Kristine

Hi Ate! 

We just wanted to say congratulations again! We've actually known since Thanksgiving. While the two of us and Brian hung out that weekend you were gone, and made Carne Asada fries for Thanksgiving dinner, he told us the big news! &honestly, we already feel like family with him ..so we were so excited to hear it was going to be official. 

Also, there were numerous occasions that I almost let the secret slip. I'm so happy that the proposal went perfectly!  Happy engagement!

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Nikki

Congrats Ate!!! 

When Brian told us during Thanksgiving that he was planning to propose, I was literally screaming with excitement afterwards. I'm so happy for the two of you and excited for Brian to be a part of our family. Can't wait to see what else lies in store for you two. Love you sis and happy engagement!!

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April's Dad

Congratulations! I can’t find the words to express how happy I am that you have made a commitment to love, nurture, and cherish each other. Mom and I will always be here to guide you when you need us as you tackle each challenge. We will always be here to celebrate with you each and every milestone you achieve. We will always allow you to grow and learn more about life. May God be in the center of your lives at all times. 

Dad

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April's Mom

It was such a wonderful news when Brian called and told us about his plan. Thank you Brian for asking our blessings to marry April, we feel very honored! Sorry but I got excited and had to share it with Bless - April's Ninang and my bestfriend and all her Tita's in the Phil 😊 - they're all very happy and excited as well. tita Lloyd has been texting me everyday this week and checking if Brian proposed already..

Congratulations!! May your love for one another only strengthen as you take the next step of marriage. May God continue to bless both of you. Brian, thank you for taking care and loving our daughter...  

Mom

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Thank you everyone for your words and your time!

<3 Brian

The Post-Proposals (E8)

In the wake of the proposal, marriage ideas started flowing from everyone in the group.

Originally, we were thinking of having our ceremony done at the Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland followed by a reception on the docks at Lake Chalet. While it's still a wonderful idea, the thought of planning a wedding there is stressful to us. We have to pay for however many people we want to come, we'd need flowers, a fancy dress, etc. Again, I have nothing against traditional weddings but ultimately this just wasn't representative of "us."

So when the idea of a destination wedding in Iceland popped up, we rode that wave. Suddenly, we were both excited to plan something we could incorporate into our summer vacation plans next year. During our trip, we found out that Icelandic Airlines offers a layover up to 7 days in Iceland whenever you book a trip to/from Europe (http://www.icelandair.us/flights/stopover/). Based on this, we decided to plan an Iceland wedding layover with a honeymoon in Europe. As I mentioned, wedding ideas just started flowing:

• Small ceremony with family and friends who would be able to make it
• Small celebrations in the Bay Area and San Diego for those who wouldn't be able to make it
• A "group activity" instead of a reception >>A hike, whale-watching cruise, sledding, etc.
• Ideas for the invitations/giveaways which I will keep a secret until the wedding!
• Outdoorsy wedding wear
• Midnight Sun wedding?! (From May - August in Iceland, the sun is out 24/7).

And as we listed these ideas, April told me she was relieved/extremely happy to know that I had been planning to propose to her all this time. I felt bad that I had to pull a Chandler for so long, but am very happy it all worked out in the end. The thing is, I'm already used to the idea of being engaged to her because I had been planning it since October of last year. For April, it's still settling in. She told me she's still getting used to the idea of bringing up wedding plans to me because she was so afraid of scaring me away 0_0.

In truth, she brought up the idea of marriage back while we were in Japan, about one year ago. I'm the type of person that needs time to digest these types of things. Reflecting back on our initial conversations, I know now that I just needed to be headed in a good direction in my career, comfortable with my money, and just level-headed overall. I already knew I wanted to marry April, it was just a matter of making these other things happen. I guess this is my actions in the past 6 months led April to believe that I just didn't want to get married. I think she knew that I was becoming more financially stable and that I liked my job, so she was saying to herself, "What else does he need?!" Well, I'm extremely satisfied with the results and I hope she forgives me for having to keep her in the dark for so long (<3 <3 <3 :D :D :D).

The next couple of days after the proposal consisted of talking about the Iceland wedding, realizing that we are now fiance and fiancee, and continuing our adventure.

Seljalandsfoss (our first stop the day after we got engaged)

Moments before reaching the glacier

Yeah! 

Ice Climbers!

Behind Seljalandsfoss

At the original geyser, Geysir

 Moments after Geysir erupted (correct terminology?)

View of Geysir from afar

Skógafoss (One last waterfall)

All photos were taken by Mark Andrew Gonzales. Follow his photography at

markandrewg.com

The Videos (E7)

So I didn't include a video of the proposal in my last post because I wanted to group it as a part of this one. I wanted to further convey how lucky we actually were to see the aurora. I mean it seemed like every 30-60 minutes the weather would change. It would be sunny with clear skies, then snowy with crazy winds which meant that it hurt to get hit with that snow. Over the mountains, we would often get hit with blizzard winds and have 0 visibility. A couple of times, we had to slow to a crawl just to be able to see the reflective posts 5 feet in front of us to make sure we were heading in the right direction. And sometimes, it felt like we were driving in the clouds.

Driving in the clouds...

Going down a hill on a gravel road

Stumbling across an old dwelling in the rain at the bottom of that hill.

Sledding in Isafjordur (while it was snowing)

More sledding (Edward looks like he almost went over the edge 0_0)

Even the day of the proposal, we drove through very windy and snowy conditions. When we started hiking to see a waterfall, it was still very snowy and windy.

April dancing on the way to Svartifoss

It wasn't until we started hiking to the glacier some 2 hours later that it started to clear up.

On the way to Skaftafellsjökull (Skaftafell Glacier)

By the time we got back to the car, the skies were 70% clear. And by the time we got back to the cabin, it almost looked like we were in California (emphasis on "looked." It didn't feel like we were in California). When we drove out to a darker spot away from the town to have a better view of the aurora, I really couldn't believe how clear the skies were. It really felt like a sign.

Thanks for taking video Edward!

We didn't have another night with clear skies on the trip. In fact, on that particular night every other part of Iceland was covered in clouds. If you looked at the aurora forecast, only the southeastern tip (where we were) was clear.

Here's what April had to say:

Focus on how clear that night was. Andrew took some amazing pictures of the aurora. A couple of days (and a few miles) later, here's what it looked like when we went on a guided glacier tour:

Lastly, I just wanted to share this cool ladder that allowed you to get up close and personal with this particular waterfall. A little background on getting to this ladder: We basically had to rockclimb/hike for 10 minutes to even each this point. There were chains that you could hold on to, but a couple of the bolts on them were rusted and one wasn't even anchored.

April climbing the ladder

The view of the waterfall from the top of the ladder

Around the corner from the rocks you had to climb to get to the ladder, there was a cave where you could see the bottom of the waterfall.

Here's Kevin in that cave (courtesy of markandrewg.com)

Edward took this shot of us in the cave

Iceland weather, you crazy.

#whatareyouwaitingfor

The Proposal (E6)

Everything was in place. We arrived in Iceland Saturday morning, got the rental car, and met up with the 5th person in our party. From there, the adventure commenced.

Plan A was to do it under the northern lights. After doing some research, we discovered that the usual time frame for viewing the aurora is between November and March. April (the month) was on the back end of that so I wasn't super confident that we'd be able to stick with the original plan (more on that later).

Plan B was to do it at an epic location: a waterfall, an ice cave, a glacier, etc. When we arrived at our first sightseeing spot, April uttered these words: "This is epic!" We were at Gulfoss Waterfall in the Golden Circle. I was very tempted to drop down and propose right then and there, 4-5 hours after arriving in Iceland. This temptation was heightened when Andrew offered to take our picture in a "couple-y" fashion.

Gulfoss Waterfall

April later told me that in this moment she thought to herself, "This would be a nice place for a proposal..." But due to my Chandler-esque tactics, she knew that that wouldn't happen because she thought that marriage wasn't even on my radar! Edward talked me out of doing it at this location, saying that I should just wait. We had 7 whole days to see if the northern lights could happen after all.

To check on our chances, we stumbled across this website: http://www.northernlightsiceland.com/northern-lights-forecast/

The website says that you need a combination of dark clear skies, particles of solar wind, and good luck. Using satellites, particle fluxes headed for Earth from the Sun can be monitored and can predict when aurora are more likely to appear 2-3 days before they arrive. This forecast is expressed on the quasi-logarithmic Kp-index which is a numerical scale from 0 to 9. About 90% of the time, it is 0-4 and only reaches 7-9 1% of the time. The map shows cloud cover in 3 tiers, lower clouds, middle clouds, and high clouds. White represents clear skies and Dark green represents complete cloud cover. The website claims that even a forecast of 2 can be beautiful while 3 can be dazzling. So we were hoping that we could be at the right place at the right time with a 2-3 forecast.

Day 3 of our trip provided such an opportunity. The forecast said that there would only very little low cloud cover where we were at the time (Western fjords), and it was a 2. Based on a suggestion given to us by the information desk in our little town, we made our way up a mountain around 11:30 pm. The skies were relatively clear but minutes after we arrived, snow flurries began hitting us from up the mountain. We decided to try and wait it out in a nearby tunnel, and Andrew took these beauties in the meantime.

The snow was relentless and we eventually gave up our hopes that night. The proposal had to wait.

At this point, I was banking on seeing the northern lights 3 days later in a southern city called Vik. The cloud cover looked minimal and the forecasts called for a 3. All the other nights on our trip looked like they would be extremely cloud-covered.

On the day that originally forecast a 3 with little cloud clover, I checked the website again. To my surprise, the forecast was changed to a 5 and our area showed no cloud cover at all! Are you kidding me?! a 5?! Remember that anything greater than a 4 only ever popped up about 10% of the time. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Despite visiting a few more epic locations that day (as shown below), I held out for that night.

Svartifoss Waterfall at Skaftafell 

Skaftafellsjökull (Skaftafell Glacier)

We arrived back at our Airbnb right before nightfall. I checked the forecast one more time. It was still at 5, and the skies looked clear between midnight and 3 am. The stage was set. On our way back to Vik (a little town in South Iceland), we scouted some locations just outside of the town where it would be darker. As we made our way there, the sun was setting (keep in mind that the sun sets between 10 and 11 pm during this time in Iceland). And faded shades of green started to appear in the sky. My heart was racing and so was Edward. He was driving the car and we were all eager to get to our destination and finally see the phenomenon.

When we arrived at our little lookout spot, an RV was already there and the couple that owned it was already set-up with a tripod and camera. We got out of the car and looked up. Shades of green, purple, and white flowed in the sky.

The sun was still setting, yet we could already see that this was going to be beautiful. Once it got completely dark, we started taking group pictures.

After one of these group pictures, the plan was set into action. Edward started filming with my camera, Kevin held up a flashlight, and Andrew took pictures while I started singing "The Way You Look Tonight." Halfway into the first verse, I changed the lyrics:

April, will you be my love

Here forever more

Will you be my one and only

Will you please marry me.

As I sang those last words, I dropped down to one knee. April started crying and silently nodded. I cheered in joy.

Dancing and Singing

Getting down on one knee

Taking the ring out (it's hard with snow gloves!) 

Opening the box 

Placing the ring on April's finger 

Yeah!

After the proposal, April was surprised to hear that I had been planning this for 6 months, that I'd told all the most important people in her life, and that I had been pulling a half-Chandler all this time (not full Chandler because I DID at least give a timeline for when I wanted to get married. Chandler just said he didn't believe in marriage at all). I explained most if not all the secrets I could while Andrew took a couple more shots.

The next day, we found out from one of the locals that Vik is one of the most unlikely places to see the northern lights because it's usually covered in clouds. Well this particular night, it happened to be the only part of Iceland that WASN'T covered in clouds. It almost seemed like fate that a 5 forecast with no cloud cover would happen in one of the most unlikely places.

Mission Accomplished

All photos were taken by Mark Andrew Gonzales. Follow his photography at

markandrewg.com

The Ring (E3)

Things you need before you ask a girl to marry you:

1) Her mutual feelings for you
2) Engagement ring
3) A plan

1) and 3) just take time and effort. But 2) requires a little somethin' more: $$$

How was I going to buy an engagement ring when I was still just an intern? I suppose this want/need to purchase a nice ring actually turned into my motivation to do really well at my job. It really went hand-in-hand with all my other financial goals I eventually started creating: retirement, down payment for a house, emergency funds, wedding, etc.

And it really felt like fate when my boss gave me a contract one month into what was supposed to be a 6-month internship. One month after that I was full-time with benefits. It really all started looking really good except that I really didn't have the money I wanted to spend. And I definitely did NOT want to take out a loan.

The answer to all my issues? A 15-month 0% APR Credit Card. Essentially, it was a 15-month 0% interest loan. And this is something I would definitely recommend to anyone else out there planning to make a big purchase (and if you do not have a lot of credit cards). So, based on this 15-month time period and from some conversations with Kristine, I created a budget and a description of what I wanted for this ring. I knew the band had to be rose gold (April had disclosed to me a few times that rose gold was her favorite material), the design needed to be relatively simple overall (Kristine helped me realize this), and despite her reservations I wanted a noticeable diamond. I had read a few posts about people thinking about getting a diamond engagement ring. The #1 thing I took away from those posts was that this is the only time in my life I'll ever get the chance to get something like this for April. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to feel awesome and make her feel even more awesome at the same time. Why would I pass up this opportunity? I started dreaming of what her face would look like when she finally saw it. It makes me anxious just typing about it (and it's about 2 weeks before I ask her as I write this).

The next step was to find a ring shop. I knew April liked supporting local businesses (an interest I shared), so I definitely wanted to avoid the "big-name" jewelers. So I did some research and came across a local Oakland jeweler with great reviews. The reviews mentioned that the shop owner was very informative, friendly, and seemed genuinely interested in what you had to say. They also mentioned that they made custom rings.

When I first stepped into J Sahadi Jewelers, I was definitely intimidated by the sheer amount of diamonds that surrounded me. Looking at the price tags definitely did not help, but speaking with Jennifer (the shop owner) definitely made me feel a lot better. I brought up my budget and what I wanted out of the ring, She brought out a few rings that she thought I might be interested in and to my surprise, she was spot on. I chose a band and she mentioned that they would have to custom make it because the manufacturer doesn't make it in rose gold. This was perfect for me because I wanted something no one else had. After discussing how much just the band would cost, her eyes lit up because she realized she had the perfect diamond for me. She brought out this pair of diamonds that she said used to be in a pair of vintage earrings. She said she had just gotten them in the weeks prior to our first meeting and wondered what she was going to do with them. To me, it felt like fate. I said "sure, why not?!" She gave me the bigger of the pair at a really good price, and she did NOT charge me for tax (which is a huge discount if you think about how much engagement rings can cost). She told me that a mold would be created first and that they would have me come in to see it before they used it to create the band and set the diamond in place.

In the end, the entire process took about 4-6 weeks - From me coming into the store having that first conversation, coming back to see the mold and give my approval, and picking it up just 2 weeks before our trip to Iceland. It was a great experience and I would definitely recommend J Sahadi Jewelers to anyone out there trying to support local businesses.

All photos were taken by Mark Andrew Gonzales. Follow his photography at

markandrewg.com

The Plan (E4)

The "perfect" engagement plan is something I think almost every person envisions when they propose/get proposed to. It's something I actually used to think about when I was in high school and college. You see, I was a hopeless romantic and loved to do things for my GFs that were outrageous and cheesy. So my ideas for proposal plans ranged from doves coming out of trumpets, roses falling from the sky, music playing from bushes and glaciers, randomly breaking into song, the whole shebang.

But now that we have social media constantly showing us even crazier and well thought out proposals, I started feeling... inadequate.

The game has changed and there's no one way to propose to your significant other. I've come to realize over the last few months that the "perfect proposal" really comes down to that special someone you are with. As long as you make the experience unique to your relationship, then it'll be awesome.

So my plan was to do it in Iceland. Simple right? Maybe too simple even. I got a couple of my friends to come along and film/take pictures of the event (including a professional photographer so that was cool), I had the ring, and I knew that I wanted to do it at an "epic location" like on a glacier, or in a cave, or after a long hike next to a crazy waterfall (Actually, my plan A was to do that it whenever the northern lights happened... But since this event is a luck-driven kind of thing, I definitely needed a plan B).

The reason I wanted to do it in Iceland was because I felt like traveling and exploring new places was the epitome of our relationship. April was the person to convince me that it was okay to venture outside the U.S. We lived together in Japan without knowing any Japanese going into it, we've traveled all over Asia together, and we have many more plans to come. All of my international experience has been done together with April. And to me that was really special.

And in the days leading up to the Iceland trip, I realized another idea that would make it even more special. April loves reading, writing, blogging, and reading other blogs. So I figured why not write about my whole experience keeping this a secret from her for 6 months? I'm sure she would love to read it. And as her sister pointed out to me, it would "extend the proposal experience." So I decided to write this series of posts and release them daily, right after I proposed.

I've been writing these posts while I ride the Bart to work, on my lunch breaks, at home while April showers, and pretty much any time I had to myself. It's been a crazy experience reflecting on it all, and also trying to find the time to actually make it all work and connect, but I think/hope it's worth it.

This is my "perfect proposal plan." What's yours?

Skaftafellsjökull (Skaftafell glacier)

All photos were taken by Mark Andrew Gonzales. Follow his photography at

markandrewg.com