If you know Sid and me well, you'll know this proposal was a long time coming. After all, we've basically been planning our wedding for the last 6 months, I hired my photographer a few months ago (are you even surprised?), and the design for my ring was started during our India trip in December. Sid and I have known for a long time that we wanted to marry each other. There's probably no better pairing for either of us in the world, and it didn't take us long to figure that out. Life just doesn't play games by bringing people together the way it brought us into each other's lives.

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Sid knew he could've proposed months ago, but the timing wasn't right, and he didn't want to "just do it" for the sake of doing it. He wanted to make it special, and he wanted to make it about us. Sid and I both have a deep love for travel, so he wanted our engagement to reflect that by proposing to me on one of our many travels together. Without my knowledge of course, he had been planning to propose in Europe for several weeks.

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Back in California, I was getting impatient, knowing he had the ring in his possession, and it was driving me crazy. I am the least patient person on the planet, I promise. Little did I know, he had been coordinating a surprise proposal with my best friend Joel Robison, who happened to be visiting in England the few days we were to be in London. We'd all met up for dinner a few months back, so they had the chance to meet then.

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Yesterday evening, after a full day of exploring London together, Sid and I walked up the hill at sunset to the Royal Observatory in Greenwich--Sid's favorite view of London. It was the perfect summer evening, with people enjoying the sunshine and cool breeze all around us. We got sushi (naturally) and set up a little picnic on the hill. About halfway through our meal, Sid started to act a little nervous, which is very unlike him. He's always calm, cool and collected. In my mind, I started to wonder if maybe something was up, but the more we talked the more I decided I was overthinking things and that I should just forget about it.

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Then he made some remark about how he felt bad because wasn't sure when to propose on our trip, and that he didn't have anything planned, and I thought my dreams were shattered. And then I stood up and turned around to see my friend Joel standing behind me with his love, snapping away on his camera. Sid took my hand and said, "what about if I do it right here?" Of course I flipped, and fell to the ground laughing, stunned that Sid had surprised me. In between laughter and feverish hugs and kisses, he asked me to marry him, and I was so surprised I went to hug Joel and Nick without saying yes haha. (Apparently I suck at being proposed to.)

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The ring is beautiful, the proposal was perfect, and I was surrounded by some of my favorite people in the world. We celebrated later by chatting into the evening in a lit gazebo along the banks of the River Thames. It was the very best night.

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So, in September (yes, 3 months from now), Sid and I will be getting married at a small ceremony in Ireland, back where our story first began. We'll be surrounded by the people we love and care for most in the world, and pledge our lives and love to each other.

I couldn't be more excited.

(Thank you Joel for the following photos of our proposal <3)

And of course, I had to get some photos with my dear friends Joel and Nick <3 So grateful they were up for these shenanigans ;)

Here is my beautiful ring :) Sid's mom and I worked on the custom design together, and had it made specially by their family jeweler in India. I took these photos today in my Airbnb in Munich <3

Engaged // Whitney and Sid