Michael and I met a little over eight years ago when we worked together. After we began dating, we spent a lot of time together. We always said that we would wait to get married until we were ready for the large commitment that marriage is. So last February, after dating for a little over seven years, we decided to move in together. That was the first big step. What I didn’t know, was that Michael had been working on a plan for an even bigger step for quite some time.
Michael used his artistic talent (and degree in illustration) to pop the question in a way that I will never forget. He spent a year secretly working on a painting of the two of us embracing. After months of hard work pouring his love into the painting, he was satisfied and launched the second part of his plan. On August 17th, he casually told me that a friend of his from art school was having an art opening on Newbury Street. He asked me if I wanted to go and I agreed. That evening, when we got to the gallery, there was no one there. I asked him if we were at the right gallery and he said that he thought so- as we walked toward the back of the room, I realized that a painting of someone who looked like me was hanging on the wall! When I looked even closer, I realized that a REAL DIAMOND RING was affixed to the woman’s hand in the painting!! Michael slid the ring off of the painting and knelt to propose. It was such a happy moment and as it all sunk in, we just looked at each other and shared a laugh. We celebrated with champagne at the gallery and a delicious dinner afterward. Later that month, we returned to the gallery for our Engagement Party, and our friends and family came to see the painting. The painting now hangs in our dining room, and its wonderful story will be told to many future generations.
Johanna Merz,
Belmont, MA
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