Victoria Owens and Wade Gelbert
Engagement date: March 12, 2009
Wedding date: June 26, 2010
At first I was disappointed when my girlfriend Tori told me that she was going to spend Spring Break in Florida without me. Then the devious side of me realized what a wonderful opportunity this was to surprise her with a proposal. I recruited three of my best buddies to become my partners in crime, and we began to plan our road trip to Kissimmee, Fla.
My plan involved placing a flyer at the door of Tori’s condo. It would say that someone had tried to deliver her a rare orchid from “A World of Orchids,” a real greenhouse nearby. Knowing that she would not be home, the flyer said that since no one was present at the time of “delivery” the flower would have to be picked up. The next day, with the help of the greenhouse staff, she would be directed to pick up the flower on a bridge inside the jungle greenhouse. Of course, this is where I would be waiting with orchid and ring to surprise her.
The plan couldn’t have been executed any more perfectly. Tori came to the greenhouse, and the manager directed her to her orchid. She made her way through the jungle greenhouse, and when we made eye contact, she gasped. She came over and I dropped to a knee. She could barely get out a “yes” she was so overwhelmed, and I slipped on the ring. Mission accomplished! It was exactly the way both of us wanted the moment to be.