"I don’t usually enter submissions for...well anything really...but the way my fiancé proposed is my favourite story of all time and I love to share it! So here we go!" ~ Kim Lemon
Meet Kim and Tyler, they met in 2012 in university. For 7 years they had been each others rock: through job loss, career changes, sickness/critical injuries, second degrees, you name it, they’ve seen it together. They have also travelled to so many beautiful places. Their favourite, and most frequented, being Maui, Hawaii, of course. They went together for the first time in 2013 shortly after their one-year anniversary. Kim is a geologist, and nerds-out over rocks, so they drove 4 hours from their condo in Kihei to the black sand beach. It’s one of very few beaches of it’s kind in the world, and she told Tyler "it’s my favourite place in the world". They took many pictures that day and had a wonderful time.
Fast forward to 2019: they celebrated their 7-year anniversary on November 1, and though they had been back to Maui 3 times since their first trip, they hadn't gone back to the black sand beach. They were going to Maui again for Christmas and left for paradise on December 19. The plan was to spend 4 nights in Maui, just the two of them, and then Kim's parents would join them. She was sure Tyler would propose in those days before they arrived. They went to one of the most beautiful restaurants on Maui...nothing. They went to the old port, Lahaina...nope. Kim truly thought to herself “ok he’s waiting for my parents to arrive and will do it on Christmas, my favourite holiday”. The holiday came...and went...still nothing. Being the nosey girl she is, Kim looked in his suitcase and there has no ring. She couldn't say she wasn’t disappointed but she also recognized that Tyler is very unique and likes to do things his way. Kim thought maybe all the pressure from friends before going to Maui about “will you propose?” convinced him to wait so it would be a true surprise. She put it out of her mind entirely and enjoyed the next couple of days.
Throughout the trip Tyler was weirdly adamant about driving the entire Road to Hana, which is a tumultuous and dangerous but gorgeous highway that goes around almost the entire island. He was insistent that they go visit the black sand beach, grab lunch at Kim's favourite food truck near there, then go for a hike in the bamboo forest on the other side afterwards. He was very picky about the order of things. When he realized that the hike had to be done first for logistic reasons, she could tell he was irritated but didn’t make it a big deal. He suggested she bring a sundress and makeup for after the hike so they could re-create the photos they took on the black sand beach years previous. Kim, being somewhat of a princess, agreed readily. So off they went on their hike to the Bamboo Forest. The whole time Tyler was getting Kim to stop and take photos, which was very unlike him, but she chalked it up to his excitement about the hike. He was also being protective of his backpack and not letting her carry it at all. She learned later that the backpack had a secret pocket where he had hid the ring all day.
After the hike they went to the food truck near the beach, where Tyler was quiet but really happy. Again, Kim thought nothing of it, but she does get a bit suspicious when he readily agrees to buy a $25 USD fruit boat (generally he won’t overpay for things because he’s very good with money, and this was clearly overpriced). After lunch they headed to the beach and it is was packed, nothing like the first time they went. They had always said that when they get engaged they don’t want it to be in front of tons of people, so he told her afterwards that the busy beach nearly made him reconsider doing it at that time.
From the Beach, Tyler sees a rock cliff that’s super easy to get up to overlooking both the beach and the ocean that nobody else in on, so he suggests they go up there. Kim obliges, and once they get to the top, she suggests taking a picture with the self-timer on the camera so they can both be in the photo. She sets it all up, runs back to him, and feels him slide down beside her, and she turns to see him on one knee with the most beautiful perfect-for-her ring. He said through a shaky happy voice “Kimberly Caroline Lemon, will you marry me?”. Kim got down on her knees with him and started crying happy tears, then squeezed out a “YES!” They hugged and kissed and felt the sun shining on them and salt from the waves crashing against the cliff. He explained that he knew she wanted to “look cute” when they got engaged and not be wearing sweaty clothes/sweatpants, which was why he wanted to do the hike afterwards, but instead he suggested she bring a sundress which mitigated that issue. "The amount of thought he put into the proposal to make it perfect for us was just truly incredible."
They then had a wonderful 4 hour drive back to the condo without cell service where they could just enjoy the moment and be together. They had rented a convertible for their trip and the roof down with the warm breeze made the drive even more romantic.
Kim called my parents once they had service. Her dad told her that Tyler had asked his blessing the previous day, which warmed Kim's heart so thoroughly because it’s something she had always really wanted. Tyler had been such a welcomed and loved member of their family for so long, and he knew there was absolutely no need to ask Kim's dad, but he did so out of respect for him and herself.
When they got back, her parents had champagne ready and dinner reservations at a stunning beachside restaurant across the street so they could celebrate. "I generally don’t throw around the word “perfect”, but to this day, I still say that December 28, 2019 was the most perfect day I’ve ever had. I can’t wait to marry this man!"
Thank you for sharing your beautiful story with us, Kim! Can't wait to see photos from your wedding day, it will be magical.