We don’t know about you, but we have always been intrigued with the way a marriage proposal unfolds. We not only get a peek at the inside stories of a couple’s relationship but also get to see the rawest of emotions being revealed.
Getting to “yes” is the goal, but to conspire something personal and meaningful, and have it be a surprise… that is often a tedious, mostly fascinating and absolutely nerve-wrecking process. We love to hear about them, but we don’t always get to give credits where credit is due, so now is the time!
Here’s the story of Christopher and Xinning who got engaged on 27th February 2021 on the rooftop of Blackbird Afterhours, with a ring Xinning designed herself – a consensus reached because she have had far too many nightmares of being proposed to with an unsatisfactory ring. We can totally see the level of expectation Christopher is working with here, not to mention Xinning being a wedding photographer herself at @alonetogether.co!
The Plan
So, with all that pressure to perform, what ultimately was Christopher’s plan?
Xinning is very passionate about photography and art, and we would often visit art exhibitions and museums whenever we go out on dates. Hence, the proposal idea was to create a mini-interactive exhibition for her which included pictures and memories of our 8 years together.
Christopher
Being the less artsy of the 2, I was honestly quite afraid that the proposal would not be up to standard, and there were quite a few sleepless nights thinking of the ‘perfect proposal’.
Thankfully, I had her best friend, Joy, (who is also Xinning’s sister) and my best friend, Paris, to help me filter out poor ideas and brainstorm on better ones. Ultimately, we decided that the best proposal plan would be one that Xinning would want to be a part of, and with that, the ‘exhibition proposal’ plan was born!
Did the plan work?
It sounds brilliant, doesn’t it? Not only did Christopher manage to come up with a plan, but he also got a few conspirators on board. But the question is, did it work?
YES I WOULD LIKE TO BELIEVE SO!
Christopher
Although we got to say, he didn’t exactly master Stealth Mode as the plan almost got leaked just the night before! Leaving his phone aside while taking a shower, Christopher got a text message from both Paris and Joy (his conspirers) in the proposal group chat disguised under the title “work” – seeing that chat notification had raised some serious suspicions on Xinning’s end…
So he saved Joy’s name under ‘Jocelyn Tan’ but failed to change Paris’ name – and I thought, if he had met somebody who had the same name as Paris, he would have told me. That’s why it was a little sus.
Xinning
What was the disguise?
Even though she smelt something, Xinning decided to keep her expectations low in case it wasn’t happening. The next day, she went along with their plan that had already been set a week prior: to meet some friends who had invited them to an event.
Walking up to the rooftop, the higher we got, the more it didn’t feel like it. And once we entered, I saw a poster of our faces photoshopped to fit the theme of said event and that’s when I knew. I was a little nervous, not really knowing what exactly was going to unfold, but of course, at the end of it, I was over the (full) moon.
Xinning
Was it a YES?
Met through their mutual friends (Sadiq and Junita), it wasn’t love at first sight for Christopher and Xinning. Yet, year after year, at Sadiq’s Hari Raya gathering, over some delicious Briyani (@dadasbriyani), Christopher never failed to make Xinning laugh until one day he asked Junita for her number (and the rest as they said is history). Those laughter are the main reason why Christopher thinks Xinning said yes when he popped the question.
Because she is always mesmerised by my charm and humour. She will vehemently deny this but ask any of our friends and they’ll agree that she’s always mesmerised by me.
Christopher
I think it has been a “Yes” for a while now. He truly loves me through the bad and ugly, fully allows and accepts me for me. And yah lah, he makes me laugh.
Xinning
The Ring
Alas, we come to the ring! Designed with such delicate thought and intent, it was what caught our eyes to Christopher and Xinning’s story in the first place. All the ways they view and take in each other as they do life together from here on are encapsulated in this remarkable piece of jewellery, worthy to be passed down as an heirloom for as long as the sun and the moon shines. It is intriguing to hear how it came to be –
As our relationship grew and unfolded, we came to find out we were quite different individuals. For one, he is such an optimist and I–a pessimist. So, he said he is the “sunshine and butterflies” and I am the “doom and gloom”. But as such opposites, we learnt how to complement and support each other. It’s kind of like being on a seesaw, it’s important to know how to balance each other so one party’s feet aren’t always dragging in the sand.
Xinning
Initially, we decided that he would design the ring, but I’ve had so many nightmares about how the ring turned out, we decided that I would design it. One night between 2-3am (the best ideas always come at 3am),I have always been intrigued by the solar system, the relationship between the sun and moon inspired the concept of the ring.
The idea behind the ring: The sun and the moon are completely opposite, but we do need one to appreciate the other. The sun is a strong constant source that is always there for support and we both take on the role for each other. When one is the sun, the other party is then able to shine in the darkest hour.
Thus, there are two smaller diamonds (which represents us) on this orbit around the main diamond. The main diamond represents for God to be in the centre of our relationship.
Memories of a Lifetime with the Team of Conspirers
What is kept from that day isn’t just the beautiful engagement ring but also memories from that will be equally cherished for a long time to come. These are Christopher’s and Xinning’s favourite recollections from the day.
When Xinning cried, and then I cried..
Christopher
That, and when everybody else popped out as the second surprise and celebrated with us for the rest of the night. And when Chris sat on a table and it broke.
Xinning
All these wouldn’t have taken place if not for the team of conspirers that Christopher name as the legends, and here’s CHRISTOPHER’S BIG SHOUT OUT to them:
PARIS AND JOY FOR BEING THE CO-CONSPIRATORS OF THIS WONDERFUL PROPOSAL
Christopher
ZENN & PARIS FOR BEING ONE HELL OF A TALENTED VIDEOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHER DUO.
DEBS FOR TAKING XINNING OUT TO GET HER NAILS DONE (UNDER THE DISGUISE OF A GIRLS DAY OUT) WHILE I PREPPED FOR THE PROPOSAL
KESHAV AND OLLY FOR BEING SUCH A GENUINE, GRACIOUS AND AMAZING HOST TO US. DO CHECK OUT BLACKBIRD AFTERHOURS IF YOU NEED A SICK VENUE
ALL OTHER FAMILY AND FRIENDS WHO WERE GENUINELY HAPPY FOR US
To other Proposer or Proposee
To you in the midst of plotting your game plan or you who is readying yourself to receive it, heed these advices from the one leading the Legends team –
Boys, back yourself and trust your instincts. If not, better make sure your girlfriend’s best friend is in it with you. And don’t be shy or afraid to ask for help from your circle of friends!
Christopher
Girls, treat your boyfriends as utter fools and hint to them or your best friends as much as you can on your ideal proposal. They’ll need it, and you’ll ultimately love it.
Boys or girls, as much as you want to create the perfect proposal, I would strongly advise to never spend beyond your means.
Now it is our turn to give a BIG SHOUT OUT to CHRISTOPHER AND XINNING FOR SHARING THEIR BEAUITFUL STORY WITH US (CONGRATULATIONS GUYS!!!)! We can’t wait to see how the duo would start putting their wedding together!