Dana and Gabriella: The Surprise Party Story

The Beginning:

Gabriella and Dana's story began back in high school. They met when they both attended a prom with friends. Having not known each other prior, they didn't spend a ton of time together that night, but connected on social media. A few years later, they reconnected when Gabby complemented Dana's shoes in a photo she posted. Though that small comment may not have seemed like much at the time, it was enough to reconnect them. After chatting for a bit, they planned to met up for coffee. They met up and walked around New York City for hours and just talked before ending up at a park where they laid and looked at the stars. Though they never did get around to the coffee, that day was the beginning of their inseparable relationship and have now been together for over a year and a half. Gabby always knew Dana was the one for her since the first time they met at that prom all those years ago.

The Perfect Proposal, According to Gabriella:

"It happened at Dana's aunt and uncle's house on May 13th. For months Dana and her family had been talking about hosting a surprise birthday party for Dana's cousin's boyfriend. I love surprise parties so of course, I was excited to attend. As far as I knew, the party was being held at a restaurant, but we had to "stop at the house to pick up the balloons" that someone else forgot to bring. We walked in, and everyone yelled, "Surprise!" and I was so confused—the videos and photos of my face in that moment of confusion are hilarious. The party begin as a wonderful surprise law school graduation party with so many of my close friends and family. Dana and her family decorated the house with colorful luau-themed decorations and Dana even painted some posters (she's quite the artist) cheering me on as I began studying for the bar exam. Once my heart settled down from that surprise, Dana called everyone to the center of the room, which I thought was to thank everyone for coming to celebrate my graduation. She started talking about love, and how everything happens for a reason, and the next thing I know she's asking me to marry her on one knee. It was such a breathtaking moment.

I definitely didn't see it coming, but, in hindsight, I had a funny feeling that something was up on that day. Dana and I have some kind of telepathy—we're always on the same wavelength, and I can always tell when something is a little off—and I remember while getting ready, Dana told me that I should do my nails. I had planned on doing them night before, but never did and when I said that we were running too late to do them, she kept trying to get me to paint them anyway— which is very out of character for her. I kept thinking, "Why does she want me to do my nails so badly?" I found out later that my friends told her to make sure they were done so pictures of the ring would be really pretty and so my hands would look nice! That was really the only clue though, despite the fact that everyone was in on the surprise. The week before the party, two of my friends from law school asked about what I was doing that weekend, and I casually mentioned the surprise party for a friend - they didn't even bat an eye! Dana's family was also so great at keeping things under wraps, especially her cousin who helped her plan the whole thing. So many people helped to make the day special and I'm so grateful that everyone came together to do that for me. It was a very heartwarming feeling to share that special moment with so many people we care about.

The ring:

Gabby and Dana had technically never gone ring shopping before… as far as Gabby was aware. Dana had brought Gabby to Gerald Peters, along with Dana's cousin Taylor, to get ideas for a gift for Dana's aunt for an upcoming anniversary. Without Gabby suspecting a thing, they asked her questions about styles she liked, to which Gabby did not give a lot of clear answers initially. After some time in the store though, Gabby started to mention specific things and even picked up the ring that Dana would later chose for her- a beautiful, traditional traditional single row pave diamond setting from the Gerald Peter's collection. It was everything that Gabby said she wanted- "classic, elegant, bright, with a little extra sparkle on the band." And though Gabby appreciated Dana's pre-proposal attention to details when she insisted she paint her nails in preparation to give her the ring, Gabby said "Let's be honest, the ring is gorgeous in it's own right, manicure or not."

The future:

Gabby and Dana are excited to start their wedding planning. They don't have anything set in stone yet because following their engagement, Gabby had to focus her attention to studying for the New York State Bar Exam. With the exam out of the way, they now have the time to enjoy the planning phase of their wedding. They are both foodies and both vegans, so they definitely hope to incorporate a delicious vegan menu.

Congrats to Gabby and Dana on their engagement!