Congratulations
Philip & Kimling
Wedding Date: August 23, 2014 in Villanova University; Villanova, PA
How They Met: Phil and I met as undergraduates at Villanova University. Although we had several friends in common and knew of each other, we were not formally introduced until almost midway through our senior year. From that point on, our relationship became rather serious rather quickly, to the surprise of said mutual friends! It continued beyond graduation that spring and through Phil's year-long tenure as an English teacher in Japan while I worked as a business consultant in Washington, D.C. - and even further beyond that as Phil moved to California to pursue Ph.D in philosophy, and I moved to North Carolina to start a career in private equity. About a year ago, I moved to Southern California myself. It has been over seven years since we first met, and I can honestly say that we are happier and stronger as a couple than ever.
The Proposal: Earlier in the week, Phil suggested that we go out to a nice dinner on Saturday night to celebrate my successful completion of the Level 1 CFA exam. I, thinking nothing of it, agreed and let him figure out the details. Phil casually mentions that we should get ready to go by 4:30 pm so that we can go watch the sunset at the beach by the Montage hotel in Laguna Beach, a favorite of ours, so I do just that, and we head out.
We arrive at the Montage, park across the street, and walk through the lovely beach access trail that winds its way through the property. It had been cloudy slightly ominous looking all day, but right around 4 pm, it had cleared up nicely, with just a few clouds remaining the sky. We finally make our way down beach and over to the rocky platform jutting out into the ocean, which falls beneath a natural arch in the cliffs. As we watch the sunset, Phil tells me that we aren't having dinner at the restaurant he initially told me about, and that we were having an amazing multi-course dinner at Studio at the Montage, and that this wasn't about the CFA exam, but that it was about us...and with that, we were engaged!
