The Proposal
Don't Forget to Check Out Behind The Scenes Below!
Ever since she stepped foot into the Huntington Gardens in Pasadena, California, Sharon knew she wanted to be married there. It broke her heart to find out that weddings were not allowed at the time. Jon knew how upset that had made her and, despite never having been to the Huntington Gardens himself, decided that if she couldn't be married at the Huntington, he would propose there instead. And that is exactly what he did.
On May 27th, 2012, Jon and Sharon flew from their home in Davis to Los Angeles for a getaway weekend in Pasadena before Sharon began her fourth year of veterinary school, a year during which she would not be able to afford much vacation. Jon brought her to the Huntington Gardens for the day. They spent the day walking around, napping, and enjoying the beauty of the gardens as if there was no one else there (though the holiday weekend had the gardens packed with visitors).
At 3pm they decided to walk towards the lily ponds and look for turtles (Sharon's favorite!). They found one and searched the remaining ponds for others. When they approached the final pond, Sharon noted a bench that she hadn't ever seen before as she rushed over to the edge of the pond to photograph an adult and baby turtle in the pond. Little did she know, this was the exact location Jon had hoped to propose - on the bench in front of the lily pond!
After photographing the turtle, Sharon joined Jon, who was already sitting on the bench. She was watching the turtles and talking excitedly about them while he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. After a moment, he told Sharon that he had a question for her. She acknowledged him, and he went on to explain that she needed to promise him not to get anxious. Upon hearing that, she naturally became anxious. He explained that in order to ask the question, he needed to get down on one knee and asked her whether that was okay with her. At that moment, it was clear what he was trying to do. Sharon became even more anxious but Jon kept holding her hands tight. Between his grip on her hands and the fact that they were surrounded by water, there was no way she was escaping! (Clearly he had chosen this spot for a reason!) He reached into his pocket and exclaimed, "Crap, I think I lost it!" in a joking tone as he took a ring out of his pocket. She refused to look at the ring but rather stared at him as he started to make a formal proposal using her full name but she squirmed and shook her head at the overly formal approach and they laughed. He then looked at her and said in the cutest voice ever, "Will you pwease mawwy me?"
She nodded. He laughed and insisted on a verbal response. When she responded with "Okay" he laughed again and said he wanted to hear a yes! She closed her eyes and said yes and gave him a big hug & kiss! He took her hand and she closed her eyes tight as he slipped the ring on her finger.
"There's something else," he said.
She looked at him, puzzled. He pointed across the pond to a photographer crouching beneath the bamboo snapping photos of them.
"No way!" she exclaimed.
He explained that they would now be doing an engagement photo shoot and they would have the entire Huntington Gardens all to themselves! Sharon was baffled and speechless!
He then said, "Do you want to meet the photographer?"
Again, she looked at him, puzzled, and he hinted, "You know him!"
"Mark?!" she exclaimed, looking in his direction. She leapt up and ran over to him as he continued to shoot photos and she gave him a big hug! Mark is a friend of Sharon's from college who, like Sharon, started a photography business after graduating. She gave him a big hug and then slapped him on the arm and said, "Wait! I know you shot a wedding in Washington last night because you posted a photo from that wedding this morning!"
Mark replied, "Yeah, I woke up really early this morning to be here!"
Jon had flown Mark, a friend and one of the only photographers she would ever trust to produce images that she would love, down to Pasadena to record their engagement and our precious engagement photos would be taken in Sharon's dream wedding location. It was a dream come true in itself! The rest of the photo shoot was absolutely spectacular - spending 3 hours roaming around the Huntington, taking photos in all of the places that people are never able to have all to themselves!
At the end of the photo shoot, they thanked Mark and said their farewells before parting ways. Sharon and Jon spent some time relaxing on a bench, beginning to mentally process all that had happened that day before heading out to dinner.
Jon had arranged for dinner at Bistro 45, a fine-dining restaurant in Pasadena, which was a perfect place to celebrate and begin the newest chapter of their lives, considering that the couple met at a restaurant in Davis named Bistro 33.
When they arrived at the restaurant they were brought to the patio and while deciding which of the free tables to sit in, Sharon neglected to notice her parents sitting at a table in the corner. Once she realized they were there she almost died as they had flown in from New York and driven down from San Francisco to be with Jon and Sharon to celebrate their engagement! To top it off, Mark, the photographer, was hiding in the restaurant and captured this surprise in addition to all of the other surprises that day! Sharon was shocked and overwhelmed to say the least but it was clear that she had agreed to marry the most perfect guy for her, as no one could have planned a more perfect day!
Oh, and when she finally looked at the ring, it, too, was beyond perfect in every way!
A Special Thanks To:
- Mark VanDonge - www.markseye.com - for being an amazing friend and professional, forgoing sleep to make memories for us!
- Natalie Russell - for scheming with Jon, providing a walking tour of photographs for Jon and Mark to use to help them plan and for providing the three of us with free admission to the Huntington (and also for keeping a secret!)
- Susan Kuchenreuther - for her unconditional support in helping make this possible!
- John Ostermann - for keeping a secret from his wife of over 40 years to ensure a surprise of a lifetime!
- Grace Ostermann - for understanding why the aforementioned secret was necessary
- Susan Ostermann - for also keeping a secret and for aiding in the transport of the 1994 Silver Oak Cabernet to the celebratory dinner
- Christine Springhorn - Assistant Filming Coordinator at the Huntington Library & Gardens - for helping to coordinate the intricacies of the plan and escorting us through the gardens for our photo shoot
- Stacy Etzler - the diamond specialist who assisted Jon in the creation of Sharon's gorgeous engagement ring
- The Westin, Pasadena - for all the complimentary upgrades & amenities
- Bistro 45 - for graciously allowing us to photograph the surprise and providing us all with a complimentary tawny port