Mariah initially found two engagement rings that she liked. Instead of getting both of them, Mariah worked with the vendor to design a custom ring that combined the best elements of each ring (if you haven't seen it yet, you need to check it out!).

From there, I took over the ring process. My job was supposed to be simple: I just needed to order the ring and then propose...

Part I: The Location

At some point during our three years of dating, I received information about Mariah's ideal proposal. My understanding (although Mariah disputes this) was that Mariah expected to be both (1) surprised by the proposal and (2) dressed up (so that she would look good in the proposal photos). I quickly realized that these are conflicting objectives, and I hope you appreciate the magnitude of the challenge - especially trying to surprise someone as observant as Mariah.

I also wanted the proposal to be special for Mariah. So I initially planned to propose at a time when she would be with her family and friends, who are spread across the country (ABQ, Madison, San Francisco, Seattle, Austin, etc.). The perfect opportunity arose when Taylor Swift selected Mariah and her friends to attend one of her exclusive "Eras Tour" concerts in Denver, CO on Saturday, July 15.

Although many of her friends were gathering in Denver for the concert, I realized that it would be a mistake to try to compete with Taylor Swift for Mariah's attention. So I worked with Mariah's mom to plan a proposal in her hometown (Albuquerque) instead. I knew that Mariah would be visiting Albuquerque before driving up to Denver for the concert.

Part II: The Ring and the Photographer

There were a number of delays associated with the manufacture of the ring. With less than a week until the scheduled proposal, I had no idea whether it was going to arrive in time. I was sending multiple emails per day to the ring company, asking them to expedite the process as much as possible (they couldn't). My phone calls to their customer service team were met with mixed responses. Sometimes they told me that the ring was ready to go. Other times they told me that it wouldn't be ready in time.

While the ring crisis was unfolding, I was also reaching out to photographers in Albuquerque to identify someone with availability to photograph the proposal. Unfortunately, every photographer that I contacted required a signed contract, a monetary deposit and confirmation that the proposal was actually going to happen.

At the same time, I was trying to find a location for the proposal in Albuquerque, a city that I had visited only a few times and was generally unfamiliar with. I wanted a spot that would both photograph well and be memorable for the two of us. I eventually settled on the Sandia mountains overlooking the city. On a previous visit to Albuquerque, Mariah and I had a fantastic date at Ten3 restaurant at the top of the mountain (10,300 feet above sea level). The restaurant is only accessible via a fifteen-minute tram ride or 1.5 mile hike.

The ring eventually passed the quality assurance inspection and was shipped to Houston on Thursday (7/6/23).

After spending several hours on the phone with potential photographers, I found one with experience photographing the Sandia peak. Because the pictures needed to be good, we came up with a plan to hike for ~20 minutes along the top of the mountain to a remote spot with good views where the proposal could occur without distractions or interruptions. The photographers would pretend to be bird-watchers so that Mariah would be surprised.

With the photographer settled, I picked up the ring from the store and flew to Albuquerque the following Saturday morning (7/8/23).

Part III: The Execution

To throw her off, I made the dinner at Ten3 restaurant sound like a spontaneous, ill-planned idea. I indicated that I just wanted to ride the tram (which I highly recommend to any visitors), and dinner at the top would be a fun bonus. I wanted dinner included because it would be an excuse for us to get dressed up in proper picture attire.

Because it was a spontaneous decision, Mariah had a limited number of outfits available. Her initial outfit choice was too casual for the proposal, so Mariah's mom (who was in on the plan) casually suggested that she wear something nicer. Mariah changed into one of her classic jumpsuits.

I was nervous throughout the long tram ride up the mountain to the restaurant. Mariah was wearing heels that did not look comfortable, so I texted the photographers to modify the plan; rather than hiking to a particular spot, the proposal would instead take place at an overlook behind the restaurant. I hid the ring box in my boot so that Mariah wouldn't see it sticking out of my pocket. She confirmed that she had checked my pockets that evening and was thrown off.

The food at the restaurant was great. I thought that a drink would calm my nerves, but I didn't account for the altitude and, as a result, the drink felt much stronger than normal.

The photographers had agreed to meet for the proposal at 7pm to capture the sunset in the background. But after dinner, Mariah wouldn't leave the restaurant. I kept suggesting that we go walk around outside, but she insisted that it was too early for the sunset and that we should wait inside. By the time that I got her outside, we were 45 minutes late to the photographers.

Once we were outside and heading to the overlook, Mariah could tell that I was nervous and probably realized what was happening. I forgot 90% of my prepared remarks and stumbled through a proposal that would make sense only to her. See the Engagement Photos tab for the outcome!

Part IV: Aftermath

After getting engaged on Sunday (7/9/23), we made our way up to Mariah's cabin in Durango, CO for engagement pictures on Wednesday (7/12/23). See the Engagement Photos tab.

We kept the engagement a secret for a few days so that we could surprise Mariah's friends. On Thursday (7/13/23) we drove to Denver together to meet up with them and celebrate. Mariah made it to the Taylor Swift concert on Saturday (7/15/23).

Wedding Day

4:00 PM

4:00 PM

Ceremony

5:30 PM

5:30 PM

Reception

#CountdowntoCowan