Hi everyone! Welcome back.

We thought it would be fun to do a little Q&A series on how we met, what really happened during our engagement and our thoughts on marriage. One of our team members came up with a few interview questions for both my fiancé and I. Today I’m sharing my part of the story with you all, tomorrow he’s sharing his! 

Thank you again for being patient with us! We know this is a few months late but we wanted to make sure all our family and friends knew first before sharing this on the blog. 

Custom dress: (c/o) Alexia Maria Earrings: Kenneth Jay Lane

How did you first meet? 

I met Pedro (also known as mi amor on IG, lol) two and a half years ago. I was sick and tired of dating in West Palm Beach and felt I had exhausted my options. I wanted to meet someone different so I jumped on Bumble, changed my preferences to match with guys outside my city and connected with him. Being super independent, I wasn’t afraid to meet someone in Miami, which is only one hour south from West Palm Beach. We grabbed coffee at Panther Coffee in Wynwood…I knew for sure our “first date” would last 20 minutes tops, but we ended up talking for hours and he immediately texted me after asking when we would meet next.

When did you realize you wanted to spend the rest of your life with him? 

I can’t pinpoint the exact “aha” moment, but I remember for the first time, in a long time, feeling a sense of peace and gratitude whenever I laid my head on his chest at night, when he said, “I love you” for the first time or when we would talk about the future… it just felt right. 

How did he say I love you for the first time? 

I haven’t told many people this story, but it perfectly sums up us. He’s a morning person, I’m not. He gets up super early to have coffee, watch the news and catch up on work while I like to work at night. (We’re both fiercely independent and also enjoy our “me” time.) Anyway, I had been really stressed out about work so I woke up crying and anxious. He crawled back into bed (fully dressed for work), looked at me and said, “I love you… you know that?” I was still in pajamas, no makeup, morning breath – it wasn’t pretty – but hearing him say those words to me in my most vulnerable form meant the entire world. I said it back…and my all my fears faded away. 

When did you get engaged? 

We got engaged on May 11, 2019!

How did he propose? 

Oh boy, where do we begin. *laughing as I type this

We were staying at Le Sirenuse. It was breakfast and no more than 30 minutes into our first meal of the day, he threw back two Bellinis. “We’re on vacation,” I thought, as he nervously gulped down his food. Around 10AM, we jumped on a boat with two other couples from Le Sirenuse. They passed around Bellinis and he grabs two. It’s not even noon and we are not big drinkers, so now I’m starting to think something’s going on. Having grown up with a dad who’s an avid boater, lived by the water for the past 12 years and after being on hundreds of boats… I can’t believe it but I ended up getting seasick – out of nowhere!! I spent the rest of the boat ride hurled over the handrail (about to throw up) or sleeping (because it was the only thing that worked). Who knows how many more Bellinis Pedro had while this was happening…

As soon as we got off the boat, I told him I needed to lay down because I was in bad shape so we went back to our room. He was spending an unusual amount of time on his phone. Plus, he doesn’t have social media so I found this strange and jokingly asked, “are you texting your girlfriend back in the states or something? What’s going on?” 

 Prior to the trip, we agreed to to shoot one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening, that’s it. I wanted to unplug and so did he, so he tells me, “we need to be at the beach by 5PM to take pictures of the sunset.” I asked, “but the sun doesn’t set until 7?” He replied, “don’t ask questions. I really want this picture.” 

As soon as he asked me to dress him, I definitely knew something was going on. Lol, he’s the most easygoing guy that could care less about fashion. He nervously took my hand, walked me down to the beach and said, “one second, wait right here” as he beelined it to a girl with red hair and a huge camera strapped around her neck. “Was this who he was texting this whole time?” Next thing I know, we’re all on the beach. This photographer JUST SO HAPPENS to be right next to us. He asks her to take a picture of us. Then…he gets down on one knee, attempts to pull out a box from his jacket, but it gets stuck. I’m crying because I know what’s about to happen as he continues to jerk this box out. He opens it up upside down and says, “will you marry me?” The entire beach witnessed our proposal as sounds of people cheering and clapping echoed in the distance…but all I could hear was my crazy heart beating as tears trickled down my face. The next hour “our photographer” who he flew in from Venice (he knows me so well, lol) took pictures of us. We had the most romantic dinner at La Sponda; split a bottle of champagne and before you knew it, he was passed out (from drinking so much out of nervousness) in our hotel room. And so our engagement begins… lol 

Were you surprised?

I knew it was coming because we talked about getting engaged awhile back and I suspected it could happen in Italy this year. My Christmas present was this trip to Italy and after a few special details he added on, I eventually caught on. But even then, I was still in shock when it actually happened!

What quality do you most admire about the other? 

Ah, this one’s so tough to answer because I admire so many of his qualities. He’s incredibly smart and gifted, willing to pass on his knowledge to me and anyone around him. He makes me laugh. He’s selfless and compassionate. He’s patient, yet persistent about the things he wants in life. He’s quick and witty and isn’t afraid to challenge me. He’s also very optimistic and doesn’t worry about much. He adores his family (and mine). And is oh-so strong and handsome… I respect and admire him so much. 

But perhaps one of the best qualities I love about him is his ability to let me be myself. He doesn’t get mad if I need space or if I want to try something different. He’s my biggest supporter in everything I do and admires my independence. 

What moment of your wedding day are you most anticipating? 

Since we’re getting married in Mexico, we have to get married in the States first, which will most likely take place in front of our immediate family members only and in the same church my parents got married in. I’m looking forward to this, the most, because it will sincerely be about us. There won’t be flowers, food, over the top wedding celebrations…since we’ll do all of that in Mexico…but before we do, our wedding day will simply be just us.  

How are you feeling right now?

I think with all new chapters in life there’s a sense of excitement and nervousness that follows because you don’t know what to expect! It’s not only marriage, but having kids and then readjusting to life as a wife and future mother – I just hope I don’t let anyone down. I hope we’re able to accomplish our dreams and live a joyful, happy life together. Our foundation has always been built on love, trust and respect, nothing else, and I never want to lose sight of that. I know there will be ups and downs, highs and lows, but I couldn’t imagine that journey with anyone but him and am so ready to dive in… 

Click here for Part Two… (his version)

Xo, Stephanie

[Photography by KT Merry]