Nicole and Thomas: The Tuscan Garden Engagement

The beginning: The story of Nicole and Thomas began at the College of Staten Island where Nicole was a cheerleader and Thomas was a basketball player. The two started reaching out to each other via Twitter, which then led them to texting one another. Since things were going well, they decided to actually meet and go out to eat with a couple of their mutual friends. Conversation between Nicole and Thomas was flowing, and they discussed their very different ideas of what their summers would look like. Thomas lived down at the beach and Nicole was going to be working seasonally in Florida. Still, they fell hard for each other and eventually became inseparable. On June 24th, 2014, Thomas made their relationship official. He asked Nicole to be his girlfriend with a pizza box from her favorite pizza place. In the box he wrote ?I don't want a piece of you, I want the whole thing...will you be my girlfriend?? Nicole intimated that Thomas clearly knew the way to her heart. She couldn't say no!

Now, Thomas and Nicole have been together for over six years. Throughout college they cheered each other through basketball and cheerleading championships, and graduated by each other?s sides. They?ve rooted for each other while completing their master?s degree programs, and have encouraged each other in their careers: Thomas as an accountant for Ernst & Young and Nicole as a teacher for the Department of Education. There have been so many milestones to celebrate throughout their six years, and now there will be even more to come!

The Perfect Proposal, according to Nicole: ?Thomas had an extremely long work week and we had made dinner plans for August 6th. On that day I had woken up with a migraine and wasn?t sure if I would even make it to dinner. I took an extremely long nap and felt a little better when I woke up. So, I pulled myself together and Thomas picked me up. Thomas said the reservations were at 6:00pm and we were at the place almost an hour early. He proposed a plan to go walk around Snug Harbor Botanical Garden to kill some time until dinner. It was a struggle getting me to say yes to this because I still wasn?t feeling my best and hadn?t eaten all day…I even asked if we could stop at a deli for snacks. Lol! We began walking around and Thomas stopped to look at the map and to pick a place to explore. He said ?Let's head to the Tuscan Garden - sounds nice.? In the garden there was a man photographing the area and some plants. As we walked by him, he stopped us and said he worked for the Staten Island Advance and asked if he could take our picture for the paper…he said because of COVID he hadn't seen anyone all day. We agreed to take pictures and he told us where to stand. After the first shot he asked if we were a couple and I said yes. He then asked me to look at Thomas. As I turned around, Thomas went to go down on his knee. I was in complete shock and had absolutely no idea it was coming. Thomas had been so calm, cool, and collected the entire day, even knowing I could have said no to going out because of how I was feeling. The moment was so surreal. I completely blacked out. It was honestly so perfect.?

The ring: When it came to choosing a ring, Nicole wanted Thomas to ?pick one that speaks to him.? He definitely did! The ring holds a beautiful Cushion Cut Diamond. The band features a diamond halo as well as diamonds on the shank. It truly sparkles from any direction and definitely is beautiful!

The future: Right now, Nicole and Thomas are enjoying their engagement. They are going on a beautiful vacation and have decided that when they get back, they will sit down and let the wedding planning begin. Congrats again to the happy couple!