How we met...

Val was out for a girls’ night with her friends, Kimmi and Becca, grabbing dinner and drinks at The Vig followed by a little shuffleboard at The Little Woody in the Arcadia area of Phoenix. Little did she know that Todd was also out with the guys to say farewell to his rather tall friend, Nick, who would depart a few days later on a trip around the world.  The boys had a similar agenda, and Todd must have walked right past Valerie at The Vig but foolishly didn’t say hello.  Fortunately, Val later found herself without a shuffleboard partner at The Little Woody and Todd was there to make his move.  He approached with confidence, ready to make an introduction, when Val suddenly cut him off with a preemptive and very enthusiastic “Hi, I’m Val!”  What followed must have been the worst shuffleboard performance in that bar’s history. In between turns, Todd and Val were surprised to learn that their paths could have crossed in many different ways over the past 15 years: attending sister high schools, dancing at the same salsa clubs, and having several mutual friends. Nevertheless, this was their moment, and the timing could not have been more perfect. After shuffleboard, they shared Coronas and spoke in broken Spanish until Valerie’s friends pulled her away and she quickly departed with a sudden “Nice to meet you, bye!”  This could have been the end of their story, but fortunately Todd’s cat-like reflexes kicked into action and he secured her phone number before she slipped away.

Most photography provided by Brian Kinyon

The Proposal...

In the middle of a chilly Chicago January, Todd had finally succeeded in whisking Valerie away from her dissertation work to beautiful Puerto Rico for their first island getaway together. Little did she know, Todd had designed an engagement ring with the help of Val’s little sister Marisa, and it was secured in his computer bag where she would never look. En route, a TSA Security guard nearly spoiled Todd's surprise proposal when he demanded to see a suspicious box inside Todd’s laptop case. Luckily, Val was quite oblivious and Todd succeeded in smuggling the ring into Puerto Rico, but not without a good scare.

After a handful of failed attempts to set up the perfect wedding proposal, Todd finally decided that a stroll along Old San Juan's western coastline during sunset was the perfect setting. On the fourth day of their trip, the time had finally come. Instead of taking transit into the city, Val and Todd decided to walk the scenic three-mile path from their hotel into Old San Juan, stopping at food stands and running into giant iguanas along the way. Val also chose this day to wear the "loudest outfit" and least supportive foot gear that she packed. By the time they arrived on the west side of Old San Juan, Val’s feet were killing her and she just wanted to sit and sip on a mojito. However, the sun was setting quickly and Todd was determined to reach the beautiful fountain, Paseo de la Princesa, because all his research suggested it would be the perfect, romantic setting. Finally, they arrived and to Todd’s dismay, the fountain was at the center of a plaza packed with hundreds of Puerto Ricans.

At this point, Val was ready to rest her sore feet, but Todd saw a side path leading along the coast and moved the journey along, insisting that they could find a better view of the sunset by the water.  Finally, Todd and Valerie were almost alone, with an ideal young couple nearby to capture the moment, and Todd spouted Spanish poetry and took to one knee. Valerie said yes multiple times throughout Todd’s proposal to try and alleviate his nerves, and soon they were both able to sit, relax and celebrate with a mojito!