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love storiesFive couples share the sweet stories that led

them to “I do.” BY RACHEL SYLVESTER

After meeting years ago through friends, Julie and Marcus planned a spring trip to Lake Geneva for

a romantic weekend away. Despite the bad weather, the couple ventured out to an Italian restaurant

where they enjoyed dinner before Marcus excused himself to go to the bathroom. It was then that Julie

texted her friend two disappointing words: not happening. Little did she know that a proposal was

coming just moments later. “Marcus came back, took my hands and asked me to spend forever with

him,” Julie says. “I was shaking and couldn’t believe he was actually asking.” The ring: MVT Gems >>

julie & marcus • Chicago

PHOTOGRAPH BY KELLY BRAMAN PHOTOGRAPHY

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After first crossing paths in a Dallas bar,

Becca and Zach exchanged numbers only

after Zach worked up enough courage to

approach her. “The rest is history!” Becca

says. To celebrate Becca’s birthday, they

embarked on an 11-day European vacation,

which included stops in England, Spain

and Italy. While the couple explored the

sights in Rome, Becca noticed how fast

Zach was speeding through their walking

tour. “I was a little put off by his pace,”

she says. The reason for all of the rushing?

Zach had big plans to propose once the two

reached the top of the Spanish Steps. “It

was the perfect ending to a great trip,”

Becca says. The ring: Ethan Lord Jewelers

becca & zachChicago

PHOTOGRAPH BY BRITTA MARIE PHOTOGRAPHY

After a New Year’s promise to L’Oreal

that it would be “the best year of her life,”

Jeff planned a surprise proposal—and

party—and popped the question

in L’Oreal’s kitchen while was getting

ready for a lunch date. But rather than

respond with a resounding “yes,” L’Oreal

assumed the proposal was a joke and

simply walked away. “She left me alone

on one knee!” Jeff says. The seriousness

of the question only sunk in when the

couple pulled up to a restaurant filled

with family and friends—all ready

to celebrate the pair’s engagement.

The ring: Haring Jewelers >>

l’oreal & jeffChicago

PHOTOGRAPH BY KATHLEEN HERTEL PHOTOGRAPHY

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flip>> Find more amazing photographers in your area on p. 384

After four years of dating, Bradley proposed

to Melissa on Valentine’s Day—not because

he’s a fan of the holiday, but simply because

he was getting impatient. “By that point,

I had the ring for more than a month and

couldn’t wait any longer,” he says. Since

Melissa is an artist, Bradley bought her

a large art history book as a gift and cut

a hole in it before placing the ring inside

and wrapping it. The only problem?

Melissa flipped through only a part of the

book without getting to the actual ring. “I

awkwardly told her she should skip to the

end since it’s really interesting,” Bradley

says. “She finally found it and said ‘yes’—I

was so relieved!” The ring: Etsy.com

melissa & bradleyChicago

PHOTOGRAPH BY TWO BIRDS PHOTOGRAPHY

Despite dating for 13 years, Ken took

his high school sweetheart by complete

surprise when he asked her to marry him

during a romantic anniversary dinner.

“He’s not really a romantic sort of guy,

so I wasn’t expecting it,” Karen recalls.

“He bought flowers for me when we first

started dating, so I always joke that he

doesn’t buy them for me anymore!” After

being led to a spot by the stage, Karen

saw roses waiting on their table. “At the

end of dinner, Ken asked me to ‘please

be his lovely wife,’” Karen says. “Out of

all that he said, that’s the only thing I

remember.” The ring: Hearts on Fire

karen & kenChicago

PHOTOGRAPH BY KATE BOTWINSKI PHOTOGRAPHY