Planning a traditional romantic proposal can be easy but if you want to be original and make your girlfriend feel special, then you might need some extra help. Especially if you live far from the location you consider ideal for the engagement.
And this was also the case of Tim, a young Dutch guy who contacted me in order to make the marriage proposal really romantic during the vacation in Rome. His idea was very clear from the beginning. He asked me to help him out with the organization of the proposal on the beautiful lake of the Villa Borghese park. He imagined himself and his adorable girlfriend Marjolein, rowing a little boat in this marvelous location by the Temple of Aesculapius and a singer singing their favorite song by John Legend, All of me. To capture those moments forever and share this experience with the family and friends, Tim requested a photographer and a video cameraman as well.
When Tim and I started a detailed planning, we had a good picture of the following steps:
- We selected a sentimental location
- We chose a meaningful song
- We found an ideal singer for the song
- We hired the professional photographer and video cameraman
- We kept the surprise coming
Basically, planning in detail is thinking and organizing every single step to achieve a desired goal. Our goal was obviously to surprise Marjolein and pop the question in a memorable way. The process of detailed planning was to determine who will do what, when, where, how and why.
I started all with the location. Giving that Tim had never been to the lake before, I decided to make and send him a short video in order to get him familiar with the place. I also got in touch with the owner of the lake, Sig.ra Stefania, to obtain the authorization to use the location for such a purpose. Once we had the approval, I searched for a singer to be just perfect for the song. I must admit, I identified 4 singers but only one of them was suitable for the song chosen by Tim. His name is Marco Bart, a young professional singer who was very available from the very beginning. We even met at the lake couple of weeks before the proposal to check the ambience, sound through the speakers and Marco’s voice when singing on a boat. We already loved the idea of this special proposal.
Let’s move to the next step – hiring photographer and video cameraman. Getting the proposal on video or photographed is a big trend now. Marco behind the camera and Emanuele behind the video camera did a great job. In terms of privacy, I won’t be able to show you the video but believe it’s absolutely brilliant.
The big day finally arrived. Tim and Marjolein were supposed to arrive at the lake at 5pm and therefore my colleagues and I got ready before to prepare all necessary for the shooting. Everything was ready when I received a short message from Tim, saying they were about to leave the hotel to reach the lake. They were accommodated at the beautiful hotel close to the Villa Borghese called Aldrovandi and therefore I knew they would reach the location in 15 minutes. The situation was getting exciting. I was there waiting. When they arrived at the spot, I recognized Tim and he recognized me. We knew what to do next because we scheduled the itinerary ahead of time. My role was to get Marjolein on the boat which we kept reserved exclusively for them. I also hid the ring under the Tim’s seat on the boat so he could simply grab it when popping the question. Everything was going well. Tim followed my orders and when they jumped onto the boat, he started to paddle. I gave him five minutes to paddle around the lake and then get closer to the marvelous Temple of Aesculapius where he would propose. When I saw them getting close as planned, Marco (the singer) and I paddled near the Temple as well. At the certain point Marco started to sing the song – All of Me by John Legend and the situation got really, really great. Marco got everybody’s attention of course, Marjolein’s included. Tim went ahead and made it – he proposed and Marjolein said ‘YES’ !!! It was just fabulous.
We all were so happy to share these moments with such a wonderful couple. We took some pictures for more memories and toasted the engagement at Casina del Lago where we revealed the organization of the proposal to Marjolein
To me, popping the question is only the beginning of each love story and therefore I love the idea of keeping the surprise coming. Right after the proposal at the lake, Tim and I decided to book a table (in advance of course) in one of the garden roof top restaurants in Rome to end this fabulous day even more unforgettable. We decided for Mirabelle – a magical place with a breathtaking view of the city. I wasn’t present, but they were absolutely happy with the choice and food of course.
Acknowledgements
First and foremost, I’d like to thank Tim for contacting me in order to plan the marriage proposal.
A special thanks goes also to:
- Marco Bart for his talent in singing
- Marco Pompili for capturing beautiful memories
- Emanuele for making excellent video
- Sig.ra Stefania for being so kind and available to let us use the lake for the engagement
- Alessandra for reserving the best table at Mirabelle
- and an extra help and some wonderful pictures taken by Ivana D’Emilio
My great crew
Sig.ra Stefania and her staff
