On a cold weekday in November John asked me if I’d join him after work to go check out an outdoor art installation in our neighborhood. I didn’t think anything of it, as this was our date night before my family arrived the next day for the next week and a half to celebrate my 30th birthday.

So after work I met up with John in Williamsburg and we headed towards the waterfront. We’d been walking for about 15 minutes, and I was getting hungrier, colder and therefore grumpier by the second. I asked John if we could skip the art show and just head to dinner. He pleaded that we see it since it was the last night it would be shown. So, I reluctantly agreed to continue.

As we turned the corner into a dark alley, I saw a gigantic, familiar Banksy image projected against the side of a brick building (Banksy is a famous street artist from the UK). I remember John saying “oh, it’s a Banksy!” And at that moment, the image started moving. There was a little girl that released a bright red balloon and the words “WILL YOU…” animated across the screen. Then I heard a familiar song…our song…start to play. I turned around to John, who was down on his knee. In his hand he held a little red box. John said a lot of words and I don’t remember many of them but I do remember him saying I want to spend the rest of my life with you.

Seconds felt like minutes… and I just couldn’t stop screaming. I was so excited! Out of the dark alley, a voice yelled “Congratulations!” It was the projectionist John hired to operate the video and the music. More minutes later, the police drove by. I guess my screaming had caused an alarm. They rolled up and we let them know we had just gotten engaged. They gave John a nod of approval and drove off. I continued to scream for another minute or so and then we proceeded to call our family. It was sincerely the best night of my life!

Next: The Wedding Party