Proposal Story: Calyn + Rick
From Rick:
“During our many travels over the past four and a half years, Calyn and I have shared many special moments together. From wintery NYC skylines, Hill Country sunsets, and Napa Valley cabs, Calyn was likely on the other side of many proposal ‘pump-fakes’ than I’d like to admit. With the proposal now in our rearview mirror, we’ve laughed (and cried) over some of these various moments throughout our relationship.
Having known for some time that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Calyn, I knew that I had to get through her father first. Calyn & I had planned a trip down to Puerto Vallarta together this past Summer and to Calyn’s chagrin, her parents ended up overlapping for a part of the vacation. What’s a better place to ask her father for her hand than over a couple of beers on a golf course in paradise? Wrong. 7,300+ yards and a farmer’s tan later, I had still not mustered up the courage to ask him “The Question” – not to mention having a caddy as acting peanut gallery didn’t make the conversation any more approachable. A post round-cerveza did the trick, Brad graciously obliged, and we were off to the races.
Now, onto the planning part. I’m not the hopeless romantic type, and if you ask Calyn she would probably add “far from” to that statement. But if you give a guy over 4 years to plan something, he should be able to come up with something good, right? Last fall we spent a week and a half in Paris and the surrounding areas while attending the Ryder Cup. Some of our favorite memories from that trip included the Versailles gardens, Champagne tours in Epernay, and observing Claude Monet’s Water Lilies at the Musée de l’Orangerie. With the Monet exhibit in town at the Kimbell Art Museum, the idea came to me to bring a piece of Paris to Fort Worth.
With some help from a friend of mine at the Museum and a fake work event invite, the plan was starting to come together. I told Calyn that we were invited to an Art After Hours event at the Kimbell to view the exhibit with some of my colleagues. We arrived at the museum, unbeknownst to her, with the ring tucked securely within my boot. After a much-needed glass of champagne to tame the nerves, we toured the exhibit and exited the Piano Pavilion to head back to the car. Rather than walking back through the Kahn building, we turned through the barrel-vaulted portico (now represented on our Save-the-Dates) and started walking towards the Noguchi Garden on the South side of the building. There I had some “helpers” lay rose petals down the stairs into the sunken garden leading to a small table adorned with red roses, a bottle of Moët, and a photograph of us. There, I got down on one knee and asked Calyn to spend forever with me. I don’t remember exactly what was said, but she did say ‘Yes’, and we turned to the sound of cheers from behind the hedge where our families were hiding.
The surprises were not over yet. After hugs, cheers, tears, and of course, some photographs, I told Calyn that I had reserved seats for both of our families at one of our favorite spots in Fort Worth, a dining club called Magdalena’s. Eager to share her news, Calyn tried to Facetime her other siblings during the short car ride and was surprised when she was greeted by multiple voicemails. Little did she know, I had rented out the entire restaurant and the rest of our families and close friends were waiting to celebrate with us.
We capped off the evening in downtown Fort Worth, with a late-night trip to Salsa Limon and a bottle of champagne at The Ashton Hotel reflecting on the events of the evening. Being surrounded by family and close friends to share in our moment, we were reminded of how blessed we are to have such a vibrant support group for our journey together. It was the perfect evening to kickstart our greatest adventure yet.
Calyn and Rick are getting married at The Kimbell on May 16th! Make sure you are following Sistered States on Instagram to follow along on their wedding planning journey and big day!
Their Proposal Pictures:
