We've been together for over 2.5 years, and had discussed marriage, so it wasn't a total surprise that I was going to propose. In our discussions, Debbie had made it very clear that she wanted a private proposal, and I knew I needed to honor that.

I wanted this special moment to be "us" as much as possible. So I planned for a weekend where we could have a lazy brunch at home. The more I thought about what "us" meant, the more I realized that Roxie, our pug, is a key part of our relationship and needed to be involved someway.


I got the ring one month before the proposal and built a Velcro contraption on the ring box to attach to her harness. While Debbie was at work, I tested it several times. It took Roxie a few minutes to get used to the box (but she never ran away like she did in the video!). She was very confused and rolled around on the ground with the diamond on her back. I quickly realized that I would need to keep the ring box closed as often as possible or else risk losing the ring!

This was actually only half of my surprise for Debbie!

Debbie's best friend in LA, Shanny, wouldn't answer her phone, after the video you saw, and Debbie got worried. I convinced her that Shanny was sleeping (it was 3AM West Coast time), and we went off to a "surprise party for Aric" -- our friend visiting from California.

What Debbie didn't realize was that I had lied to her about the surprise being for Aric. When we opened the doors to the rooftop, Debbie was showered in confetti, surrounded by our best friends, and greeted by a surprise (even for me!) entertainer singing "When a Man Loves a Woman." After the initial shock, Shanny appeared from the back of the crowd, and that's when Debbie (and all of us) really got emotional.

You can see that at the 2:14 minute of the video (linked in my account as well): https://youtu.be/VEpNHHLWAW8