Sean had known for a while that he wanted to marry Natalie. In April 2024, the two ventured to New York's Diamond District to look at rings together, exploring the intricate details of sizes, styles, and shapes. By June, Sean had found the perfect ring.
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Originally, Sean planned to propose during their summer trip to Norway in July. He carried the ring with him, carefully hidden, as they traveled through breathtaking landscapes and serene cities. Despite the beauty surrounding them, Sean held back. None of the moments felt quite right; he wanted a proposal that was deeply personal and unmistakably "them."
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In August, Sean crafted a plan that felt more meaningful: a proposal at The Met Rooftop, a place that symbolized their love for New York City. He secretly enlisted a photographer familiar with the rooftop and invited two of Natalie’s closest friends to join in the surprise.
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On August 10, 2024, Sean’s plan came to life. Using a casual date night as cover, he suggested a visit to The Met. Dropping hints along the way, Sean mentioned Natalie might want to get her nails and hair done and even wear that dress she joked about a couple months back saying, "I love this dress so much, you could propose to me in it!" Natalie had her suspicions but played along.
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When they arrived at The Met, Sean led Natalie quickly past the exhibits, eager to get to the rooftop. Natalie, puzzled but smiling, followed his lead. Once on the rooftop, Sean encountered an unexpected twist: instead of the Roman architecture he had envisioned with the New York skyline as the backdrop, there stood an enormous metal spider sculpture by Petrit Halilaj, towering over the New York skyline. While this wasn’t part of the plan, the photographer reassured Sean that he’d be able to edit the spider out of the final photos.
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Sean asked Natalie if they could take some pictures with the skyline in the background to capture the date. Feigning spontaneity, he handed his phone to the "stranger" (the photographer) and asked him to snap a picture. After a few shots, the photographer offered asked if he could take some on his large camera, to which Natalie felt puzzled but after looking at Sean they both agreed. He directed Sean and Natalie into different poses before suggesting, "Let’s do one like Mr. & Mrs. Smith—back-to-back."
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Going along with the instruction, Natalie turned feeling extremely uncomfortable as she started to look around and see strangers faces of shock. ​Sean had dropped to one knee while Natalie was turning her back.
When Natalie turned around, there he was, holding the ring. Sean shared heartfelt words and how he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, bringing tears to her eyes. “Will you marry me?” he asked. Natalie said, “Yes!”
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Cheers erupted from the crowd on the rooftop, adding a spontaneous and unforgettable charm to the moment. They took more photos together before Natalie’s friends emerged from hiding, surprising her and making the celebration even more special.
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The evening continued with calls to family and a celebratory dinner at The Mark. Despite the unexpected twists—from changing the proposal location from Norway to The Met Rooftop, to the surprise spider exhibit and the unexpected crowd—the proposal was perfect in its own way. It became a memory they’ll cherish forever, tied to a place they can revisit and a city that will always feel like home.
On an evening in late July 2022, the kind of summer night when New York feels a bit smaller. Natalie and Sean both happened to be at a cozy Irish pub in the West Village, with their coworkers, each enjoying the relaxed hum of the place.
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Natalie sat at the bar, laughing with coworkers when Sean walked up to pay his bill. Something about his hat caught her eye, and on a whim, she gave him a compliment. Sean turned, surprised, and they started talking—about the hat, about New York, about the little things that come up between strangers in easy conversation. They exchanged numbers that night and walked away with a feeling that something interesting had just begun.
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Sean messaged Natalie the next morning, and for the next three weeks, they kept up a steady conversation, their connection growing with every exchange.
Then, on August 26th, Sean invited her to dinner at Estela in SoHo. The night was filled with laughter and warmth, and by the next morning, Natalie couldn’t help but text him, “I had such a fun time last night.” Sean replied, “When do I get to see you next?” And with that, their story truly began.
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The next few months were filled with countless dates and a growing closeness. In a romantic gesture, on October 23rd, Sean brought Natalie back to Estela where they had their first date and asked her to be his girlfriend. What began with a simple compliment in a Irish pub had grown into a love they both knew was something special.