By the beginning of fall, Shane began gaming out how to propose and scoping out places around D.C. that would be just right. He settled on the U.S. National Arboretum, a botanical collection in the northeast part of the city, and recruited a friend of his and Stephanie’s to take pictures. He successfully floated the idea of visiting to Stephanie, and the chosen day was to be bright and sunny.

And then the rain came; 2020 was throwing yet another wrench into plans. The plan was called off the morning of due to the deluge, and they opted to watch Hamilton inside. Right before meeting up, the rain suddenly began to clear and, in a matter of minutes, the plan was back on and everyone in place with Stephanie none the wiser.

Before heading to the Asian Valley section of the arboretum, the designated spot, Shane took Stephanie through other collections and locales, hoping to throw off any suspicions by relying on Stephanie’s aversion to cold weather and the low temperatures that day. Too focused on quickly getting through the collections, Stephanie’s mind was focused on anything but the imminent proposal.

At last, they arrived in the Asian Valley and took a stroll through its tree-covered paths. When they arrived at its pagoda, Shane took Stephanie on a quick detour down a nearby steppingstone path through a small rock garden. With the pagoda in the background and the landscape glistening with rainwater, he got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. (She said yes, obviously.)

Registry