The Proposal

Marcet has been known TO BE the king of surprises, and since Danielle was binging The Sopranos and obsessed with all things Italy, it was only fitting that for her 28th birthday, he surprised her with not one but two Italian-themed gifts: a romantic dinner at Casadonna and her dream trip to Italy.

“After my birthday dinner, my mind was racing. A surprise 10-day trip to Italy! With stops in Lake Como, Florence, and Rome… ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I was shocked, and very suspicious. 28 isn’t a special age! so I was already calculating how many outfits I’d need if this trip ended with a ring. Naturally, I went straight to my closet for the dress. A year earlier, my mom had gifted me a beautiful pink linen dress “for the day you get engaged.” But when I asked her if I should pack it for italy (wink, wink), she shrugged it off and said no! Now I was really confused. Maybe this trip was just an extremely extra birthday gift. I tried not to get my hopes up and just play it cool.

fast forward to the second day of the trip, Marcet told me that our itinerary had changed and that we were now headed to an exclusive brunch at a villa on Lake Como—but we had to be ready in 30 minutes and dressed to the nines. Chaos ensued. I didn’t have a converter for my blow dryer and I couldn’t pick an outfit. In my stress spiral, Marcet suggested I wear a different dress—one I had almost left behind. This dress was handmade by my late grandmother in the 1980s for my godmother’s engagement party. I never got to meet my Abuela Alejandra, but wearing the dress she had made would be unexpectedly perfect.

We rushed down the cobblestone streets and over the boardwalk (me in heels), only to find a classic Italian wooden boat waiting—not a car. I was so excited, that I didn’t question it. Because in Lake Como boat rides to brunch just seemed right!

Then things got weird—in a good way. Marcet was stiff, silent, and ignoring my requests to sit next to me during the boat ride. I thought he was mad that we’d almost missed the boat, But it turns out he was rehearsing his speech—and nervous. After cruising for 30 minutes, we were nearing the brunch spot, which was great because I was starving at this point! the captain pulled our boat into the dock, and told us to enjoy our time at Villa Balbianello. Yes, the Villa Balbianello. Star Wars fans, you know! I couldn’t believe I was seeing it in person—and that there was also a restaurant in the villa?! (silly me).

As we made our way to the famous terrace where Anakin and Padmé professed their love to each other, I could not stop rambling about Star Wars, how hungry I was, and how amazing the villa looked in person. I didn’t even notice that Marcet hadn’t said a word since we arrived and was standing next to me like a marble statue. i had my back to him and was taking millions of pictures when he said, “ so The real reason I brought you here is…” and that’s when I finally realized—this was it. I could feel the seriousness of his tone, and when I turned around, he’d pulled out a dark green ring box. He told me I was his best friend and the love of his life, as he got down on one knee. I cried, laughed, and said “yes” before he could even finish asking, “Will you marry me?” The crowd of tourists around us hollered and cheered. Marcet made all my dreams come true that day!

He had even hired a photographer who was hiding in the crowd and captured the moment. We spent the rest of the afternoon taking engagement photos around the villa and toasting with Prosecco on the lake.

It was the most magical, nerdy, movie-level proposal of all time—and a day we’ll never forget.”

-Danielle