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love storiesFive couples share the sweet stories that led them to “I do.”

BY RACHEL SYLVESTER

ashley & ryan • Chicago

PHOTOGRAPH BY NERIPHOTO

Nine years after they first met in college, Ashley came home to unexpectedly find Ryan watching a

rom-com on the couch. “He started talking about our relationship and asked if I wanted to revisit the

scrapbook I made for him back in 2007,” she says. But as they flipped to the end, Ashley noticed a

handwritten proposal and engagement ring taped to the back page. “To be honest, I was in such a state

of shock that I have no idea what he said,” Ashley says. “The next thing I knew, the ring was on my finger

and we were on our way to announce the news to our families.” The ring: Wyatt Austin Jewelers >>

REAL COUPLES

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REAL COUPLES

radha & raffiChicagoPHOTOGRAPH BY HUSAR PHOTOGRAPHY

A Sunday visit to the Museum of Science

and Industry led to a sweet proposal

Radha didn’t see coming. As Radha and

Raffi walked through the nearby Osaka

Garden, Raffi suggested they take a

picture on his new camera that syncs to

his cell phone. “I had the phone in my

hands and was struggling to figure out

the app when I realized Raffi had said

my name,” she says. That’s when Radha

looked over—and down—to find Raffi

on one knee. “The first thing out of my

mouth was, ‘The box is upside-down!’

and we both burst out laughing,” she says.

The ring: Tiffany & Co.

marcia & toussaintChicago

PHOTOGRAPH BY BRITTANY BEKAS PHOTOGRAPHY

During an afternoon game at the San

Diego–based couple’s local squash club,

Toussaint went to change his goggles when

an attendant approached Marcia and

politely explained they needed to change

courts. “I walked toward the far court

when I noticed Toussaint standing in the

middle of the room with an array of pink

and purple balloons and a big grin on his

face,” she says. After first handing Marcia a

love note hidden in a squash ball, Toussaint

gave her a prescription pill bottle—a nod to

their careers in medicine. “Inside was the

most perfect ring I’ve ever seen,” Marcia

says. The ring: BlueNile.com >>

REAL COUPLES

besma & syedChicago

PHOTOGRAPH BY CHRISTIAN WILSON PHOTOGRAPHY

Five years after they met, Besma and Syed

bought tickets to a Jason Derulo concert,

where they spent the night dancing with

friends. But as a slow song began to play,

Besma was surprised to hear her friends

yell, “Syed, do it now!” over the music.

“I looked over and he just shrugged

like he had no idea what was going on,”

she says. Soon after, Derulo started to

perform “Marry Me” and Syed discreetly

grabbed the ring from a friend. “People in

the crowd turned toward us while I just

stood there in disbelief,” Besma says. “All

I could hear were people yelling, ‘Look!

He’s proposing!’ ” The ring: Gabriel & Co.

michelle & danChicago PHOTOGRAPH BY T & S HUGHES PHOTOGRAPHY

While vacationing in Croatia, Michelle

and Dan spent the morning relaxing on

a secluded beach before walking down

to a rockier area to take in the sunset.

That’s when Dan suddenly got down on

one knee, scraping it in the process. “He

slipped a ring onto my finger and kept

repeating, ‘This isn’t the ring!’ since

he didn’t want to travel with the actual

diamond,” Michelle says. That’s why Dan

proposed for a second time as soon as

they returned home from their trip. “We

dropped our bags in the hallway and Dan

ran off to grab the real ring,” she says.

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