Raylene Leon, senior psychology major, met Michael Shepard, senior history major, on October 1, 2013 in front of the Wilson Library as he was waiting for his class to begin. On April 7, 2015 he proposed to her in Venice, Italy.
I met Raylene and Michael while we were studying abroad in England this past spring. As I was catching up with Raylene over lunch this week, I decided I had to share their engagement story with Her Campus readers.
Raylene recalls the fairytale night to be a brisk and windy Tuesday evening in Venice.
Q: How did the proposal happen?
A: Michael reserved a gondola ride for the both of us on the Grande Canal. During our time on the gondola the gondolier was pointing out famous landmarks and describing the city to us. It was a bit chilly but with the sunset reflecting on the water I couldn’t ask for a better backdrop.
I could tell Michael was extremely nervous and I was nervous as well because by that time I knew it was coming. He told me that I am the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with, I am the best woman for him, and that he had already asked for my parents’ blessing.
During our gondola ride we went into where the homes and restaurants were but when he decided to propose we were back on the Grande Canal facing the Rialto Bridge and watching the sunset.
I just remember it being the most romantic moment.
I could hear Italian music in the background and Michael was finishing up his proposal. He ended it by saying he wanted me to be his wife and then showed me the engagement ring. I had the biggest smile on my face and of course I said yes. In the end it was like living a dream. Never did I think I would be proposed to in one of the most romantic cities in the world.
Q: How long did it take for you guys to become a couple?
A: Michael invited me to a group study night about a week after we met and soon after that we starting going on dates, talking, and hanging out more. Then on October 31, 2013 Michael asked if I would be his girlfriend. Yeah, I’m one of those people that remember the exact date.
Q: Were you open to dating him right away?
A: I didn’t really see myself dating him when we initially met. I didn’t think he was my “type,” but after spending more time with him, I found him to be charming, respectful, caring, and funny, and ultimately changed my perspective of him.
Q: What makes you sure that he is the one?
A: I knew Michael was the one for me after about five months of dating him. This may have been really soon but his loving, respectful, faithful, and caring personality made me very attracted to him.
I was able to see a future with him based on his characteristics and values. Michael is selfless, humble, outgoing, motivated, determined, helpful, and intelligent. He also gets along with my family and has a strong faith in God, which is really important to me. Not to mention I think Michael brings out the best in me, we complement each other in many ways. He makes me happy and treats me with respect.
Q: Did you expect him to propose abroad?
A: Well I was hoping. No, just kidding. We talked about marriage before studying abroad and knew that we wanted to marry each other eventually but I didn’t think he would pop the question while abroad. That is until he gave it away. A couple weeks before traveling from England to Italy he asked what I would say if he proposed and informed me that he already spoke to my parents about asking me. At that point, I knew the question was coming.
Q: Do you have an idea of when you’ll begin to plan the wedding?
A: We plan on having a rather long engagement compared to most couples. We are saving up for our wedding and will most likely get married about a year or two after we graduate in Spring 2016. For now, there is no rush, but I may or may not have our entire wedding planned on Pinterest already…
Gabriella Chikhani can be reached at gabriella.chikhani@laverne.edu.