Kati & Gerard

We are still reeling from last month’s launch party for Proposal Magazine. The party, which was held on February 20th, allowed us to present the online publication to our friends and thank the many who have helped us in our journey thus far.

A few months ago, when Shannon and I first started planning the party, one of us mentioned how awesome it would be if someone actually proposed at the party.

It was just a passing thought for us and we never brought it up again. Little did we know that one of our dearest friends, Gerard Gonzales, had something up his sleeve.

As the party was beginning to die down, Gerard cornered me in the kitchen.

“I thought that since this is a party for Proposal Magazine that you should have a real proposal,” Gerard said pulling out a small black box.

The box wasn’t for me. It was for his girlfriend, Kati. My eyes just about popped out of my head.

“Are you serious?” I asked. I had no idea that he and Kati were that serious.

“Yeah,” he replied.

“You’re really going to propose?”

He again told me yes, but that Kati wanted to leave soon so we had to put the plan into action. He also told me that I needed to make sure to take pictures. Not a problem, I thought. In fact, Jen (our senior editor) had her flip camera so I pulled her aside and told her she needed to have the video going.

I went outside to the patio where most of the people were mingling and told Shannon that we needed to get everyone inside. At first she thought there was some kind of noise complaint from a neighbor, but then I explained what was happening.

“When Tia first told me that Gerard was proposing and everyone had to get inside I went in to a form of shock. It was a happy nerve racking shock. I felt like I was in emergency mode, aka the mode that slows time down and gives you a jittery tick,” Shannon said.

So we ushered the 15 or so people still at the party into the living room and Shannon and I proceeded to go through what seemed like the longest presentation of a website ever. Every now and then we would stop and ask if anyone had any questions, trying to hint to Gerard that he could raise his hand anytime.

Finally, about ten minutes later, I realized why he hadn’t raised his hand. I didn’t have my camera. I had set it about ten feet away because I stupidly thought that a video would be enough.

Nonchalantly, I got up, got my camera and prompted him one more time. What happened next? Well, I’ll let you watch for yourself.

It’s not often when you get to witness someone propose to someone else. I actually had seen one once before at a comedy show, but this was the first time of witnessing someone so personally close to me do it. Also knowing in advance that it was going to happen made my a bundle of nerves, though I’m sure it was nothing compared to the anxiety Gerard was facing.

“Part of me was a little concerned of what the people at the party would think during our ridiculous business presentation, especially now since I have no memory of what I said about our publication or how valid or intelligent my statements were,” Shannon said. “We were just stalling for to him ask his question.”

“None of that matters because watching Gerard get down on his knee and ask for Kati’s hand in marriage was one of the most wonderful moments that I have experienced and one that I will cherish forever. I know how serious and thoughtful they both are and how they respect their privacy, knowing all of this makes it even more sacred and I am so honored to have been there as a witness in their beautiful moment,” Shannon continued.

I asked others at the party if they had ever witnessed it and no one else had, but all agreed that it was an amazing moment.

The next day, we were dying to get the scoop from Gerard – how long had he been planning to propose and when did he decide to do it at our party.

“I bought the ring in late January and thought about the best time to propose. Valentine’s Day was cheesy, other things didn’t fit, but Proposal Magazine’s Launch Party seemed ideal. And it was.

I wanted there to be an element of surprise, though Kati stipulated that it get caught on tape, so I couldn’t just do it at random.

The surprise (or shock) value was quite high, which made me happy, though not as much as having Kati become my fiancée and soon my wife,” Gerard said. (Read the full story here.)

Kati was definitely surprised. When we asked her what was going through her mind, she said she was in total shock.

“I thought it was a sick joke at first. I knew he got the ring about a month ago, but didn’t expect it to be in front of a large group of people. It wasn’t until I opened the box and saw it was the ring I had picked out that I knew he was really serious.
When I hugged him, I said “I hate you.” How romantic is that… Thankfully he knows me well enough to know that I didn’t mean it,” she said.

We’re so happy for Gerard and Kati and are honored that they allowed us to share such a significant moment in their lives. They made the Proposal Magazine Launch Party a night that none of us will ever forget.