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

BY RACHEL SYLVESTER

lisa & tim • ChicagoPHOTOGRAPH BY T & S PHOTOGRAPHY

Despite becoming close friends and, later, coworkers, it took three separate attempts for

Tim to convince Lisa to go out on a date. “I finally agreed and it was the best decision I

ever made,” she says. Three years later, the pair traveled to Traverse City, Michigan, to

celebrate Lisa’s birthday. Once there, Tim took the chance to propose as the two sat on a dock

overlooking Spider Lake. “The sun was setting when he got down on one knee,” Lisa says.

“This time, I made sure he didn’t have to ask more than once.” The ring: Ethan Lord Jewelers >>

REAL COUPLES

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REAL COUPLES

tiffany & joshuaChicagoPHOTOGRAPH BY ED & AILEEN PHOTOGRAPHY

Four years after they first met, Tiffany

and Joshua traveled to Colorado with

their son, Lincoln, to visit family. On

a date night in Denver, Joshua took a

surprise detour to the couple’s favorite

lookout spot on a nearby mountain.

“Once we got there, he pulled out a

speaker and I started to dance,” Tiffany

says. When she eventually turned around,

Joshua grabbed her by the hand and

quickly took a knee. “Every time we go

up there, we have a pinecone fight, so my

first thought was that he had found one

and was trying to throw it at me,” Tiffany

says. “But nope—he was just asking me to

marry him.” The ring: Diamonds by Shelly

bridget & danChicago

PHOTOGRAPH BY MEGAN SAUL PHOTOGRAPHY

Dan had planned an intricate proposal with

the help of Bridget’s family, but Bridget’s

father was hospitalized just days before he

was going to pop the question. “He passed

away four days later, but it was a blessing to

know Dan had asked my dad first,” Bridget

says. Later that same year, Dan caught

Bridget off-guard with a proposal while the

pair did laundry. “We told our cats, who

seemed pretty indifferent, before going

across the hall to celebrate with friends,”

Bridget says. “It was perfect.” The ring:

Wedding Bands & Co. >>

REAL COUPLES

kelly & troyChicago

PHOTOGRAPH BY KRISTIN LA VOIE PHOTOGRAPHY

After meeting three years ago in Austin,

Texas, Troy popped the question while

the two visited family in southern

California. “Troy let me know we had

dinner reservations at 6 p.m., and all I

could think was, ‘How old are we—80?’ ”

Kelly recalls. Before the meal, the two

shared a few glasses of champagne

in their hotel room and then took in

the resort’s scenic ocean views from a

nearby cliff. That’s when Troy took her

by the hands. “I immediately knew what

was happening and started bawling,”

Kelly says. “I couldn’t have been

happier.” The ring: Nick Ohanessian

neeral & anuChicagoPHOTOGRAPH BY MATUSHEK PHOTOGRAPHY

Nearly nine years after they began

dating, Anu (right) enlisted the help of

their cat, Milo, to propose to Neeral on

his 30th birthday. After reading Anu’s

heartfelt card, Neeral turned to find

him on one knee, holding Milo, who

wore the engagement ring on his collar.

But before Neeral could process the

proposal, Milo made his escape, taking

the white gold ring with him. “We spent

several minutes coaxing our cat out from

under our bed before Neeral was finally

able to say ‘yes,’ ” Anu says. The rings: Anu: Tacori; Neeral: Rony Tennenbaum

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