I knew Veronica was the one for me years ago, but she made me promise I wouldn't propose before she paid off her student loans. I got constant ribbing from family and friends about popping the question, but I was beholden to that milestone. Well, that day finally came. And went. As even more time passed, I knew Veronica was getting antsy. She knew I had her ring, but she didn't know what I was waiting for.

Veronica is truly special, and our long relationship together has been epic. I wanted to give her the out of this world proposal she deserved. Literally. And, I just so happened to work for the guy assigned to pilot Spaceship Unity on her maiden spaceflight, Mark “Forger” Stucky. I pulled him aside one afternoon to “pop” the first question.

I started with "You know, I've got Veronica's engagement ring now... and I'm sure you're getting these requests from everyone, but..." He immediately cut in with "You want me to fly it, huh?" He agreed, and said “It’s about time!”

The plan was simple. Forger would fly the ring to space. Upon landing, we’d coordinate a sneaky exchange, and I’d pull Veronica to the side of the spaceship away from the crowds to propose. We kept it quiet for a while to prevent anyone from deciding it wasn’t a good idea. However, once the flight was finally on the horizon, we needed a better idea of how the post-flight festivities would flow in order to make the ring exchange. We had to let more people in on the plan.

All was good, until the afternoon before the proposal, when the media team informed me that Sir Richard Branson found out about the proposal. My heart sank, assuming he wouldn’t be pleased with the antics on his company’s big day. But I was wrong. They went on to say he wanted to help! This meant proposing on stage, with a microphone, in front of everyone. As nervous as I was, I couldn’t turn that opportunity down! I went to the event rehearsal that night to practice the timing, getting up on stage, where to stand, etc. That was when I realized just what I had gotten myself into. The crowd was going to be huge, there was a jumbotron so everyone could see every detail, and there was even a youtube live feed for the employees that couldn’t be there that day. This was no longer a quiet, private proposal. EVERYONE would be watching. I couldn’t screw this up!

Zero hour. The crowds gathered. My parents and many of our friends came out to watch. Unity takes off, fires her rocket, and climbs. This is really happening! Then I hear what I needed over the radio, “Spaceship Unity, welcome to space!” The crowd went absolutely nuts cheering, but my work was still ahead! Unity glided in for a safe landing and was towed to the stage. Forger hopped out, and the congratulatory speeches started. That was my que, and I snuck away.

As the speeches wrapped up, Branson announced there was one more surprise for the crowd. I hobbled up on stage and tried to keep my composure. I was handed the mic, and asked Veronica to join me on stage. I clearly remember the collective “oooohhhh” from the crowd. It felt like an hour for Veronica to make her way up. When she made it there, Branson patted my shoulder and demanded “on your knees!” As best as I could, I went into my speech “Veronica, you are as beautiful inside and out as a sky full of stars, and there’s no one I’d rather spend the rest of my life with than you.” Branson had pulled the space-flown ring out of its case and showed the crowd. I turned around, he handed it to me, and I could finally ask her “will you marry me?”

I could barely see Veronica nod yes because she went in to hug me so fast! But it worked, she said yes! The music started, the crowd cheered, and Forger popped a bottle of champagne to hose down the stage.

The next hour was an absolute blur of congrats, photos, and a surprising amount of “thanks for ruining it for me” from other guys. I have to say, it was one of the best moments of my life. She said yes, and the overwhelming support from so many that cared about us was so much more than we could have ever asked for. The patience paid off, and now we’re getting married!

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