By Derek.

As every guy does, I thought of a hundred different ways to propose.  Some brought us back to our beginning on Michigan Avenue, others would take us to familiar spots in Grant Park and Millennium Park.  I even thought of proposing in Rockford, Illinois where Marissa was in medical school (jokingly, at the Bed Bath & Beyond store that we seemed to visit every weekend).  But in the end, I realized that it was people who mattered more than place.  So I devised a plan to bring together our families from across the country for the proposal.

I planned the proposal for a weekend when my parents were visiting Chicago from their home in Wichita, Kansas.  Marissa knew about their visit, and we were already planning to treat our folks to dinner together.  Marissa did not expect that I also invited her sister, Marie, and her sister’s boyfriend, Adrian, both from Chicago, and my brother, Brian, and my brother’s girlfriend, Emily, who live in Seattle, Washington.  Everyone was happy to make the trip, though it was hard to keep mum on the plan.

We all gathered at my apartment in the South Loop before going to dinner.  My parents and our siblings and significant others arrived first.  Everyone was excited.  Marissa and her parents arrived next, and Marissa could hardly believe the distance everyone had come for dinner.  She saw the proposal coming a mile away.  With our families gathered together — meeting for the first time — I asked Marissa to marry me.  On bended knee, I presented a special ring I had designed especially for her.  She cried.  I cried.  Marie cried the most (we love you, Marie!).  We all went to Joe’s for dinner together, and our new family got to know each other.