It all started on Thursday during work with a group message from my best friend. It had some of the greatest news ever. I scrolled through back to where it began and read five words that made me smile from ear to ear “Pulkit is proposing to Sayali!” And so it began!!! I had known that it was coming soon, but I didn’t realize just how soon it would happen! Sachi and I went out to Target the next day to grab posters to help Pulkit make signs that spelled out “will you marry me?” across them and then we spent 15 minutes in the card aisle trying to find the perfect “congratulations” card. You’d never guess the amount of cheesy ones we ran into before stumbling upon the perfect card!! That night we spent half an hour putting together the posters with thick, black Sharpie to make sure she’d be able to read it from across the little reservoir in front of the Capitol Columns.

The next morning we started driving over into D.C. to the National Arboretum Capitol Columns to meet up with Pulkit to run through our game plan for the big moment, before Sayali got there. He had two of his friends there that she wouldn’t recognize who could essentially “hide” in plain sight without being recognized to take video and pictures with the columns in the back! Me, Sachi and Sayali’s sister Sanika would have to hide BEHIND the columns and snake around as Pulkit got down on one knee. We practiced where we would crouch and made sure that we weren’t visible. Pulkit let us know that he was planning on reciting a poem he’d written for her (it was SUPER cute!!) and that he’d then get down on one knee and that was our cue to run around with the signs that he would point us out to her before showing her the ring.

And so we crouched, and we waited, and we scouted for her car. And after what felt like an eternity to us (so I can’t even imagine what it felt like for Pulkit!!) we peered around the edges of the columns and we saw them come up over the hill right to the middle of the columns. He pointed out the columns to her, and pointed out the view the other way, pulling her around so that her back would be facing us as we ran to the side of the columns first. He finished his poem and got down onto one knee, the moment she had been waiting MONTHS for, was finally there. And it was perfect. Because she didn’t notice his two friends video taping or taking pictures to record the epic moment and she didn’t notice us running like little chickens, posters flapping in the wind. Because all she could focus on was her soon to be husband, asking her to be his wife!!! He got up and she hugged him and he pointed us out to her and her face was priceless. Really words don’t do it justice, just see the pictures!! And then after she realized he pulled out the ring to put it on her finger and to seal the deal and it was perfect.

They celebrated with everyone running out to her, to give her flowers, to give her the biggest hugs and congratulations and to see what we’d all been waiting for: THE RING!!! And boyyyyy is it a GORGEOUS RING!! Seriously none of us, especially Sayali of course, could stop staring at it! It caught every bit of sunlight that day and even later on at her parents’ house, every bit of light even at night!! They enjoyed popping some champagne and then took their first pictures as an officially engaged couple and the rest of the day was spent in absolute happiness and bliss and sharing the good news with everyone 🙂

Hehehe just hiding out behind the columns, nbd!!

WHEN SHE NOTICED US WITH OUR SIGNS SAYING “WILL YOU MARRY ME?” Best moment hahahahha 😀

Look at this STUNNNERRRRR of a ring!!!





The whole gang recreating the E.P.I.C. moment!!


Adorable, adorable, adorable!!

Coming home to the parents!!!

The ring is loved BY ALL!!

I’m so honored to take their engagement pictures later this month among the cherry blossoms and their engagement party later this spring with their family friends but I’m so glad to have been able to capture a part of the beginning of official their journey together as a newly engaged couple!!!! CONGRATULATIONS YOU GUYS!!!!

For all of you that can’t get enough of proposal stories 

Botanical Gardens, Capitol Hill & Union Station Proposal – Wendy & Lucas

Georgetown Waterfront Proposal – Nakul & Lakshmi