👰🏻‍♀️💍Wedding Special: Our Engagement, Proposal Story & The Start of Wedding Planning (Part 1 of 2) | Unleash Your Inner Creative with Lauren LoGrasso (A Creativity Podcast)

Description

Hello my creative cutie! SOOOO Excited to say that this week kicks off a very special two-part wedding series! In Part 1, I sit down with my fiancé, Timothy Michael Blewitt, to share the behind-the-scenes of our engagement and the start of our wedding planning journey.

You’ll hear:

-The hilarious ways my parents almost blew Tim’s proposal
-The serendipitous story behind my engagement ring
-Why Tim recreated The Office proposal in our living room (Shout out to Michael Scott!!)

-Our first steps into wedding planning and what we’ve learned so far

It is a mix of love, laughter, family chaos, and a reminder that big milestones are never perfect, they are perfectly ours. 💍✨

Stay tuned for Part 2 next week, where we dive deeper into the wedding planning process, lessons learned, and why I say “justice for Bridezillas!”

🎙️ Connect & Work with Me:
If you love this episode and want personalized support to break through creative blocks, build confidence, and finally share your work with the world, I’d love to help. As a creative coach, I work with artists, entrepreneurs, and multi-passionate creatives to unleash their inner voice and build a thriving creative life from a place of self-love. ✨ Want to work together? Email me at Lauren.LoGrasso@gmail.com or visit https://www.laurenlograsso.com/contact/ to book a free 15-minute discovery call.

Remember to subscribe/follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your pods. Please leave us a rating and review- it helps SO much in getting the show out there. And tell a friend about the show- podcasts are very personal and tend to be spread person to person. If this show helped you or made you smile, share the love :)

Follow the show: @unleashyourinnercreative

Follow me: @LaurenLoGrasso

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Transcription

Speaker #0
Have you ever been married? I haven't. Yet. But soon, that's all going to change. Oh yeah. Today I am here with an incredibly special guest. That's right. He's my betrothed, Timothy Michael Blewett. And we're here today to discuss our wedding that is taking place on Friday, August 29th. You'll hear juicy topics ranging from the whole behind the scenes of our engagement story, what wedding planning has taught me and Tim about our self-development journey, The realizations getting married has given us about our relationship and the relationships we have with friends and family, and why I no longer believe in the concept of bridezillas. Yeah, I said it, justice for bridezillas. We're going to get into that. So now let's do it. Welcome to the Unleash Your Inner Creative wedding special. And I guess I should say I'm Laura LaGrasso, I am your host, and I would be so honored to introduce you to my illustrious guest. He's actor, writer, thought leader, teacher, and fiance, Mr. Timothy Michael Blewett. Welcome to the program, honey.
Speaker #1
Thank you very much. Happy to be here.
Speaker #0
Oh, so honored to have you. Thank you for making time in your busy schedule to come on the wedding special.
Speaker #1
It's so busy between stuffing the gifts for all of our guests, the party favors. Yeah.
Speaker #0
And by stuffing gifts, he means making guest bags, y'all.
Speaker #1
Making guest bags.
Speaker #0
Taking gifts and then stuffing them with stuffing or other things.
Speaker #1
Taking down the recycling. Oh, yeah. Every box that comes in has to be taken down.
Speaker #0
Our house has become a Costco warehouse. That is true.
Speaker #1
Things are busy over here.
Speaker #0
Oh, we're just busy little bees. You know, before we get too deep into it, I want to say I've been taking a break from the podcast and I've truly missed doing the show. And it was... absolutely necessary. There is no way I could have been putting out a weekly podcast for the past month. We've just been slammed with wedding stuff. Any hours that I'm not working, I am working on wedding. So thank you for bearing with me as this break has happened. It's been weird, but so, so important. And I can't wait to get back in September. But this is a little sustenance to hold you over until then. And me, frankly. So given that, talking about how busy it's been, we are T minus 10 days until we wed. I cannot believe it. It feels like just yesterday we got engaged. But given that we were so close, honey, how do you feel?
Speaker #1
I feel everything all at once. Wow.
Speaker #0
It's just like that movie. Life truly imitates art.
Speaker #1
I mean, you're right. We got engaged in October and there was like this elevated feeling to life at the onset of the engagement of like, wow, like we're doing it. We're committing to each other in this way and we have to plan a wedding now, but it's going to be fun. And I remember, I still remember when your parents and yourself and myself, we all went out to like look for these venues. And it just seemed like it was so leisurely and so nice. and we're going to some of the... the most beautiful places in Southern California. And then we found our venue, we signed the contracts around December, the beginning of January. And ever since then, it's like time has just been accelerating at a rate that I don't even know what to call it, the wedding acceleration rate.
Speaker #0
The wedding speed of light.
Speaker #1
Wedding speed of light. Of white. Wedding speed of white. Even so, there was still like, oh, it's okay, we got time. We have eight months, we got seven months, we got four months, three months. Even when we had a month and a half to go and then it was just like, that time is gone. We've got 10 days. It's here. It's time.
Speaker #0
Yeah. It really has sped by so quickly. I cannot believe we're getting married next week. It is still 10 days away, but that means we're getting married next week. It just befuddles my mind. I really, I don't know. I just... I'm so happy we're here and it also seems surreal. And I'm like, is it really going to happen? Like we're going to do this.
Speaker #1
Oh, we're doing it. We're going to do this.
Speaker #0
We're in pretty deep at this point. Um, no, no, I'm just so, so excited. Yeah. Like it just, I cannot believe it's here. Exactly what you said. Like each it's kind of like how it feels in life. Like each week as you get closer to wedding, it feels like time is moving faster and faster and faster until you just said a clip that you're like, I don't even know if I'm here or present or if I'm just like in another dimension, but we're about to enter the dimension of the wedding day. So We'll find out.
Speaker #1
That's that feeling. That is everywhere, everything, everywhere, all at once.
Speaker #0
Yeah, so true. So, okay, before we go forward, I think we should go back because I realized in coming into this episode that I have never told our engagement story on the podcast. So I think we should go back. That was a rewind and tell the engagement story of how this gorgeous ring came to be on my little flangey here.
Speaker #1
It is a gorgeous ring. It is. If I can say so myself.
Speaker #0
It is. And we'll even talk about how you ended up choosing it.
Speaker #1
Yes, we will. Yes. Yes, we will. All right. So where do we begin?
Speaker #0
I think we should begin by saying we had talked about getting engaged. So we discussed getting engaged by our three-year anniversary, which was October 3rd, 2024. And so as time was going on, it was getting closer and closer to the day. And we weren't engaged yet. And I'm like, huh, he's really waiting right until the deadline. But I'm like, that's cool because that's what we talked about. And, you know, I had said some things to you. I didn't drop hints. I'm not a very subtle person I've come to realize in life. I think for a while I thought I was subtle, but I'm not subtle at all. So I was dropping not hints like directives on what exactly I wanted from a ring. I was like, I want an oval, an oval ring. And I want it to be at least three carrots. And I want it to be like with the little diamonds around. So like I had told him what I wanted because, you know, like I never, I never really thought I'd get married until I met Tim. Like you were the first time I met someone and I was like, oh, that actually sounds nice. It doesn't sound terrifying. It sounds quite lovely. But I always knew no matter what, if an engagement were to happen over the course of my life, I wanted the ring to weigh my hand into the ground. And I'm not very materialistic in other ways, but I do love shiny things. And I knew I wanted something that was shiny enough to see from a distance. So that was what I told you, but I didn't tell you anything else. And we did not design the ring together.
Speaker #1
Right. Yeah.
Speaker #0
So that's just a little ring tidbit for you.
Speaker #1
Yeah. Which, honestly, it made my job a lot easier. You know, so I will say there's nothing easy about buying an engagement ring.
Speaker #0
What was the hardest part?
Speaker #1
The hardest part was the budget, I think. Putting together a budget that doesn't break the bank, a budget that is not measly, but it's not like I'm going into tremendous debt to afford this. So finding the right budget and finding something that you would be proud to show off and proud to wear. This is important. Say what you will. And everyone comes from a different standpoint. This is something else that I learned. the same thing that worked for us is not going to work for other people. And I was reading Reddit threads. I was doing all kinds of research. And there were a lot of people out there who said, I don't care. I love the person. We got our rings from Amazon, or we got $10 rings online. Or someone even said, my betrothed or my boyfriend proposed with a ring pop. And it worked for them. And somebody else had commented like, he better not propose with a ring pop. So there's all kinds of different things work for all kinds of different people. But for me, because you were so clear about what you wanted, I wanted to get as close to what you wanted as possible. And you know, something that you'd be proud of.
Speaker #0
Yeah. And I mean, of course, that's the truth too, right? Like, the hardest and most important thing is finding the person that you want to be with forever. But if there is an item of clothing or jewelry that you know for a fact you'll wear every day for the rest of your life, it's got to be something you enjoy looking at because this is my view forever now. So I would honestly, like, I think I told you at one point, I'm like, I would rather have the ring I want than like having a big blowout wedding. Like, because this is going to be forever. The wedding is one day. So I really appreciated it. And I think I even said to you at one point, which this is a real diamond. But I think I said to you at one point, I'm like, I'd rather have a huge cubic zirconia than a teeny tiny speck that I can't see that's a real diamond. So that's how strongly I felt about having some sort of ring that weighed me down.
Speaker #1
Yeah. So this is where I had to do my own research. So you said I wanted three carats and you wanted pave, which is the diamonds on the side. Oh,
Speaker #0
okay. I call it that.
Speaker #1
French for paved, for those that are keeping track.
Speaker #0
It's be la junkie.
Speaker #1
so um i then had to discover everything about what diamonds are because i i knew nothing i just in my mind it was like they're expensive and they're forever That's what I know about diamonds. So I looked into the four C's, cut, color, clarity, and carrot.
Speaker #0
Okay.
Speaker #1
I really looked into the cut, the clarity, all of that. And I took it to a diamontologist to get it set because I got the stone by itself. And I thought like, well, you and I are both artists. We appreciate craft. Let me try to assemble these together. and the stone that I got It was cut on May 20th, 2024. Yes. The stone that I got was cut on May 20th, 2024. And May 20th, 2021 is when I met you.
Speaker #0
Wow. It was meant to be.
Speaker #1
It was meant to be. And that was just serendipity. So I was looking at all my options and then I saw that and I was like, okay, I have to get this one. It's everything else that she wants. It's the right color, I believe, cut clarity, and the fact that it was cut. At this specific time on this specific date, I thought, okay, this has to be. Yeah.
Speaker #0
And it was wild because the website that you got the diamond from, I had been like looking on it in the same timeframe that you had gotten the diamond. And I literally took a screenshot of a ring on there and I said, this would be good for Tim to get. And I sent it to my mom. And it was right around the time that I found out you bought the diamond from this website. So I feel like we were communicating telepathically because I was like, this is a great ring. It's a great budget.
Speaker #1
Yeah, it was meant to be. And I think that's another key for the fellas out there that want to, or for anyone who wants to propose with a diamond ring.
Speaker #0
Fellas, ladies, and non-binary kings slash queens.
Speaker #1
Exactly. The key is getting very close to what you believe your significant other wants and desires and feeling good about it. So even if you get something that doesn't hit all the marks. If you've done your research and you've poured over it and you've put your time into it and thought and effort and energy and you feel good about it, I guarantee that's the best decision you can make.
Speaker #0
Beautiful. So you get the ring.
Speaker #1
So I got the ring. Yeah. And then I had to keep it a secret from you.
Speaker #0
Which isn't easy because I like to do some investigative journalism, as you may know.
Speaker #1
Not easy at all. Not easy at all. And also we live together. So I needed to make sure that I had it in a place that. you wouldn't see.
Speaker #0
Bingo. The funny part is that I actually signed for my own ring and I didn't know it.
Speaker #1
That's right. I forgot about that.
Speaker #0
It got delivered because he got the ring from this website or the stone from the website and then went and got it set at a local retailer around here. But I signed for the ring and I was like, huh, I wonder what Tim's getting in this small box.
Speaker #1
They were supposed to call me. That was because their whole thing is... We were very discreet and it comes in the mail. And because it's in the mail, we don't want anybody to know what it is, you know, so that there's no funny business or theft or anything like that. So they were supposed to give me a call specifically so I could pick it up, but they didn't.
Speaker #0
It's okay. We're not calling the company out. And also, I didn't know what it was. I literally thought because it wasn't like the size of a ring box. It was the size of a small box. I'm like, I really wonder what Tim is getting.
Speaker #1
Yeah, I forget what I told you it was.
Speaker #0
I don't think I pressed you harder because I think I did. In me, I had a thought like, what if it's the ring? Anyway, so you get the ring, you get it set, and it's getting closer, ever closer to our anniversary date. And so my parents are coming into town. And what do you do?
Speaker #1
So I know that your parents are coming into town. What was the occasion?
Speaker #0
I think they were coming in for my mom's birthday. Your mom's birthday. My mom's birthday is September 27th. And so they were coming in just to hang out. Like they usually come in at least once a year and spend a couple of weeks with us because we have a guest bedroom and it's just a nice time to have a little family time.
Speaker #1
This is where I begin to put my plan in motion. Up to this point in time, I've actually spoken to Patrick Murphy, who's now gonna be the best man at our wedding.
Speaker #0
Friend of the show. And he's been on the podcast.
Speaker #1
That's right, yeah. So I had been asking him of just like, I need some help putting something together. What do you think? Is it best to go out to a restaurant? Is it best to do it at home? Is it best to do the whole nine yards, bells and whistles? Is it best to have an intimate thing? We had talked at least for an hour and a half moving through possibilities. And then he was my wingman the whole process through of like, you know, let me know what you're thinking. Let me know how I can help out. And then I learned that your parents were going to be coming into town. for your mom's birthday so i knew okay that is so close to our anniversary october 3rd which i i want to like that's the day that i want to propose so since they're already coming into town i'm not going to arouse too much suspicion with them already being out here and i i had a feeling that you wanted them to be present in in some capacity and i think i may have told you that at some point yeah and i i wasn't i wasn't exactly sure how i was going to include them yet but i knew okay they're gonna be out here already that means i don't have to make a big show like if if they came out if they weren't planning on coming out and all of a sudden they were here that might have tipped you off a little yeah so i use this to my advantage of like they're already here um and i i didn't want your mom to know yet. Because I thought, you know, you and she are so close. Yeah.
Speaker #0
We talk every day.
Speaker #1
Any sort of like giddiness or extra energy and coming out here to come see you could have given the surprise away.
Speaker #0
And to be fair, my mom has very rarely been able to keep a secret from me. I mean, like one time I literally caught her like planning my surprise party and then I found out and then I had to pretend to be surprised at my surprise party. So like her and I both knew I wasn't going to be surprised, but none of the people coming in. So I acted all surprised. Hey, if you're listening, you were at my 17th birthday. I knew.
Speaker #1
You heard it here.
Speaker #0
You're here breaking news. Put it on the headlines. So, yeah. So I think that was a fair call. Yeah. But you did want to give my dad a little heads up.
Speaker #1
Yeah, because I so I really wanted to do the whole traditional thing of like asking your dad for his permission and his blessing. And that. that whole thing. So I wanted him also to kind of know to maybe like plan ahead a little bit of like, I want to be asking you these things. So I just sent him a text and I thought it was very like slick and like wasn't giving too much away, but was definitely laying the hint of like, I'd like to have an in-person conversation with you about something very important. Because my text to him was like, you know, great, excited to see you when you come out. By the way, I'm planning something very special for... our anniversary on October 3rd, if you and Joanne wanted to stay out a little bit longer, you might want to consider staying and leaving the next day or the day after that or leaving that weekend.
Speaker #0
And my dad being the absolute literal person that he is, what did he say back to you?
Speaker #1
He sent a very direct text, very direct and blunt and was just... um you know oh no actually we we have to be in uh buffalo for another event um visiting some family um so so we're we're heading out on the second and he said literally i want to steer clear of your anniversary yeah i wanted to steer clear of your anniversary uh so we'll be leaving the second thank you yeah so like in his own way he was like i want to give you guys alone time totally having it go over his head that tim was trying to give him a signal that he was gonna ask me to marry him so then And... And lo and behold, your mom gets wind of the text somehow. And I don't know how she got it, but she may have asked your dad.
Speaker #0
My dad was like, oh, Timmy reached out to me, told him we're going to leave.
Speaker #1
Yeah. And she was like, well, what exactly did that text say?
Speaker #0
And then she read it and she goes, Mike, he was trying to give you a signal. It's clear that he was trying to propose to Lauren. You need to write him back. You need to write him back right now. So my mom acted as my dad's personal chat GPT and wrote up a sparkling response for Timmy. And said, actually, we would love to stay and I'd love to talk to you and blah, blah, blah.
Speaker #1
Yeah. And so I received that text and I don't know that I responded immediately, if at all.
Speaker #0
You responded.
Speaker #1
By that time, they were going to come out in a couple days. And I just I didn't know what to do because now I'm reformulating the plan of like, OK, so they were coming out. Now they're leaving. They're not going to be here. So I have to figure something else out. And I just thought I'll just I'll figure it out when I ask for the permission and the blessing when he gets here. I'll figure it out then.
Speaker #0
So they get here. We're having a great time. And one day, Tim and my dad go out to coffee. And I didn't think anything of it. I mean, I kind of hoped because, again, we're getting close to the deadline here, okay? So I kind of hoped that Tim would be having a very special conversation with my dad. But I also didn't think necessarily anything was happening. A lot of times, they will get together and talk about business. And like, just share and like, you know, they've got their own relationship too. So I thought maybe this is one of those occasions. I'm not going to get my hopes up just in case. So they go out and I'm typing away, click clack on my computer.
Speaker #1
Yeah, it was, I mean, it couldn't have been more perfect. We go out to Heirloom Cafe. Yeah.
Speaker #0
Great local business.
Speaker #1
Great local business. we're originally we're going to sit on the inside but it's kind of crowded there's a lot of like clamor so we get a nice seat uh outside um on the patio and um and your and your dad your dad then is ordering your mom's birthday gift oh he was yeah because you were like so mike i really want to ask you like hold on this is a call for joanne and then he was like yeah making a call about flowers i want flowers delivered and i want them at this address so i need them soon then you know Then he hangs up. Okay, Timmy, so what do you want to talk about? well sir so what exactly did you say to him just just paint the picture for me i want to hear it yeah well i i mean i think i said something to the effect of um you know lauren and i are are getting a lot more serious and we're combining our lives together in this way and um you know she means a lot to me and over the years like i've just really come to know her and to love her on this deeper level. And then I think I just... cut to the chase and I just said, you know, I just wanted to ask you out first to ask for your permission and your blessing if I could ask for her hand in marriage.
Speaker #0
And what did my dad say?
Speaker #1
And I think, I don't, I'm guessing he was expecting it. I'm not sure, but I think he was like, well, yeah, you know, I think that this is good and is, you know, essentially like a long, it was a long time coming and he thinks that we're good together and... Um, we've got a lot of growing to do together and he said we have growing to do together.
Speaker #0
No,
Speaker #1
not, not like that, but it was just like you, you two compliment each other really well. And, um, it seems like you're growing in this direction. And if you continue, you could grow and you could grow even more and have a beautiful life together.
Speaker #0
Aw. So you got the two thumbs up for rock and roll.
Speaker #1
I got the two thumbs up. Yeah. Yeah. And it felt good too. like Obviously, I was very nervous before we went out for that coffee. I was psyching myself up and just being like, okay, you got to do this. It's a rite of passage in my mind. But then afterwards and receiving the blessing and the permission, it was just kind of like, wow, this is great. And it kind of gave me even more courage to move on to the next step. And he did say in that moment, too, he was like, great. Now. we do have to bring your mom into it. Joanne. Yeah, we do have to bring Joanne into it because it's so much better that we were all in on it together. Oh, yeah. It just worked. Yeah.
Speaker #0
You can't leave my mom out of a plan. Yeah. My mom can create a little extra ruckus, but she also creates a lot of extra magic. You got to hand it to her. It's true. You got to hand it to her. So, okay, you end up telling my mom, my dad and I go into Whole Foods to do a little grocery shopping because we love the supermarket. my dad and I. And you, while my dad and I are in Whole Foods, talk to my mom and tell her. Yeah.
Speaker #1
Yeah. So she in that moment, like when you and your dad go into Whole Foods, she's like, so Timmy, Mike told me about your plan. And I think it's wonderful. And she was all for it. I'm just like, I think it's wonderful. I think you guys are made for each other. You're soulmates. Tell me what we can do. Tell me what you're planning. So I essentially told her my plan, my vision as she calls it Just that your favorite TV show is The Office. Yeah. And I wanted to recreate the way that Michael Scott proposes to Holly with the candles and the thing that he says before he proposes. And I had this idea of just recreating that in our home where there would be control. I felt like I would have more control over the proposal. There wouldn't be like onlookers, you know.
Speaker #0
No looky-loos.
Speaker #1
No looky-loos. So that was the plan. And leading up to it, I had plans to take you out to where we had our first date at Hearst, which is another local joint. And just to sprinkle in some other things that we had done in our dating life that were like memories. So I got us a money tree.
Speaker #0
On the day of our anniversary.
Speaker #1
On the day of our anniversary. I got us one of those because one of the dates we went on when we were first dating was a place called the Wishing Tree. which no longer exists, unfortunately. But the restaurant was great, like Middle Eastern food. And their gimmick was you could write a wish on a little tag and tie it to a tree. And then you could see if your wish came true. So I did that. I got us these little yogurt parfaits that we had shared.
Speaker #0
A lot. When we were first dating, you would always bring them to me, and I would eat them. The way to my heart is snacks.
Speaker #1
And I knew it. And I capitalized.
Speaker #0
And you also got Rosemary.
Speaker #1
Yeah, because we had picked Rosemary, wild Rosemary, on one of the... This was not a date, but when we first met.
Speaker #0
It was actually kind of a date when you look back on it. We were in a group and then we split off and hung out for seven hours by ourselves. But I just didn't realize I liked him at that time. Whoopsies. But I made you pick a sprig of wild rosemary. I'm like, pick this. We were on a walk. And I was like, pick this and smell it as we walk.
Speaker #1
Yeah, it was great. And I was like, ah, the aromatics. Love is in the air. And we like talked to trees walking and I was like,
Speaker #0
you have to talk to this tree.
Speaker #1
So on our way to verse, which is about a 10 minute walk away from where we live. So we were able to just walk there. I had this fresh rosemary that I had. I didn't pick it, but I bought fresh rose. Yeah. And I said, like, this is for us to to walk with as we walk to verse and we can smell it. We can remember.
Speaker #0
Yeah. So like everything he had done that day was like recreating the our falling in love story. Yeah. Like our time of falling in love. So we go to verse and I think he's going to propose to me here. Like my parents are in town. We're at this like jazz bar. There's a microphone. Like he's, he's going to get up on the stage and be like, Lauren LaGrasso. I love you. Please be my wife. So like the whole night I'm waiting for him to propose and for my parents like pop out of the back. And so our appetizer goes by no proposal. Our dinner goes by no proposal. After dinner drinks, no proposal. Dessert, no proposal. Bill, no proposal. So I'm like, I'll be damned. He is not proposing today. Well, clock's ticking. You got till the end of the night. No, I just didn't think he was proposing. I was pretty, pretty sure you weren't proposing. And we were going to Australia in about a week. So I'm like, okay, well, that's forgivable. He's going to get down at the bottom of the Great Barrier Reef, open up a ring box and be like here amongst the coral, please be my wife. so I was like That I can understand. So we start walking home. And what do I do? What?
Speaker #1
Well, real quick, do we? Yeah,
Speaker #0
real quick.
Speaker #1
Okay, no, I'll finish this thought. So, so.
Speaker #0
No, real quick.
Speaker #1
Yeah, I was going to say real quick. Do we have to talk about your parents?
Speaker #0
Almost blowing it?
Speaker #1
Yeah, almost blowing it.
Speaker #0
Yeah, I wanted to, but you skipped ahead. So I didn't.
Speaker #1
Well, we could talk about it. We need to talk about it.
Speaker #0
I got to take off my pants. I'm sweating profusely. I'm wearing a dress. Give me one second. I'm really sweating. All right. Pants are off, ready for the story again. So yeah, if we want to rewind, my parents did almost blow the proposal twice.
Speaker #1
Twice?
Speaker #0
Yeah. Maybe more than that?
Speaker #1
No, I remember once. I remember one almost big moment.
Speaker #0
Okay, now almost blow is one moment, but there were a few times when I'm like, something seriously fucked up is happening here.
Speaker #1
Right, right. Okay,
Speaker #0
so there were a few times when something happened that I was like, something is wrong. So okay, what was the first time? Yes. Okay, we were all driving and all of a sudden I was like, okay, well, you guys are leaving on the 1st of October, whatever it was. And my mom goes, nope, we're staying. And then my dad goes, yeah, we're staying with a smile on his face. Now, in order to understand why this is a very, very disturbing moment, you have to know this. Every single time my parents have visited here for over the past decade, almost a decade and a half. My mom decides she wants to stay for longer. My dad fights her tooth and nail and says, Joanne, I need to get home. I've got an appointment. And then after about two days of this dance, my dad caves and they stay for longer. Okay. Never in the history of my parents visiting me in Los Angeles has this exact pattern not occurred. So for my dad, my mom to say, I'm saying, and my dad to say, yep, sounds good to me. I knew something really fucked up was happening.
Speaker #1
And in my mind, I'm thinking, oh, no, like this is the plot has been given away. She's gonna know. And and it wasn't I guess it was weird because you and I both know that they didn't do the dance that they always do. But you had said to me that night, you were like, I don't know, my parents are just acting so. weird. My dad never says, okay, I'm going to stay. And so the next day, I made sure to tell them when you weren't around.
Speaker #0
You pulled them aside.
Speaker #1
Yeah. And I just said, I think Lauren really suspects something. And your mom was like, oh, well, why? Why would that be? And I explained. I said, well, forever, you have always said we're going to stay. And Mike, you say, no, I've got to get back. And if you stay, it's a day, but there's always this hassle. Um, so if there's any way that you could bring it up again and fight a little.
Speaker #0
Then they had to fight. Tim instructed them. You guys got to fight a little bit.
Speaker #1
I directed them. I was playing director in this moment of like, in order for the vision to work, you've got to fight a little.
Speaker #0
So they did. And it was believable. And then I was like, well, wait, no, they can't leave now because what if he's going to propose? So it was like, my dad said that his friend, his friend Ross that he's worked with for almost 50 years was telling him that he had to get back for this case that they were working on. I'm like, can't you just call Ross and tell him no? He said that he called Ross, but he didn't. He never had to go back.
Speaker #1
Yeah. Poor Ross. He probably was none the wiser. So the fighting happened and then you were back on track. But you did tell me, though, you said like, everybody's just acting so weird.
Speaker #0
Yeah. Because then the other thing was my mom invited me. She goes, you know what we haven't done in a while? I go, what? And she goes, Get our nails done. Okay. The year was 2024. The last time we went and got our nails done was 2019. So yeah, I'd say it had been a while. And I knew because I told Tim, if you're going to propose, make sure to find a way for me to get my nails done. But the thing that threw me off was we were also going to Australia and I had told my mom that I want to have my nails done for Australia. So I was like, okay, well, yeah, like we can go. I'm just like, I'm stressed right now. And I've got all these things going on. She's like, well, you don't have to go. You could also wait till you go to Australia and I was like,
Speaker #1
thrown off the track.
Speaker #0
Thrown off. So my, okay. So I'm like, okay, well I should just get them done just in case. Cause you never know.
Speaker #1
Yeah. That was, that might've been one of the hardest things because I knew that you had specifically asked that of me, you know, before I propose, you want to make sure that your nails are done and that they look nice. And I was thinking like, do I ask your, some of your closest girlfriends? But then I thought, I don't know that I want to involve them because I don't know if they will give it away or. Yeah.
Speaker #0
I put you in a tough spot because I notoriously don't have my nails done. Right. So it wasn't like I'm like one of those girls that always has their nails perfectly, perfectly polished.
Speaker #1
Right.
Speaker #0
They're typically not done.
Speaker #1
But it worked. You know, your mom was able to pull it off and you got your nails done. Your parents stayed and you believed that they were staying because they were able to make it happen. And then we went out on the date. Yeah. Now we can... Flash forward.
Speaker #0
Flash forward.
Speaker #1
So we're walking back to, we're walking back from Verse, back to the apartment. And by the way, when you, when we were leaving Verse, I went to the bathroom and then I was texting with your mom of just, okay, we're coming back in 10 minutes. Because her job was, I had about a hundred candles. for the for the office proposal yes and your mom and your dad were so helpful in that they stayed back while you and i were out to dinner and they set up these led candles and i had i don't know 10 or 12 regular candles yeah fire candles and then electric or battery operated yeah because we we wanted to make sure that whatever happened in the office where the sprinklers go off we didn't want that to happen because we actually do have sprinklers in our condo so it would have been very bad So your mom is taking care of the setting up the candles and I'm just sending them a little courtesy text of like, we're finishing up dinner now. We've just paid the bill. We're going to be on our way back. And she, I forget what she texted, but I think in hindsight, she had said like, oh my gosh, I got to get everything ready. Like they're coming back in 10 minutes. But on the walk back, you and I were just walking and you turned to me and said. You know, I really thought you were going to propose tonight.
Speaker #0
I can't hold in a thought. Not with you. I think I told you this when we first met. I'm like, you're human truth serum to me. I just, I like to tell you every thought I have. And I have to tell you, I really thought you were going to propose at dinner. I couldn't not tell you.
Speaker #1
And to me, this is music to my ears because I'm like, yes, like the fact that she's telling me this means that she has no idea. So she, I am As coy as coy can be, as best as I can, because I'm nervous. I've left the ring at home because I don't want to have this bulge in my pocket as I'm walking. If you would have seen that, it would have given it away. Yeah,
Speaker #0
it would have.
Speaker #1
So, you know, I'm receiving what you're saying of like, I really thought you were going to propose tonight. And I said, oh, really? You would have preferred if I had done it at home? No,
Speaker #0
no, no. I think I said, I really thought you were going to propose tonight. And then I'm like, but I'm kind of glad you didn't at the restaurant because honestly, I would have rather have you do it at home. and then you're like oh really you would have rather let me do it at home i'm like but i guess you're gonna do it in australia and that's fine i understand why you waited until then but if you could just do it at the beginning of the trip that would be great because i can't handle the pressure of knowing it's gonna happen and waiting for it anymore and i was like noted all right i was like if it's gonna happen at the end of the australia trip the whole trip i'm gonna be on edge being like, is it now?
Speaker #1
And, you know, so I'm just receiving all this like my inside. I'm just laughing hysterically of like, yes, we're celebrating. And, you know, so I'm asking you even more questions. And I'm like, oh, yeah, I guess at home would be better because your parents are in town and it would be before the trip. Yeah, that makes sense. That all makes sense. So we, you know, get to the condo door. We go inside. Then we are out are on the threshold. And I'm kind of like jingling the keys a little more than I normally would. kind of like yeah
Speaker #0
alerting for the listener. There's a door on the outside of our condo that you have to get in, in order to get to our front door. So we got in through that door and now we're right in front of the threshold of our door.
Speaker #1
And so I'm, I'm like making it known, you know, to your parents on the inside that were there and, and to their credit, they, they were ready. They had set up the, your, your iPad to be able to film like a master shot of everything that was going on. And then they individually had their own phones and they were filming. And we just we entered, opened up the door, crossed the threshold. And I think you knew immediately just the way that the lights and the candles and the rose petals on the floor.
Speaker #0
Yeah. Well, first of all, I started laughing hysterically. The reason for it is this. So we walk in and we see all the beautiful setup that they have. And then my parents are standing there with their cameras. And I think I was just laughing hysterically because I couldn't believe they got me. I was like, I'm going to quit this case. did it but i also was so happy that they got me because i'm like this is so special and then tim said that i kind of iconic line to me from the office and then i knew i dropped it i'm like oh my gosh i can't believe he did this for me say
Speaker #1
the iconic line do you remember it i think it's um this will be the hardest test of our relationship so far after this it's smooth sailing from here run out. The hardest test of our love so far.
Speaker #0
Yeah, I think it's like the hardest test I love his face so far. After this, it's smooth sailing. Yeah. And so then I was like, oh, my God, he's doing the Michael Scott and Holly proposal. So then he led me into the circle of like, because he made this huge circle with all these candles. And he led me into the center of it. And you were like, Lauren Louise, Roboto, La Grasso.
Speaker #1
Yeah, I gave my little speech. Just, you know, we've traveled. We've, you know, I'm in love with you.
Speaker #0
Yeah. You said, you said, um, You are the best person in the entire world. No, you didn't say that.
Speaker #1
My heart said it through my gestures.
Speaker #0
What did you say? You were like, we've traveled the skies or something.
Speaker #1
Yeah, we've mapped our destinies in the sky. This is a lot less romantic than the moment.
Speaker #0
It was really romantic. It was beautiful.
Speaker #1
I will say I was rehearsing it like all day and I was like, yeah, I mean, I just...
Speaker #0
You memorized it.
Speaker #1
I memorized it because I wanted it. to come from the heart. I wanted something that was written, but I wanted something that was coming from the heart too. I didn't want it robotic.
Speaker #0
Are you memorizing your vows?
Speaker #1
No. Oh, good. No, no.
Speaker #0
I can't because mine are too long.
Speaker #1
Too much pressure, way too much pressure. But this was a little easier because of just the theatrics of it and the intimacy of it too. And like, you know, it was all coming from the heart. But I was so nervous earlier that day that your mom had made this like salmon meal and I, it. It's like salmon. It's so light. And I could have like only a few bites. Yeah. I can't. I just can't eat this. Like I'm I'm feeling all the emotions right now. So but that yeah, that night got down on one knee, gave my speech and then, you know, asked you to marry me. And she said yes. She. She said yes.
Speaker #0
Yes, I did. I think I said I would love to because you asked what I would I be. would I marry you? And I said, yes, I would love to. Let me kiss. And so after all the hysterical laughing, then I started hysterically crying. I'm nothing if not diverse. I'm always shocked by how many emotions I can feel in one day. Like, how is it even possible that one human has all these different feelings in their body? So anyway, it was just so beautiful. And having my parents here meant so much and that you were all working out together meant so much. It was like, Everything I could have ever wanted and it and just incorporating the office, the show that has gotten me through all the hardest times of my life and has really been such a comfort and a friend to me. It just was perfect. And it was the perfect way to start our wedding journey. I think that this might be like part one. And I think we can go into like a part two now talking about the actual wedding planning. Yeah. Yeah. So. Because that took so much longer than I thought, but it was such an important story to tell because we told our whole love journey on the podcast. And I think it was just so important to talk about the engagement journey and what that was like and how we got there. I want to pause there and come back in a few days for the episode about the wedding planning process, what it has been like, what we're excited about, about marriage. how we've gone on our own self-development journeys, what we've learned about our relationship with each other, with others, all that good stuff. Justice for Bridezilla's, of course. So come back to hear part two of our wedding special on Unleash Your Inner Creative. Yay! Love you and believe in you.

About Unleash Your Inner Creative with Lauren LoGrasso (A Creativity Podcast)

Unleash Your Inner Creative is a Webby Award-winning podcast designed to help you break free from self-doubt, embrace your creativity, and live an authentic, purpose-filled life. I’m Lauren LoGrasso, a multi-passionate creative, and I believe that repressed creativity is one of the root causes of unhappiness—which is why I’m here to help you unleash yours! Through a blend of inspiring interviews, solo episodes, and coaching sessions, this show explores creativity, mental health, spirituality, and self-development.

On the pod, you'll hear from incredible guests like The Artist’s Way author Julia Cameron, How I Built This host Guy Raz, brain coach Jim Kwik, and Codependent No More's Melody Beattie, as well as artists and performers like Chrisette Michele and Hannah Berner. Together, we share the tools and insights to help you rewire your mindset, overcome fear, and follow your heart’s deepest desires. Whether you’re a lifelong creative or just feeling a spark, I invite you to tune in, tap into your true potential, and unleash your inner creative!

New episodes are out every Wednesday - follow, rate and review wherever you get your podcasts :)

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

About Unleash Your Inner Creative with Lauren LoGrasso (A Creativity Podcast)

New episodes are out every Wednesday - follow, rate and review wherever you get your podcasts :)

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Description

You’ll hear:

-The hilarious ways my parents almost blew Tim’s proposal
-The serendipitous story behind my engagement ring
-Why Tim recreated The Office proposal in our living room (Shout out to Michael Scott!!)

-Our first steps into wedding planning and what we’ve learned so far

It is a mix of love, laughter, family chaos, and a reminder that big milestones are never perfect, they are perfectly ours. 💍✨

Stay tuned for Part 2 next week, where we dive deeper into the wedding planning process, lessons learned, and why I say “justice for Bridezillas!”

Follow the show: @unleashyourinnercreative

Follow me: @LaurenLoGrasso

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Transcription

Speaker #0
Have you ever been married? I haven't. Yet. But soon, that's all going to change. Oh yeah. Today I am here with an incredibly special guest. That's right. He's my betrothed, Timothy Michael Blewett. And we're here today to discuss our wedding that is taking place on Friday, August 29th. You'll hear juicy topics ranging from the whole behind the scenes of our engagement story, what wedding planning has taught me and Tim about our self-development journey, The realizations getting married has given us about our relationship and the relationships we have with friends and family, and why I no longer believe in the concept of bridezillas. Yeah, I said it, justice for bridezillas. We're going to get into that. So now let's do it. Welcome to the Unleash Your Inner Creative wedding special. And I guess I should say I'm Laura LaGrasso, I am your host, and I would be so honored to introduce you to my illustrious guest. He's actor, writer, thought leader, teacher, and fiance, Mr. Timothy Michael Blewett. Welcome to the program, honey.
Speaker #1
Thank you very much. Happy to be here.
Speaker #0
Oh, so honored to have you. Thank you for making time in your busy schedule to come on the wedding special.
Speaker #1
It's so busy between stuffing the gifts for all of our guests, the party favors. Yeah.
Speaker #0
And by stuffing gifts, he means making guest bags, y'all.
Speaker #1
Making guest bags.
Speaker #0
Taking gifts and then stuffing them with stuffing or other things.
Speaker #1
Taking down the recycling. Oh, yeah. Every box that comes in has to be taken down.
Speaker #0
Our house has become a Costco warehouse. That is true.
Speaker #1
Things are busy over here.
Speaker #0
Oh, we're just busy little bees. You know, before we get too deep into it, I want to say I've been taking a break from the podcast and I've truly missed doing the show. And it was... absolutely necessary. There is no way I could have been putting out a weekly podcast for the past month. We've just been slammed with wedding stuff. Any hours that I'm not working, I am working on wedding. So thank you for bearing with me as this break has happened. It's been weird, but so, so important. And I can't wait to get back in September. But this is a little sustenance to hold you over until then. And me, frankly. So given that, talking about how busy it's been, we are T minus 10 days until we wed. I cannot believe it. It feels like just yesterday we got engaged. But given that we were so close, honey, how do you feel?
Speaker #1
I feel everything all at once. Wow.
Speaker #0
It's just like that movie. Life truly imitates art.
Speaker #1
I mean, you're right. We got engaged in October and there was like this elevated feeling to life at the onset of the engagement of like, wow, like we're doing it. We're committing to each other in this way and we have to plan a wedding now, but it's going to be fun. And I remember, I still remember when your parents and yourself and myself, we all went out to like look for these venues. And it just seemed like it was so leisurely and so nice. and we're going to some of the... the most beautiful places in Southern California. And then we found our venue, we signed the contracts around December, the beginning of January. And ever since then, it's like time has just been accelerating at a rate that I don't even know what to call it, the wedding acceleration rate.
Speaker #0
The wedding speed of light.
Speaker #1
Wedding speed of light. Of white. Wedding speed of white. Even so, there was still like, oh, it's okay, we got time. We have eight months, we got seven months, we got four months, three months. Even when we had a month and a half to go and then it was just like, that time is gone. We've got 10 days. It's here. It's time.
Speaker #0
Yeah. It really has sped by so quickly. I cannot believe we're getting married next week. It is still 10 days away, but that means we're getting married next week. It just befuddles my mind. I really, I don't know. I just... I'm so happy we're here and it also seems surreal. And I'm like, is it really going to happen? Like we're going to do this.
Speaker #1
Oh, we're doing it. We're going to do this.
Speaker #0
We're in pretty deep at this point. Um, no, no, I'm just so, so excited. Yeah. Like it just, I cannot believe it's here. Exactly what you said. Like each it's kind of like how it feels in life. Like each week as you get closer to wedding, it feels like time is moving faster and faster and faster until you just said a clip that you're like, I don't even know if I'm here or present or if I'm just like in another dimension, but we're about to enter the dimension of the wedding day. So We'll find out.
Speaker #1
That's that feeling. That is everywhere, everything, everywhere, all at once.
Speaker #0
Yeah, so true. So, okay, before we go forward, I think we should go back because I realized in coming into this episode that I have never told our engagement story on the podcast. So I think we should go back. That was a rewind and tell the engagement story of how this gorgeous ring came to be on my little flangey here.
Speaker #1
It is a gorgeous ring. It is. If I can say so myself.
Speaker #0
It is. And we'll even talk about how you ended up choosing it.
Speaker #1
Yes, we will. Yes. Yes, we will. All right. So where do we begin?
Speaker #0
I think we should begin by saying we had talked about getting engaged. So we discussed getting engaged by our three-year anniversary, which was October 3rd, 2024. And so as time was going on, it was getting closer and closer to the day. And we weren't engaged yet. And I'm like, huh, he's really waiting right until the deadline. But I'm like, that's cool because that's what we talked about. And, you know, I had said some things to you. I didn't drop hints. I'm not a very subtle person I've come to realize in life. I think for a while I thought I was subtle, but I'm not subtle at all. So I was dropping not hints like directives on what exactly I wanted from a ring. I was like, I want an oval, an oval ring. And I want it to be at least three carrots. And I want it to be like with the little diamonds around. So like I had told him what I wanted because, you know, like I never, I never really thought I'd get married until I met Tim. Like you were the first time I met someone and I was like, oh, that actually sounds nice. It doesn't sound terrifying. It sounds quite lovely. But I always knew no matter what, if an engagement were to happen over the course of my life, I wanted the ring to weigh my hand into the ground. And I'm not very materialistic in other ways, but I do love shiny things. And I knew I wanted something that was shiny enough to see from a distance. So that was what I told you, but I didn't tell you anything else. And we did not design the ring together.
Speaker #1
Right. Yeah.
Speaker #0
So that's just a little ring tidbit for you.
Speaker #1
Yeah. Which, honestly, it made my job a lot easier. You know, so I will say there's nothing easy about buying an engagement ring.
Speaker #0
What was the hardest part?
Speaker #1
The hardest part was the budget, I think. Putting together a budget that doesn't break the bank, a budget that is not measly, but it's not like I'm going into tremendous debt to afford this. So finding the right budget and finding something that you would be proud to show off and proud to wear. This is important. Say what you will. And everyone comes from a different standpoint. This is something else that I learned. the same thing that worked for us is not going to work for other people. And I was reading Reddit threads. I was doing all kinds of research. And there were a lot of people out there who said, I don't care. I love the person. We got our rings from Amazon, or we got $10 rings online. Or someone even said, my betrothed or my boyfriend proposed with a ring pop. And it worked for them. And somebody else had commented like, he better not propose with a ring pop. So there's all kinds of different things work for all kinds of different people. But for me, because you were so clear about what you wanted, I wanted to get as close to what you wanted as possible. And you know, something that you'd be proud of.
Speaker #0
Yeah. And I mean, of course, that's the truth too, right? Like, the hardest and most important thing is finding the person that you want to be with forever. But if there is an item of clothing or jewelry that you know for a fact you'll wear every day for the rest of your life, it's got to be something you enjoy looking at because this is my view forever now. So I would honestly, like, I think I told you at one point, I'm like, I would rather have the ring I want than like having a big blowout wedding. Like, because this is going to be forever. The wedding is one day. So I really appreciated it. And I think I even said to you at one point, which this is a real diamond. But I think I said to you at one point, I'm like, I'd rather have a huge cubic zirconia than a teeny tiny speck that I can't see that's a real diamond. So that's how strongly I felt about having some sort of ring that weighed me down.
Speaker #1
Yeah. So this is where I had to do my own research. So you said I wanted three carats and you wanted pave, which is the diamonds on the side. Oh,
Speaker #0
okay. I call it that.
Speaker #1
French for paved, for those that are keeping track.
Speaker #0
It's be la junkie.
Speaker #1
so um i then had to discover everything about what diamonds are because i i knew nothing i just in my mind it was like they're expensive and they're forever That's what I know about diamonds. So I looked into the four C's, cut, color, clarity, and carrot.
Speaker #0
Okay.
Speaker #1
I really looked into the cut, the clarity, all of that. And I took it to a diamontologist to get it set because I got the stone by itself. And I thought like, well, you and I are both artists. We appreciate craft. Let me try to assemble these together. and the stone that I got It was cut on May 20th, 2024. Yes. The stone that I got was cut on May 20th, 2024. And May 20th, 2021 is when I met you.
Speaker #0
Wow. It was meant to be.
Speaker #1
It was meant to be. And that was just serendipity. So I was looking at all my options and then I saw that and I was like, okay, I have to get this one. It's everything else that she wants. It's the right color, I believe, cut clarity, and the fact that it was cut. At this specific time on this specific date, I thought, okay, this has to be. Yeah.
Speaker #0
And it was wild because the website that you got the diamond from, I had been like looking on it in the same timeframe that you had gotten the diamond. And I literally took a screenshot of a ring on there and I said, this would be good for Tim to get. And I sent it to my mom. And it was right around the time that I found out you bought the diamond from this website. So I feel like we were communicating telepathically because I was like, this is a great ring. It's a great budget.
Speaker #1
Yeah, it was meant to be. And I think that's another key for the fellas out there that want to, or for anyone who wants to propose with a diamond ring.
Speaker #0
Fellas, ladies, and non-binary kings slash queens.
Speaker #1
Exactly. The key is getting very close to what you believe your significant other wants and desires and feeling good about it. So even if you get something that doesn't hit all the marks. If you've done your research and you've poured over it and you've put your time into it and thought and effort and energy and you feel good about it, I guarantee that's the best decision you can make.
Speaker #0
Beautiful. So you get the ring.
Speaker #1
So I got the ring. Yeah. And then I had to keep it a secret from you.
Speaker #0
Which isn't easy because I like to do some investigative journalism, as you may know.
Speaker #1
Not easy at all. Not easy at all. And also we live together. So I needed to make sure that I had it in a place that. you wouldn't see.
Speaker #0
Bingo. The funny part is that I actually signed for my own ring and I didn't know it.
Speaker #1
That's right. I forgot about that.
Speaker #0
It got delivered because he got the ring from this website or the stone from the website and then went and got it set at a local retailer around here. But I signed for the ring and I was like, huh, I wonder what Tim's getting in this small box.
Speaker #1
They were supposed to call me. That was because their whole thing is... We were very discreet and it comes in the mail. And because it's in the mail, we don't want anybody to know what it is, you know, so that there's no funny business or theft or anything like that. So they were supposed to give me a call specifically so I could pick it up, but they didn't.
Speaker #0
It's okay. We're not calling the company out. And also, I didn't know what it was. I literally thought because it wasn't like the size of a ring box. It was the size of a small box. I'm like, I really wonder what Tim is getting.
Speaker #1
Yeah, I forget what I told you it was.
Speaker #0
I don't think I pressed you harder because I think I did. In me, I had a thought like, what if it's the ring? Anyway, so you get the ring, you get it set, and it's getting closer, ever closer to our anniversary date. And so my parents are coming into town. And what do you do?
Speaker #1
So I know that your parents are coming into town. What was the occasion?
Speaker #0
I think they were coming in for my mom's birthday. Your mom's birthday. My mom's birthday is September 27th. And so they were coming in just to hang out. Like they usually come in at least once a year and spend a couple of weeks with us because we have a guest bedroom and it's just a nice time to have a little family time.
Speaker #1
This is where I begin to put my plan in motion. Up to this point in time, I've actually spoken to Patrick Murphy, who's now gonna be the best man at our wedding.
Speaker #0
Friend of the show. And he's been on the podcast.
Speaker #1
That's right, yeah. So I had been asking him of just like, I need some help putting something together. What do you think? Is it best to go out to a restaurant? Is it best to do it at home? Is it best to do the whole nine yards, bells and whistles? Is it best to have an intimate thing? We had talked at least for an hour and a half moving through possibilities. And then he was my wingman the whole process through of like, you know, let me know what you're thinking. Let me know how I can help out. And then I learned that your parents were going to be coming into town. for your mom's birthday so i knew okay that is so close to our anniversary october 3rd which i i want to like that's the day that i want to propose so since they're already coming into town i'm not going to arouse too much suspicion with them already being out here and i i had a feeling that you wanted them to be present in in some capacity and i think i may have told you that at some point yeah and i i wasn't i wasn't exactly sure how i was going to include them yet but i knew okay they're gonna be out here already that means i don't have to make a big show like if if they came out if they weren't planning on coming out and all of a sudden they were here that might have tipped you off a little yeah so i use this to my advantage of like they're already here um and i i didn't want your mom to know yet. Because I thought, you know, you and she are so close. Yeah.
Speaker #0
We talk every day.
Speaker #1
Any sort of like giddiness or extra energy and coming out here to come see you could have given the surprise away.
Speaker #0
And to be fair, my mom has very rarely been able to keep a secret from me. I mean, like one time I literally caught her like planning my surprise party and then I found out and then I had to pretend to be surprised at my surprise party. So like her and I both knew I wasn't going to be surprised, but none of the people coming in. So I acted all surprised. Hey, if you're listening, you were at my 17th birthday. I knew.
Speaker #1
You heard it here.
Speaker #0
You're here breaking news. Put it on the headlines. So, yeah. So I think that was a fair call. Yeah. But you did want to give my dad a little heads up.
Speaker #1
Yeah, because I so I really wanted to do the whole traditional thing of like asking your dad for his permission and his blessing. And that. that whole thing. So I wanted him also to kind of know to maybe like plan ahead a little bit of like, I want to be asking you these things. So I just sent him a text and I thought it was very like slick and like wasn't giving too much away, but was definitely laying the hint of like, I'd like to have an in-person conversation with you about something very important. Because my text to him was like, you know, great, excited to see you when you come out. By the way, I'm planning something very special for... our anniversary on October 3rd, if you and Joanne wanted to stay out a little bit longer, you might want to consider staying and leaving the next day or the day after that or leaving that weekend.
Speaker #0
And my dad being the absolute literal person that he is, what did he say back to you?
Speaker #1
He sent a very direct text, very direct and blunt and was just... um you know oh no actually we we have to be in uh buffalo for another event um visiting some family um so so we're we're heading out on the second and he said literally i want to steer clear of your anniversary yeah i wanted to steer clear of your anniversary uh so we'll be leaving the second thank you yeah so like in his own way he was like i want to give you guys alone time totally having it go over his head that tim was trying to give him a signal that he was gonna ask me to marry him so then And... And lo and behold, your mom gets wind of the text somehow. And I don't know how she got it, but she may have asked your dad.
Speaker #0
My dad was like, oh, Timmy reached out to me, told him we're going to leave.
Speaker #1
Yeah. And she was like, well, what exactly did that text say?
Speaker #0
And then she read it and she goes, Mike, he was trying to give you a signal. It's clear that he was trying to propose to Lauren. You need to write him back. You need to write him back right now. So my mom acted as my dad's personal chat GPT and wrote up a sparkling response for Timmy. And said, actually, we would love to stay and I'd love to talk to you and blah, blah, blah.
Speaker #1
Yeah. And so I received that text and I don't know that I responded immediately, if at all.
Speaker #0
You responded.
Speaker #1
By that time, they were going to come out in a couple days. And I just I didn't know what to do because now I'm reformulating the plan of like, OK, so they were coming out. Now they're leaving. They're not going to be here. So I have to figure something else out. And I just thought I'll just I'll figure it out when I ask for the permission and the blessing when he gets here. I'll figure it out then.
Speaker #0
So they get here. We're having a great time. And one day, Tim and my dad go out to coffee. And I didn't think anything of it. I mean, I kind of hoped because, again, we're getting close to the deadline here, okay? So I kind of hoped that Tim would be having a very special conversation with my dad. But I also didn't think necessarily anything was happening. A lot of times, they will get together and talk about business. And like, just share and like, you know, they've got their own relationship too. So I thought maybe this is one of those occasions. I'm not going to get my hopes up just in case. So they go out and I'm typing away, click clack on my computer.
Speaker #1
Yeah, it was, I mean, it couldn't have been more perfect. We go out to Heirloom Cafe. Yeah.
Speaker #0
Great local business.
Speaker #1
Great local business. we're originally we're going to sit on the inside but it's kind of crowded there's a lot of like clamor so we get a nice seat uh outside um on the patio and um and your and your dad your dad then is ordering your mom's birthday gift oh he was yeah because you were like so mike i really want to ask you like hold on this is a call for joanne and then he was like yeah making a call about flowers i want flowers delivered and i want them at this address so i need them soon then you know Then he hangs up. Okay, Timmy, so what do you want to talk about? well sir so what exactly did you say to him just just paint the picture for me i want to hear it yeah well i i mean i think i said something to the effect of um you know lauren and i are are getting a lot more serious and we're combining our lives together in this way and um you know she means a lot to me and over the years like i've just really come to know her and to love her on this deeper level. And then I think I just... cut to the chase and I just said, you know, I just wanted to ask you out first to ask for your permission and your blessing if I could ask for her hand in marriage.
Speaker #0
And what did my dad say?
Speaker #1
And I think, I don't, I'm guessing he was expecting it. I'm not sure, but I think he was like, well, yeah, you know, I think that this is good and is, you know, essentially like a long, it was a long time coming and he thinks that we're good together and... Um, we've got a lot of growing to do together and he said we have growing to do together.
Speaker #0
No,
Speaker #1
not, not like that, but it was just like you, you two compliment each other really well. And, um, it seems like you're growing in this direction. And if you continue, you could grow and you could grow even more and have a beautiful life together.
Speaker #0
Aw. So you got the two thumbs up for rock and roll.
Speaker #1
I got the two thumbs up. Yeah. Yeah. And it felt good too. like Obviously, I was very nervous before we went out for that coffee. I was psyching myself up and just being like, okay, you got to do this. It's a rite of passage in my mind. But then afterwards and receiving the blessing and the permission, it was just kind of like, wow, this is great. And it kind of gave me even more courage to move on to the next step. And he did say in that moment, too, he was like, great. Now. we do have to bring your mom into it. Joanne. Yeah, we do have to bring Joanne into it because it's so much better that we were all in on it together. Oh, yeah. It just worked. Yeah.
Speaker #0
You can't leave my mom out of a plan. Yeah. My mom can create a little extra ruckus, but she also creates a lot of extra magic. You got to hand it to her. It's true. You got to hand it to her. So, okay, you end up telling my mom, my dad and I go into Whole Foods to do a little grocery shopping because we love the supermarket. my dad and I. And you, while my dad and I are in Whole Foods, talk to my mom and tell her. Yeah.
Speaker #1
Yeah. So she in that moment, like when you and your dad go into Whole Foods, she's like, so Timmy, Mike told me about your plan. And I think it's wonderful. And she was all for it. I'm just like, I think it's wonderful. I think you guys are made for each other. You're soulmates. Tell me what we can do. Tell me what you're planning. So I essentially told her my plan, my vision as she calls it Just that your favorite TV show is The Office. Yeah. And I wanted to recreate the way that Michael Scott proposes to Holly with the candles and the thing that he says before he proposes. And I had this idea of just recreating that in our home where there would be control. I felt like I would have more control over the proposal. There wouldn't be like onlookers, you know.
Speaker #0
No looky-loos.
Speaker #1
No looky-loos. So that was the plan. And leading up to it, I had plans to take you out to where we had our first date at Hearst, which is another local joint. And just to sprinkle in some other things that we had done in our dating life that were like memories. So I got us a money tree.
Speaker #0
On the day of our anniversary.
Speaker #1
On the day of our anniversary. I got us one of those because one of the dates we went on when we were first dating was a place called the Wishing Tree. which no longer exists, unfortunately. But the restaurant was great, like Middle Eastern food. And their gimmick was you could write a wish on a little tag and tie it to a tree. And then you could see if your wish came true. So I did that. I got us these little yogurt parfaits that we had shared.
Speaker #0
A lot. When we were first dating, you would always bring them to me, and I would eat them. The way to my heart is snacks.
Speaker #1
And I knew it. And I capitalized.
Speaker #0
And you also got Rosemary.
Speaker #1
Yeah, because we had picked Rosemary, wild Rosemary, on one of the... This was not a date, but when we first met.
Speaker #0
It was actually kind of a date when you look back on it. We were in a group and then we split off and hung out for seven hours by ourselves. But I just didn't realize I liked him at that time. Whoopsies. But I made you pick a sprig of wild rosemary. I'm like, pick this. We were on a walk. And I was like, pick this and smell it as we walk.
Speaker #1
Yeah, it was great. And I was like, ah, the aromatics. Love is in the air. And we like talked to trees walking and I was like,
Speaker #0
you have to talk to this tree.
Speaker #1
So on our way to verse, which is about a 10 minute walk away from where we live. So we were able to just walk there. I had this fresh rosemary that I had. I didn't pick it, but I bought fresh rose. Yeah. And I said, like, this is for us to to walk with as we walk to verse and we can smell it. We can remember.
Speaker #0
Yeah. So like everything he had done that day was like recreating the our falling in love story. Yeah. Like our time of falling in love. So we go to verse and I think he's going to propose to me here. Like my parents are in town. We're at this like jazz bar. There's a microphone. Like he's, he's going to get up on the stage and be like, Lauren LaGrasso. I love you. Please be my wife. So like the whole night I'm waiting for him to propose and for my parents like pop out of the back. And so our appetizer goes by no proposal. Our dinner goes by no proposal. After dinner drinks, no proposal. Dessert, no proposal. Bill, no proposal. So I'm like, I'll be damned. He is not proposing today. Well, clock's ticking. You got till the end of the night. No, I just didn't think he was proposing. I was pretty, pretty sure you weren't proposing. And we were going to Australia in about a week. So I'm like, okay, well, that's forgivable. He's going to get down at the bottom of the Great Barrier Reef, open up a ring box and be like here amongst the coral, please be my wife. so I was like That I can understand. So we start walking home. And what do I do? What?
Speaker #1
Well, real quick, do we? Yeah,
Speaker #0
real quick.
Speaker #1
Okay, no, I'll finish this thought. So, so.
Speaker #0
No, real quick.
Speaker #1
Yeah, I was going to say real quick. Do we have to talk about your parents?
Speaker #0
Almost blowing it?
Speaker #1
Yeah, almost blowing it.
Speaker #0
Yeah, I wanted to, but you skipped ahead. So I didn't.
Speaker #1
Well, we could talk about it. We need to talk about it.
Speaker #0
I got to take off my pants. I'm sweating profusely. I'm wearing a dress. Give me one second. I'm really sweating. All right. Pants are off, ready for the story again. So yeah, if we want to rewind, my parents did almost blow the proposal twice.
Speaker #1
Twice?
Speaker #0
Yeah. Maybe more than that?
Speaker #1
No, I remember once. I remember one almost big moment.
Speaker #0
Okay, now almost blow is one moment, but there were a few times when I'm like, something seriously fucked up is happening here.
Speaker #1
Right, right. Okay,
Speaker #0
so there were a few times when something happened that I was like, something is wrong. So okay, what was the first time? Yes. Okay, we were all driving and all of a sudden I was like, okay, well, you guys are leaving on the 1st of October, whatever it was. And my mom goes, nope, we're staying. And then my dad goes, yeah, we're staying with a smile on his face. Now, in order to understand why this is a very, very disturbing moment, you have to know this. Every single time my parents have visited here for over the past decade, almost a decade and a half. My mom decides she wants to stay for longer. My dad fights her tooth and nail and says, Joanne, I need to get home. I've got an appointment. And then after about two days of this dance, my dad caves and they stay for longer. Okay. Never in the history of my parents visiting me in Los Angeles has this exact pattern not occurred. So for my dad, my mom to say, I'm saying, and my dad to say, yep, sounds good to me. I knew something really fucked up was happening.
Speaker #1
And in my mind, I'm thinking, oh, no, like this is the plot has been given away. She's gonna know. And and it wasn't I guess it was weird because you and I both know that they didn't do the dance that they always do. But you had said to me that night, you were like, I don't know, my parents are just acting so. weird. My dad never says, okay, I'm going to stay. And so the next day, I made sure to tell them when you weren't around.
Speaker #0
You pulled them aside.
Speaker #1
Yeah. And I just said, I think Lauren really suspects something. And your mom was like, oh, well, why? Why would that be? And I explained. I said, well, forever, you have always said we're going to stay. And Mike, you say, no, I've got to get back. And if you stay, it's a day, but there's always this hassle. Um, so if there's any way that you could bring it up again and fight a little.
Speaker #0
Then they had to fight. Tim instructed them. You guys got to fight a little bit.
Speaker #1
I directed them. I was playing director in this moment of like, in order for the vision to work, you've got to fight a little.
Speaker #0
So they did. And it was believable. And then I was like, well, wait, no, they can't leave now because what if he's going to propose? So it was like, my dad said that his friend, his friend Ross that he's worked with for almost 50 years was telling him that he had to get back for this case that they were working on. I'm like, can't you just call Ross and tell him no? He said that he called Ross, but he didn't. He never had to go back.
Speaker #1
Yeah. Poor Ross. He probably was none the wiser. So the fighting happened and then you were back on track. But you did tell me, though, you said like, everybody's just acting so weird.
Speaker #0
Yeah. Because then the other thing was my mom invited me. She goes, you know what we haven't done in a while? I go, what? And she goes, Get our nails done. Okay. The year was 2024. The last time we went and got our nails done was 2019. So yeah, I'd say it had been a while. And I knew because I told Tim, if you're going to propose, make sure to find a way for me to get my nails done. But the thing that threw me off was we were also going to Australia and I had told my mom that I want to have my nails done for Australia. So I was like, okay, well, yeah, like we can go. I'm just like, I'm stressed right now. And I've got all these things going on. She's like, well, you don't have to go. You could also wait till you go to Australia and I was like,
Speaker #1
thrown off the track.
Speaker #0
Thrown off. So my, okay. So I'm like, okay, well I should just get them done just in case. Cause you never know.
Speaker #1
Yeah. That was, that might've been one of the hardest things because I knew that you had specifically asked that of me, you know, before I propose, you want to make sure that your nails are done and that they look nice. And I was thinking like, do I ask your, some of your closest girlfriends? But then I thought, I don't know that I want to involve them because I don't know if they will give it away or. Yeah.
Speaker #0
I put you in a tough spot because I notoriously don't have my nails done. Right. So it wasn't like I'm like one of those girls that always has their nails perfectly, perfectly polished.
Speaker #1
Right.
Speaker #0
They're typically not done.
Speaker #1
But it worked. You know, your mom was able to pull it off and you got your nails done. Your parents stayed and you believed that they were staying because they were able to make it happen. And then we went out on the date. Yeah. Now we can... Flash forward.
Speaker #0
Flash forward.
Speaker #1
So we're walking back to, we're walking back from Verse, back to the apartment. And by the way, when you, when we were leaving Verse, I went to the bathroom and then I was texting with your mom of just, okay, we're coming back in 10 minutes. Because her job was, I had about a hundred candles. for the for the office proposal yes and your mom and your dad were so helpful in that they stayed back while you and i were out to dinner and they set up these led candles and i had i don't know 10 or 12 regular candles yeah fire candles and then electric or battery operated yeah because we we wanted to make sure that whatever happened in the office where the sprinklers go off we didn't want that to happen because we actually do have sprinklers in our condo so it would have been very bad So your mom is taking care of the setting up the candles and I'm just sending them a little courtesy text of like, we're finishing up dinner now. We've just paid the bill. We're going to be on our way back. And she, I forget what she texted, but I think in hindsight, she had said like, oh my gosh, I got to get everything ready. Like they're coming back in 10 minutes. But on the walk back, you and I were just walking and you turned to me and said. You know, I really thought you were going to propose tonight.
Speaker #0
I can't hold in a thought. Not with you. I think I told you this when we first met. I'm like, you're human truth serum to me. I just, I like to tell you every thought I have. And I have to tell you, I really thought you were going to propose at dinner. I couldn't not tell you.
Speaker #1
And to me, this is music to my ears because I'm like, yes, like the fact that she's telling me this means that she has no idea. So she, I am As coy as coy can be, as best as I can, because I'm nervous. I've left the ring at home because I don't want to have this bulge in my pocket as I'm walking. If you would have seen that, it would have given it away. Yeah,
Speaker #0
it would have.
Speaker #1
So, you know, I'm receiving what you're saying of like, I really thought you were going to propose tonight. And I said, oh, really? You would have preferred if I had done it at home? No,
Speaker #0
no, no. I think I said, I really thought you were going to propose tonight. And then I'm like, but I'm kind of glad you didn't at the restaurant because honestly, I would have rather have you do it at home. and then you're like oh really you would have rather let me do it at home i'm like but i guess you're gonna do it in australia and that's fine i understand why you waited until then but if you could just do it at the beginning of the trip that would be great because i can't handle the pressure of knowing it's gonna happen and waiting for it anymore and i was like noted all right i was like if it's gonna happen at the end of the australia trip the whole trip i'm gonna be on edge being like, is it now?
Speaker #1
And, you know, so I'm just receiving all this like my inside. I'm just laughing hysterically of like, yes, we're celebrating. And, you know, so I'm asking you even more questions. And I'm like, oh, yeah, I guess at home would be better because your parents are in town and it would be before the trip. Yeah, that makes sense. That all makes sense. So we, you know, get to the condo door. We go inside. Then we are out are on the threshold. And I'm kind of like jingling the keys a little more than I normally would. kind of like yeah
Speaker #0
alerting for the listener. There's a door on the outside of our condo that you have to get in, in order to get to our front door. So we got in through that door and now we're right in front of the threshold of our door.
Speaker #1
And so I'm, I'm like making it known, you know, to your parents on the inside that were there and, and to their credit, they, they were ready. They had set up the, your, your iPad to be able to film like a master shot of everything that was going on. And then they individually had their own phones and they were filming. And we just we entered, opened up the door, crossed the threshold. And I think you knew immediately just the way that the lights and the candles and the rose petals on the floor.
Speaker #0
Yeah. Well, first of all, I started laughing hysterically. The reason for it is this. So we walk in and we see all the beautiful setup that they have. And then my parents are standing there with their cameras. And I think I was just laughing hysterically because I couldn't believe they got me. I was like, I'm going to quit this case. did it but i also was so happy that they got me because i'm like this is so special and then tim said that i kind of iconic line to me from the office and then i knew i dropped it i'm like oh my gosh i can't believe he did this for me say
Speaker #1
the iconic line do you remember it i think it's um this will be the hardest test of our relationship so far after this it's smooth sailing from here run out. The hardest test of our love so far.
Speaker #0
Yeah, I think it's like the hardest test I love his face so far. After this, it's smooth sailing. Yeah. And so then I was like, oh, my God, he's doing the Michael Scott and Holly proposal. So then he led me into the circle of like, because he made this huge circle with all these candles. And he led me into the center of it. And you were like, Lauren Louise, Roboto, La Grasso.
Speaker #1
Yeah, I gave my little speech. Just, you know, we've traveled. We've, you know, I'm in love with you.
Speaker #0
Yeah. You said, you said, um, You are the best person in the entire world. No, you didn't say that.
Speaker #1
My heart said it through my gestures.
Speaker #0
What did you say? You were like, we've traveled the skies or something.
Speaker #1
Yeah, we've mapped our destinies in the sky. This is a lot less romantic than the moment.
Speaker #0
It was really romantic. It was beautiful.
Speaker #1
I will say I was rehearsing it like all day and I was like, yeah, I mean, I just...
Speaker #0
You memorized it.
Speaker #1
I memorized it because I wanted it. to come from the heart. I wanted something that was written, but I wanted something that was coming from the heart too. I didn't want it robotic.
Speaker #0
Are you memorizing your vows?
Speaker #1
No. Oh, good. No, no.
Speaker #0
I can't because mine are too long.
Speaker #1
Too much pressure, way too much pressure. But this was a little easier because of just the theatrics of it and the intimacy of it too. And like, you know, it was all coming from the heart. But I was so nervous earlier that day that your mom had made this like salmon meal and I, it. It's like salmon. It's so light. And I could have like only a few bites. Yeah. I can't. I just can't eat this. Like I'm I'm feeling all the emotions right now. So but that yeah, that night got down on one knee, gave my speech and then, you know, asked you to marry me. And she said yes. She. She said yes.
Speaker #0
Yes, I did. I think I said I would love to because you asked what I would I be. would I marry you? And I said, yes, I would love to. Let me kiss. And so after all the hysterical laughing, then I started hysterically crying. I'm nothing if not diverse. I'm always shocked by how many emotions I can feel in one day. Like, how is it even possible that one human has all these different feelings in their body? So anyway, it was just so beautiful. And having my parents here meant so much and that you were all working out together meant so much. It was like, Everything I could have ever wanted and it and just incorporating the office, the show that has gotten me through all the hardest times of my life and has really been such a comfort and a friend to me. It just was perfect. And it was the perfect way to start our wedding journey. I think that this might be like part one. And I think we can go into like a part two now talking about the actual wedding planning. Yeah. Yeah. So. Because that took so much longer than I thought, but it was such an important story to tell because we told our whole love journey on the podcast. And I think it was just so important to talk about the engagement journey and what that was like and how we got there. I want to pause there and come back in a few days for the episode about the wedding planning process, what it has been like, what we're excited about, about marriage. how we've gone on our own self-development journeys, what we've learned about our relationship with each other, with others, all that good stuff. Justice for Bridezilla's, of course. So come back to hear part two of our wedding special on Unleash Your Inner Creative. Yay! Love you and believe in you.

About Unleash Your Inner Creative with Lauren LoGrasso (A Creativity Podcast)

New episodes are out every Wednesday - follow, rate and review wherever you get your podcasts :)

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About Unleash Your Inner Creative with Lauren LoGrasso (A Creativity Podcast)

New episodes are out every Wednesday - follow, rate and review wherever you get your podcasts :)

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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Description

You’ll hear:

-The hilarious ways my parents almost blew Tim’s proposal
-The serendipitous story behind my engagement ring
-Why Tim recreated The Office proposal in our living room (Shout out to Michael Scott!!)

-Our first steps into wedding planning and what we’ve learned so far

It is a mix of love, laughter, family chaos, and a reminder that big milestones are never perfect, they are perfectly ours. 💍✨

Stay tuned for Part 2 next week, where we dive deeper into the wedding planning process, lessons learned, and why I say “justice for Bridezillas!”

Follow the show: @unleashyourinnercreative

Follow me: @LaurenLoGrasso

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Transcription

Speaker #0
Have you ever been married? I haven't. Yet. But soon, that's all going to change. Oh yeah. Today I am here with an incredibly special guest. That's right. He's my betrothed, Timothy Michael Blewett. And we're here today to discuss our wedding that is taking place on Friday, August 29th. You'll hear juicy topics ranging from the whole behind the scenes of our engagement story, what wedding planning has taught me and Tim about our self-development journey, The realizations getting married has given us about our relationship and the relationships we have with friends and family, and why I no longer believe in the concept of bridezillas. Yeah, I said it, justice for bridezillas. We're going to get into that. So now let's do it. Welcome to the Unleash Your Inner Creative wedding special. And I guess I should say I'm Laura LaGrasso, I am your host, and I would be so honored to introduce you to my illustrious guest. He's actor, writer, thought leader, teacher, and fiance, Mr. Timothy Michael Blewett. Welcome to the program, honey.
Speaker #1
Thank you very much. Happy to be here.
Speaker #0
Oh, so honored to have you. Thank you for making time in your busy schedule to come on the wedding special.
Speaker #1
It's so busy between stuffing the gifts for all of our guests, the party favors. Yeah.
Speaker #0
And by stuffing gifts, he means making guest bags, y'all.
Speaker #1
Making guest bags.
Speaker #0
Taking gifts and then stuffing them with stuffing or other things.
Speaker #1
Taking down the recycling. Oh, yeah. Every box that comes in has to be taken down.
Speaker #0
Our house has become a Costco warehouse. That is true.
Speaker #1
Things are busy over here.
Speaker #0
Oh, we're just busy little bees. You know, before we get too deep into it, I want to say I've been taking a break from the podcast and I've truly missed doing the show. And it was... absolutely necessary. There is no way I could have been putting out a weekly podcast for the past month. We've just been slammed with wedding stuff. Any hours that I'm not working, I am working on wedding. So thank you for bearing with me as this break has happened. It's been weird, but so, so important. And I can't wait to get back in September. But this is a little sustenance to hold you over until then. And me, frankly. So given that, talking about how busy it's been, we are T minus 10 days until we wed. I cannot believe it. It feels like just yesterday we got engaged. But given that we were so close, honey, how do you feel?
Speaker #1
I feel everything all at once. Wow.
Speaker #0
It's just like that movie. Life truly imitates art.
Speaker #1
I mean, you're right. We got engaged in October and there was like this elevated feeling to life at the onset of the engagement of like, wow, like we're doing it. We're committing to each other in this way and we have to plan a wedding now, but it's going to be fun. And I remember, I still remember when your parents and yourself and myself, we all went out to like look for these venues. And it just seemed like it was so leisurely and so nice. and we're going to some of the... the most beautiful places in Southern California. And then we found our venue, we signed the contracts around December, the beginning of January. And ever since then, it's like time has just been accelerating at a rate that I don't even know what to call it, the wedding acceleration rate.
Speaker #0
The wedding speed of light.
Speaker #1
Wedding speed of light. Of white. Wedding speed of white. Even so, there was still like, oh, it's okay, we got time. We have eight months, we got seven months, we got four months, three months. Even when we had a month and a half to go and then it was just like, that time is gone. We've got 10 days. It's here. It's time.
Speaker #0
Yeah. It really has sped by so quickly. I cannot believe we're getting married next week. It is still 10 days away, but that means we're getting married next week. It just befuddles my mind. I really, I don't know. I just... I'm so happy we're here and it also seems surreal. And I'm like, is it really going to happen? Like we're going to do this.
Speaker #1
Oh, we're doing it. We're going to do this.
Speaker #0
We're in pretty deep at this point. Um, no, no, I'm just so, so excited. Yeah. Like it just, I cannot believe it's here. Exactly what you said. Like each it's kind of like how it feels in life. Like each week as you get closer to wedding, it feels like time is moving faster and faster and faster until you just said a clip that you're like, I don't even know if I'm here or present or if I'm just like in another dimension, but we're about to enter the dimension of the wedding day. So We'll find out.
Speaker #1
That's that feeling. That is everywhere, everything, everywhere, all at once.
Speaker #0
Yeah, so true. So, okay, before we go forward, I think we should go back because I realized in coming into this episode that I have never told our engagement story on the podcast. So I think we should go back. That was a rewind and tell the engagement story of how this gorgeous ring came to be on my little flangey here.
Speaker #1
It is a gorgeous ring. It is. If I can say so myself.
Speaker #0
It is. And we'll even talk about how you ended up choosing it.
Speaker #1
Yes, we will. Yes. Yes, we will. All right. So where do we begin?
Speaker #0
I think we should begin by saying we had talked about getting engaged. So we discussed getting engaged by our three-year anniversary, which was October 3rd, 2024. And so as time was going on, it was getting closer and closer to the day. And we weren't engaged yet. And I'm like, huh, he's really waiting right until the deadline. But I'm like, that's cool because that's what we talked about. And, you know, I had said some things to you. I didn't drop hints. I'm not a very subtle person I've come to realize in life. I think for a while I thought I was subtle, but I'm not subtle at all. So I was dropping not hints like directives on what exactly I wanted from a ring. I was like, I want an oval, an oval ring. And I want it to be at least three carrots. And I want it to be like with the little diamonds around. So like I had told him what I wanted because, you know, like I never, I never really thought I'd get married until I met Tim. Like you were the first time I met someone and I was like, oh, that actually sounds nice. It doesn't sound terrifying. It sounds quite lovely. But I always knew no matter what, if an engagement were to happen over the course of my life, I wanted the ring to weigh my hand into the ground. And I'm not very materialistic in other ways, but I do love shiny things. And I knew I wanted something that was shiny enough to see from a distance. So that was what I told you, but I didn't tell you anything else. And we did not design the ring together.
Speaker #1
Right. Yeah.
Speaker #0
So that's just a little ring tidbit for you.
Speaker #1
Yeah. Which, honestly, it made my job a lot easier. You know, so I will say there's nothing easy about buying an engagement ring.
Speaker #0
What was the hardest part?
Speaker #1
The hardest part was the budget, I think. Putting together a budget that doesn't break the bank, a budget that is not measly, but it's not like I'm going into tremendous debt to afford this. So finding the right budget and finding something that you would be proud to show off and proud to wear. This is important. Say what you will. And everyone comes from a different standpoint. This is something else that I learned. the same thing that worked for us is not going to work for other people. And I was reading Reddit threads. I was doing all kinds of research. And there were a lot of people out there who said, I don't care. I love the person. We got our rings from Amazon, or we got $10 rings online. Or someone even said, my betrothed or my boyfriend proposed with a ring pop. And it worked for them. And somebody else had commented like, he better not propose with a ring pop. So there's all kinds of different things work for all kinds of different people. But for me, because you were so clear about what you wanted, I wanted to get as close to what you wanted as possible. And you know, something that you'd be proud of.
Speaker #0
Yeah. And I mean, of course, that's the truth too, right? Like, the hardest and most important thing is finding the person that you want to be with forever. But if there is an item of clothing or jewelry that you know for a fact you'll wear every day for the rest of your life, it's got to be something you enjoy looking at because this is my view forever now. So I would honestly, like, I think I told you at one point, I'm like, I would rather have the ring I want than like having a big blowout wedding. Like, because this is going to be forever. The wedding is one day. So I really appreciated it. And I think I even said to you at one point, which this is a real diamond. But I think I said to you at one point, I'm like, I'd rather have a huge cubic zirconia than a teeny tiny speck that I can't see that's a real diamond. So that's how strongly I felt about having some sort of ring that weighed me down.
Speaker #1
Yeah. So this is where I had to do my own research. So you said I wanted three carats and you wanted pave, which is the diamonds on the side. Oh,
Speaker #0
okay. I call it that.
Speaker #1
French for paved, for those that are keeping track.
Speaker #0
It's be la junkie.
Speaker #1
so um i then had to discover everything about what diamonds are because i i knew nothing i just in my mind it was like they're expensive and they're forever That's what I know about diamonds. So I looked into the four C's, cut, color, clarity, and carrot.
Speaker #0
Okay.
Speaker #1
I really looked into the cut, the clarity, all of that. And I took it to a diamontologist to get it set because I got the stone by itself. And I thought like, well, you and I are both artists. We appreciate craft. Let me try to assemble these together. and the stone that I got It was cut on May 20th, 2024. Yes. The stone that I got was cut on May 20th, 2024. And May 20th, 2021 is when I met you.
Speaker #0
Wow. It was meant to be.
Speaker #1
It was meant to be. And that was just serendipity. So I was looking at all my options and then I saw that and I was like, okay, I have to get this one. It's everything else that she wants. It's the right color, I believe, cut clarity, and the fact that it was cut. At this specific time on this specific date, I thought, okay, this has to be. Yeah.
Speaker #0
And it was wild because the website that you got the diamond from, I had been like looking on it in the same timeframe that you had gotten the diamond. And I literally took a screenshot of a ring on there and I said, this would be good for Tim to get. And I sent it to my mom. And it was right around the time that I found out you bought the diamond from this website. So I feel like we were communicating telepathically because I was like, this is a great ring. It's a great budget.
Speaker #1
Yeah, it was meant to be. And I think that's another key for the fellas out there that want to, or for anyone who wants to propose with a diamond ring.
Speaker #0
Fellas, ladies, and non-binary kings slash queens.
Speaker #1
Exactly. The key is getting very close to what you believe your significant other wants and desires and feeling good about it. So even if you get something that doesn't hit all the marks. If you've done your research and you've poured over it and you've put your time into it and thought and effort and energy and you feel good about it, I guarantee that's the best decision you can make.
Speaker #0
Beautiful. So you get the ring.
Speaker #1
So I got the ring. Yeah. And then I had to keep it a secret from you.
Speaker #0
Which isn't easy because I like to do some investigative journalism, as you may know.
Speaker #1
Not easy at all. Not easy at all. And also we live together. So I needed to make sure that I had it in a place that. you wouldn't see.
Speaker #0
Bingo. The funny part is that I actually signed for my own ring and I didn't know it.
Speaker #1
That's right. I forgot about that.
Speaker #0
It got delivered because he got the ring from this website or the stone from the website and then went and got it set at a local retailer around here. But I signed for the ring and I was like, huh, I wonder what Tim's getting in this small box.
Speaker #1
They were supposed to call me. That was because their whole thing is... We were very discreet and it comes in the mail. And because it's in the mail, we don't want anybody to know what it is, you know, so that there's no funny business or theft or anything like that. So they were supposed to give me a call specifically so I could pick it up, but they didn't.
Speaker #0
It's okay. We're not calling the company out. And also, I didn't know what it was. I literally thought because it wasn't like the size of a ring box. It was the size of a small box. I'm like, I really wonder what Tim is getting.
Speaker #1
Yeah, I forget what I told you it was.
Speaker #0
I don't think I pressed you harder because I think I did. In me, I had a thought like, what if it's the ring? Anyway, so you get the ring, you get it set, and it's getting closer, ever closer to our anniversary date. And so my parents are coming into town. And what do you do?
Speaker #1
So I know that your parents are coming into town. What was the occasion?
Speaker #0
I think they were coming in for my mom's birthday. Your mom's birthday. My mom's birthday is September 27th. And so they were coming in just to hang out. Like they usually come in at least once a year and spend a couple of weeks with us because we have a guest bedroom and it's just a nice time to have a little family time.
Speaker #1
This is where I begin to put my plan in motion. Up to this point in time, I've actually spoken to Patrick Murphy, who's now gonna be the best man at our wedding.
Speaker #0
Friend of the show. And he's been on the podcast.
Speaker #1
That's right, yeah. So I had been asking him of just like, I need some help putting something together. What do you think? Is it best to go out to a restaurant? Is it best to do it at home? Is it best to do the whole nine yards, bells and whistles? Is it best to have an intimate thing? We had talked at least for an hour and a half moving through possibilities. And then he was my wingman the whole process through of like, you know, let me know what you're thinking. Let me know how I can help out. And then I learned that your parents were going to be coming into town. for your mom's birthday so i knew okay that is so close to our anniversary october 3rd which i i want to like that's the day that i want to propose so since they're already coming into town i'm not going to arouse too much suspicion with them already being out here and i i had a feeling that you wanted them to be present in in some capacity and i think i may have told you that at some point yeah and i i wasn't i wasn't exactly sure how i was going to include them yet but i knew okay they're gonna be out here already that means i don't have to make a big show like if if they came out if they weren't planning on coming out and all of a sudden they were here that might have tipped you off a little yeah so i use this to my advantage of like they're already here um and i i didn't want your mom to know yet. Because I thought, you know, you and she are so close. Yeah.
Speaker #0
We talk every day.
Speaker #1
Any sort of like giddiness or extra energy and coming out here to come see you could have given the surprise away.
Speaker #0
And to be fair, my mom has very rarely been able to keep a secret from me. I mean, like one time I literally caught her like planning my surprise party and then I found out and then I had to pretend to be surprised at my surprise party. So like her and I both knew I wasn't going to be surprised, but none of the people coming in. So I acted all surprised. Hey, if you're listening, you were at my 17th birthday. I knew.
Speaker #1
You heard it here.
Speaker #0
You're here breaking news. Put it on the headlines. So, yeah. So I think that was a fair call. Yeah. But you did want to give my dad a little heads up.
Speaker #1
Yeah, because I so I really wanted to do the whole traditional thing of like asking your dad for his permission and his blessing. And that. that whole thing. So I wanted him also to kind of know to maybe like plan ahead a little bit of like, I want to be asking you these things. So I just sent him a text and I thought it was very like slick and like wasn't giving too much away, but was definitely laying the hint of like, I'd like to have an in-person conversation with you about something very important. Because my text to him was like, you know, great, excited to see you when you come out. By the way, I'm planning something very special for... our anniversary on October 3rd, if you and Joanne wanted to stay out a little bit longer, you might want to consider staying and leaving the next day or the day after that or leaving that weekend.
Speaker #0
And my dad being the absolute literal person that he is, what did he say back to you?
Speaker #1
He sent a very direct text, very direct and blunt and was just... um you know oh no actually we we have to be in uh buffalo for another event um visiting some family um so so we're we're heading out on the second and he said literally i want to steer clear of your anniversary yeah i wanted to steer clear of your anniversary uh so we'll be leaving the second thank you yeah so like in his own way he was like i want to give you guys alone time totally having it go over his head that tim was trying to give him a signal that he was gonna ask me to marry him so then And... And lo and behold, your mom gets wind of the text somehow. And I don't know how she got it, but she may have asked your dad.
Speaker #0
My dad was like, oh, Timmy reached out to me, told him we're going to leave.
Speaker #1
Yeah. And she was like, well, what exactly did that text say?
Speaker #0
And then she read it and she goes, Mike, he was trying to give you a signal. It's clear that he was trying to propose to Lauren. You need to write him back. You need to write him back right now. So my mom acted as my dad's personal chat GPT and wrote up a sparkling response for Timmy. And said, actually, we would love to stay and I'd love to talk to you and blah, blah, blah.
Speaker #1
Yeah. And so I received that text and I don't know that I responded immediately, if at all.
Speaker #0
You responded.
Speaker #1
By that time, they were going to come out in a couple days. And I just I didn't know what to do because now I'm reformulating the plan of like, OK, so they were coming out. Now they're leaving. They're not going to be here. So I have to figure something else out. And I just thought I'll just I'll figure it out when I ask for the permission and the blessing when he gets here. I'll figure it out then.
Speaker #0
So they get here. We're having a great time. And one day, Tim and my dad go out to coffee. And I didn't think anything of it. I mean, I kind of hoped because, again, we're getting close to the deadline here, okay? So I kind of hoped that Tim would be having a very special conversation with my dad. But I also didn't think necessarily anything was happening. A lot of times, they will get together and talk about business. And like, just share and like, you know, they've got their own relationship too. So I thought maybe this is one of those occasions. I'm not going to get my hopes up just in case. So they go out and I'm typing away, click clack on my computer.
Speaker #1
Yeah, it was, I mean, it couldn't have been more perfect. We go out to Heirloom Cafe. Yeah.
Speaker #0
Great local business.
Speaker #1
Great local business. we're originally we're going to sit on the inside but it's kind of crowded there's a lot of like clamor so we get a nice seat uh outside um on the patio and um and your and your dad your dad then is ordering your mom's birthday gift oh he was yeah because you were like so mike i really want to ask you like hold on this is a call for joanne and then he was like yeah making a call about flowers i want flowers delivered and i want them at this address so i need them soon then you know Then he hangs up. Okay, Timmy, so what do you want to talk about? well sir so what exactly did you say to him just just paint the picture for me i want to hear it yeah well i i mean i think i said something to the effect of um you know lauren and i are are getting a lot more serious and we're combining our lives together in this way and um you know she means a lot to me and over the years like i've just really come to know her and to love her on this deeper level. And then I think I just... cut to the chase and I just said, you know, I just wanted to ask you out first to ask for your permission and your blessing if I could ask for her hand in marriage.
Speaker #0
And what did my dad say?
Speaker #1
And I think, I don't, I'm guessing he was expecting it. I'm not sure, but I think he was like, well, yeah, you know, I think that this is good and is, you know, essentially like a long, it was a long time coming and he thinks that we're good together and... Um, we've got a lot of growing to do together and he said we have growing to do together.
Speaker #0
No,
Speaker #1
not, not like that, but it was just like you, you two compliment each other really well. And, um, it seems like you're growing in this direction. And if you continue, you could grow and you could grow even more and have a beautiful life together.
Speaker #0
Aw. So you got the two thumbs up for rock and roll.
Speaker #1
I got the two thumbs up. Yeah. Yeah. And it felt good too. like Obviously, I was very nervous before we went out for that coffee. I was psyching myself up and just being like, okay, you got to do this. It's a rite of passage in my mind. But then afterwards and receiving the blessing and the permission, it was just kind of like, wow, this is great. And it kind of gave me even more courage to move on to the next step. And he did say in that moment, too, he was like, great. Now. we do have to bring your mom into it. Joanne. Yeah, we do have to bring Joanne into it because it's so much better that we were all in on it together. Oh, yeah. It just worked. Yeah.
Speaker #0
You can't leave my mom out of a plan. Yeah. My mom can create a little extra ruckus, but she also creates a lot of extra magic. You got to hand it to her. It's true. You got to hand it to her. So, okay, you end up telling my mom, my dad and I go into Whole Foods to do a little grocery shopping because we love the supermarket. my dad and I. And you, while my dad and I are in Whole Foods, talk to my mom and tell her. Yeah.
Speaker #1
Yeah. So she in that moment, like when you and your dad go into Whole Foods, she's like, so Timmy, Mike told me about your plan. And I think it's wonderful. And she was all for it. I'm just like, I think it's wonderful. I think you guys are made for each other. You're soulmates. Tell me what we can do. Tell me what you're planning. So I essentially told her my plan, my vision as she calls it Just that your favorite TV show is The Office. Yeah. And I wanted to recreate the way that Michael Scott proposes to Holly with the candles and the thing that he says before he proposes. And I had this idea of just recreating that in our home where there would be control. I felt like I would have more control over the proposal. There wouldn't be like onlookers, you know.
Speaker #0
No looky-loos.
Speaker #1
No looky-loos. So that was the plan. And leading up to it, I had plans to take you out to where we had our first date at Hearst, which is another local joint. And just to sprinkle in some other things that we had done in our dating life that were like memories. So I got us a money tree.
Speaker #0
On the day of our anniversary.
Speaker #1
On the day of our anniversary. I got us one of those because one of the dates we went on when we were first dating was a place called the Wishing Tree. which no longer exists, unfortunately. But the restaurant was great, like Middle Eastern food. And their gimmick was you could write a wish on a little tag and tie it to a tree. And then you could see if your wish came true. So I did that. I got us these little yogurt parfaits that we had shared.
Speaker #0
A lot. When we were first dating, you would always bring them to me, and I would eat them. The way to my heart is snacks.
Speaker #1
And I knew it. And I capitalized.
Speaker #0
And you also got Rosemary.
Speaker #1
Yeah, because we had picked Rosemary, wild Rosemary, on one of the... This was not a date, but when we first met.
Speaker #0
It was actually kind of a date when you look back on it. We were in a group and then we split off and hung out for seven hours by ourselves. But I just didn't realize I liked him at that time. Whoopsies. But I made you pick a sprig of wild rosemary. I'm like, pick this. We were on a walk. And I was like, pick this and smell it as we walk.
Speaker #1
Yeah, it was great. And I was like, ah, the aromatics. Love is in the air. And we like talked to trees walking and I was like,
Speaker #0
you have to talk to this tree.
Speaker #1
So on our way to verse, which is about a 10 minute walk away from where we live. So we were able to just walk there. I had this fresh rosemary that I had. I didn't pick it, but I bought fresh rose. Yeah. And I said, like, this is for us to to walk with as we walk to verse and we can smell it. We can remember.
Speaker #0
Yeah. So like everything he had done that day was like recreating the our falling in love story. Yeah. Like our time of falling in love. So we go to verse and I think he's going to propose to me here. Like my parents are in town. We're at this like jazz bar. There's a microphone. Like he's, he's going to get up on the stage and be like, Lauren LaGrasso. I love you. Please be my wife. So like the whole night I'm waiting for him to propose and for my parents like pop out of the back. And so our appetizer goes by no proposal. Our dinner goes by no proposal. After dinner drinks, no proposal. Dessert, no proposal. Bill, no proposal. So I'm like, I'll be damned. He is not proposing today. Well, clock's ticking. You got till the end of the night. No, I just didn't think he was proposing. I was pretty, pretty sure you weren't proposing. And we were going to Australia in about a week. So I'm like, okay, well, that's forgivable. He's going to get down at the bottom of the Great Barrier Reef, open up a ring box and be like here amongst the coral, please be my wife. so I was like That I can understand. So we start walking home. And what do I do? What?
Speaker #1
Well, real quick, do we? Yeah,
Speaker #0
real quick.
Speaker #1
Okay, no, I'll finish this thought. So, so.
Speaker #0
No, real quick.
Speaker #1
Yeah, I was going to say real quick. Do we have to talk about your parents?
Speaker #0
Almost blowing it?
Speaker #1
Yeah, almost blowing it.
Speaker #0
Yeah, I wanted to, but you skipped ahead. So I didn't.
Speaker #1
Well, we could talk about it. We need to talk about it.
Speaker #0
I got to take off my pants. I'm sweating profusely. I'm wearing a dress. Give me one second. I'm really sweating. All right. Pants are off, ready for the story again. So yeah, if we want to rewind, my parents did almost blow the proposal twice.
Speaker #1
Twice?
Speaker #0
Yeah. Maybe more than that?
Speaker #1
No, I remember once. I remember one almost big moment.
Speaker #0
Okay, now almost blow is one moment, but there were a few times when I'm like, something seriously fucked up is happening here.
Speaker #1
Right, right. Okay,
Speaker #0
so there were a few times when something happened that I was like, something is wrong. So okay, what was the first time? Yes. Okay, we were all driving and all of a sudden I was like, okay, well, you guys are leaving on the 1st of October, whatever it was. And my mom goes, nope, we're staying. And then my dad goes, yeah, we're staying with a smile on his face. Now, in order to understand why this is a very, very disturbing moment, you have to know this. Every single time my parents have visited here for over the past decade, almost a decade and a half. My mom decides she wants to stay for longer. My dad fights her tooth and nail and says, Joanne, I need to get home. I've got an appointment. And then after about two days of this dance, my dad caves and they stay for longer. Okay. Never in the history of my parents visiting me in Los Angeles has this exact pattern not occurred. So for my dad, my mom to say, I'm saying, and my dad to say, yep, sounds good to me. I knew something really fucked up was happening.
Speaker #1
And in my mind, I'm thinking, oh, no, like this is the plot has been given away. She's gonna know. And and it wasn't I guess it was weird because you and I both know that they didn't do the dance that they always do. But you had said to me that night, you were like, I don't know, my parents are just acting so. weird. My dad never says, okay, I'm going to stay. And so the next day, I made sure to tell them when you weren't around.
Speaker #0
You pulled them aside.
Speaker #1
Yeah. And I just said, I think Lauren really suspects something. And your mom was like, oh, well, why? Why would that be? And I explained. I said, well, forever, you have always said we're going to stay. And Mike, you say, no, I've got to get back. And if you stay, it's a day, but there's always this hassle. Um, so if there's any way that you could bring it up again and fight a little.
Speaker #0
Then they had to fight. Tim instructed them. You guys got to fight a little bit.
Speaker #1
I directed them. I was playing director in this moment of like, in order for the vision to work, you've got to fight a little.
Speaker #0
So they did. And it was believable. And then I was like, well, wait, no, they can't leave now because what if he's going to propose? So it was like, my dad said that his friend, his friend Ross that he's worked with for almost 50 years was telling him that he had to get back for this case that they were working on. I'm like, can't you just call Ross and tell him no? He said that he called Ross, but he didn't. He never had to go back.
Speaker #1
Yeah. Poor Ross. He probably was none the wiser. So the fighting happened and then you were back on track. But you did tell me, though, you said like, everybody's just acting so weird.
Speaker #0
Yeah. Because then the other thing was my mom invited me. She goes, you know what we haven't done in a while? I go, what? And she goes, Get our nails done. Okay. The year was 2024. The last time we went and got our nails done was 2019. So yeah, I'd say it had been a while. And I knew because I told Tim, if you're going to propose, make sure to find a way for me to get my nails done. But the thing that threw me off was we were also going to Australia and I had told my mom that I want to have my nails done for Australia. So I was like, okay, well, yeah, like we can go. I'm just like, I'm stressed right now. And I've got all these things going on. She's like, well, you don't have to go. You could also wait till you go to Australia and I was like,
Speaker #1
thrown off the track.
Speaker #0
Thrown off. So my, okay. So I'm like, okay, well I should just get them done just in case. Cause you never know.
Speaker #1
Yeah. That was, that might've been one of the hardest things because I knew that you had specifically asked that of me, you know, before I propose, you want to make sure that your nails are done and that they look nice. And I was thinking like, do I ask your, some of your closest girlfriends? But then I thought, I don't know that I want to involve them because I don't know if they will give it away or. Yeah.
Speaker #0
I put you in a tough spot because I notoriously don't have my nails done. Right. So it wasn't like I'm like one of those girls that always has their nails perfectly, perfectly polished.
Speaker #1
Right.
Speaker #0
They're typically not done.
Speaker #1
But it worked. You know, your mom was able to pull it off and you got your nails done. Your parents stayed and you believed that they were staying because they were able to make it happen. And then we went out on the date. Yeah. Now we can... Flash forward.
Speaker #0
Flash forward.
Speaker #1
So we're walking back to, we're walking back from Verse, back to the apartment. And by the way, when you, when we were leaving Verse, I went to the bathroom and then I was texting with your mom of just, okay, we're coming back in 10 minutes. Because her job was, I had about a hundred candles. for the for the office proposal yes and your mom and your dad were so helpful in that they stayed back while you and i were out to dinner and they set up these led candles and i had i don't know 10 or 12 regular candles yeah fire candles and then electric or battery operated yeah because we we wanted to make sure that whatever happened in the office where the sprinklers go off we didn't want that to happen because we actually do have sprinklers in our condo so it would have been very bad So your mom is taking care of the setting up the candles and I'm just sending them a little courtesy text of like, we're finishing up dinner now. We've just paid the bill. We're going to be on our way back. And she, I forget what she texted, but I think in hindsight, she had said like, oh my gosh, I got to get everything ready. Like they're coming back in 10 minutes. But on the walk back, you and I were just walking and you turned to me and said. You know, I really thought you were going to propose tonight.
Speaker #0
I can't hold in a thought. Not with you. I think I told you this when we first met. I'm like, you're human truth serum to me. I just, I like to tell you every thought I have. And I have to tell you, I really thought you were going to propose at dinner. I couldn't not tell you.
Speaker #1
And to me, this is music to my ears because I'm like, yes, like the fact that she's telling me this means that she has no idea. So she, I am As coy as coy can be, as best as I can, because I'm nervous. I've left the ring at home because I don't want to have this bulge in my pocket as I'm walking. If you would have seen that, it would have given it away. Yeah,
Speaker #0
it would have.
Speaker #1
So, you know, I'm receiving what you're saying of like, I really thought you were going to propose tonight. And I said, oh, really? You would have preferred if I had done it at home? No,
Speaker #0
no, no. I think I said, I really thought you were going to propose tonight. And then I'm like, but I'm kind of glad you didn't at the restaurant because honestly, I would have rather have you do it at home. and then you're like oh really you would have rather let me do it at home i'm like but i guess you're gonna do it in australia and that's fine i understand why you waited until then but if you could just do it at the beginning of the trip that would be great because i can't handle the pressure of knowing it's gonna happen and waiting for it anymore and i was like noted all right i was like if it's gonna happen at the end of the australia trip the whole trip i'm gonna be on edge being like, is it now?
Speaker #1
And, you know, so I'm just receiving all this like my inside. I'm just laughing hysterically of like, yes, we're celebrating. And, you know, so I'm asking you even more questions. And I'm like, oh, yeah, I guess at home would be better because your parents are in town and it would be before the trip. Yeah, that makes sense. That all makes sense. So we, you know, get to the condo door. We go inside. Then we are out are on the threshold. And I'm kind of like jingling the keys a little more than I normally would. kind of like yeah
Speaker #0
alerting for the listener. There's a door on the outside of our condo that you have to get in, in order to get to our front door. So we got in through that door and now we're right in front of the threshold of our door.
Speaker #1
And so I'm, I'm like making it known, you know, to your parents on the inside that were there and, and to their credit, they, they were ready. They had set up the, your, your iPad to be able to film like a master shot of everything that was going on. And then they individually had their own phones and they were filming. And we just we entered, opened up the door, crossed the threshold. And I think you knew immediately just the way that the lights and the candles and the rose petals on the floor.
Speaker #0
Yeah. Well, first of all, I started laughing hysterically. The reason for it is this. So we walk in and we see all the beautiful setup that they have. And then my parents are standing there with their cameras. And I think I was just laughing hysterically because I couldn't believe they got me. I was like, I'm going to quit this case. did it but i also was so happy that they got me because i'm like this is so special and then tim said that i kind of iconic line to me from the office and then i knew i dropped it i'm like oh my gosh i can't believe he did this for me say
Speaker #1
the iconic line do you remember it i think it's um this will be the hardest test of our relationship so far after this it's smooth sailing from here run out. The hardest test of our love so far.
Speaker #0
Yeah, I think it's like the hardest test I love his face so far. After this, it's smooth sailing. Yeah. And so then I was like, oh, my God, he's doing the Michael Scott and Holly proposal. So then he led me into the circle of like, because he made this huge circle with all these candles. And he led me into the center of it. And you were like, Lauren Louise, Roboto, La Grasso.
Speaker #1
Yeah, I gave my little speech. Just, you know, we've traveled. We've, you know, I'm in love with you.
Speaker #0
Yeah. You said, you said, um, You are the best person in the entire world. No, you didn't say that.
Speaker #1
My heart said it through my gestures.
Speaker #0
What did you say? You were like, we've traveled the skies or something.
Speaker #1
Yeah, we've mapped our destinies in the sky. This is a lot less romantic than the moment.
Speaker #0
It was really romantic. It was beautiful.
Speaker #1
I will say I was rehearsing it like all day and I was like, yeah, I mean, I just...
Speaker #0
You memorized it.
Speaker #1
I memorized it because I wanted it. to come from the heart. I wanted something that was written, but I wanted something that was coming from the heart too. I didn't want it robotic.
Speaker #0
Are you memorizing your vows?
Speaker #1
No. Oh, good. No, no.
Speaker #0
I can't because mine are too long.
Speaker #1
Too much pressure, way too much pressure. But this was a little easier because of just the theatrics of it and the intimacy of it too. And like, you know, it was all coming from the heart. But I was so nervous earlier that day that your mom had made this like salmon meal and I, it. It's like salmon. It's so light. And I could have like only a few bites. Yeah. I can't. I just can't eat this. Like I'm I'm feeling all the emotions right now. So but that yeah, that night got down on one knee, gave my speech and then, you know, asked you to marry me. And she said yes. She. She said yes.
Speaker #0
Yes, I did. I think I said I would love to because you asked what I would I be. would I marry you? And I said, yes, I would love to. Let me kiss. And so after all the hysterical laughing, then I started hysterically crying. I'm nothing if not diverse. I'm always shocked by how many emotions I can feel in one day. Like, how is it even possible that one human has all these different feelings in their body? So anyway, it was just so beautiful. And having my parents here meant so much and that you were all working out together meant so much. It was like, Everything I could have ever wanted and it and just incorporating the office, the show that has gotten me through all the hardest times of my life and has really been such a comfort and a friend to me. It just was perfect. And it was the perfect way to start our wedding journey. I think that this might be like part one. And I think we can go into like a part two now talking about the actual wedding planning. Yeah. Yeah. So. Because that took so much longer than I thought, but it was such an important story to tell because we told our whole love journey on the podcast. And I think it was just so important to talk about the engagement journey and what that was like and how we got there. I want to pause there and come back in a few days for the episode about the wedding planning process, what it has been like, what we're excited about, about marriage. how we've gone on our own self-development journeys, what we've learned about our relationship with each other, with others, all that good stuff. Justice for Bridezilla's, of course. So come back to hear part two of our wedding special on Unleash Your Inner Creative. Yay! Love you and believe in you.

About Unleash Your Inner Creative with Lauren LoGrasso (A Creativity Podcast)

New episodes are out every Wednesday - follow, rate and review wherever you get your podcasts :)

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

About Unleash Your Inner Creative with Lauren LoGrasso (A Creativity Podcast)

New episodes are out every Wednesday - follow, rate and review wherever you get your podcasts :)

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Description

You’ll hear:

-The hilarious ways my parents almost blew Tim’s proposal
-The serendipitous story behind my engagement ring
-Why Tim recreated The Office proposal in our living room (Shout out to Michael Scott!!)

-Our first steps into wedding planning and what we’ve learned so far

It is a mix of love, laughter, family chaos, and a reminder that big milestones are never perfect, they are perfectly ours. 💍✨

Stay tuned for Part 2 next week, where we dive deeper into the wedding planning process, lessons learned, and why I say “justice for Bridezillas!”

Follow the show: @unleashyourinnercreative

Follow me: @LaurenLoGrasso

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Transcription

Speaker #0
Have you ever been married? I haven't. Yet. But soon, that's all going to change. Oh yeah. Today I am here with an incredibly special guest. That's right. He's my betrothed, Timothy Michael Blewett. And we're here today to discuss our wedding that is taking place on Friday, August 29th. You'll hear juicy topics ranging from the whole behind the scenes of our engagement story, what wedding planning has taught me and Tim about our self-development journey, The realizations getting married has given us about our relationship and the relationships we have with friends and family, and why I no longer believe in the concept of bridezillas. Yeah, I said it, justice for bridezillas. We're going to get into that. So now let's do it. Welcome to the Unleash Your Inner Creative wedding special. And I guess I should say I'm Laura LaGrasso, I am your host, and I would be so honored to introduce you to my illustrious guest. He's actor, writer, thought leader, teacher, and fiance, Mr. Timothy Michael Blewett. Welcome to the program, honey.
Speaker #1
Thank you very much. Happy to be here.
Speaker #0
Oh, so honored to have you. Thank you for making time in your busy schedule to come on the wedding special.
Speaker #1
It's so busy between stuffing the gifts for all of our guests, the party favors. Yeah.
Speaker #0
And by stuffing gifts, he means making guest bags, y'all.
Speaker #1
Making guest bags.
Speaker #0
Taking gifts and then stuffing them with stuffing or other things.
Speaker #1
Taking down the recycling. Oh, yeah. Every box that comes in has to be taken down.
Speaker #0
Our house has become a Costco warehouse. That is true.
Speaker #1
Things are busy over here.
Speaker #0
Oh, we're just busy little bees. You know, before we get too deep into it, I want to say I've been taking a break from the podcast and I've truly missed doing the show. And it was... absolutely necessary. There is no way I could have been putting out a weekly podcast for the past month. We've just been slammed with wedding stuff. Any hours that I'm not working, I am working on wedding. So thank you for bearing with me as this break has happened. It's been weird, but so, so important. And I can't wait to get back in September. But this is a little sustenance to hold you over until then. And me, frankly. So given that, talking about how busy it's been, we are T minus 10 days until we wed. I cannot believe it. It feels like just yesterday we got engaged. But given that we were so close, honey, how do you feel?
Speaker #1
I feel everything all at once. Wow.
Speaker #0
It's just like that movie. Life truly imitates art.
Speaker #1
I mean, you're right. We got engaged in October and there was like this elevated feeling to life at the onset of the engagement of like, wow, like we're doing it. We're committing to each other in this way and we have to plan a wedding now, but it's going to be fun. And I remember, I still remember when your parents and yourself and myself, we all went out to like look for these venues. And it just seemed like it was so leisurely and so nice. and we're going to some of the... the most beautiful places in Southern California. And then we found our venue, we signed the contracts around December, the beginning of January. And ever since then, it's like time has just been accelerating at a rate that I don't even know what to call it, the wedding acceleration rate.
Speaker #0
The wedding speed of light.
Speaker #1
Wedding speed of light. Of white. Wedding speed of white. Even so, there was still like, oh, it's okay, we got time. We have eight months, we got seven months, we got four months, three months. Even when we had a month and a half to go and then it was just like, that time is gone. We've got 10 days. It's here. It's time.
Speaker #0
Yeah. It really has sped by so quickly. I cannot believe we're getting married next week. It is still 10 days away, but that means we're getting married next week. It just befuddles my mind. I really, I don't know. I just... I'm so happy we're here and it also seems surreal. And I'm like, is it really going to happen? Like we're going to do this.
Speaker #1
Oh, we're doing it. We're going to do this.
Speaker #0
We're in pretty deep at this point. Um, no, no, I'm just so, so excited. Yeah. Like it just, I cannot believe it's here. Exactly what you said. Like each it's kind of like how it feels in life. Like each week as you get closer to wedding, it feels like time is moving faster and faster and faster until you just said a clip that you're like, I don't even know if I'm here or present or if I'm just like in another dimension, but we're about to enter the dimension of the wedding day. So We'll find out.
Speaker #1
That's that feeling. That is everywhere, everything, everywhere, all at once.
Speaker #0
Yeah, so true. So, okay, before we go forward, I think we should go back because I realized in coming into this episode that I have never told our engagement story on the podcast. So I think we should go back. That was a rewind and tell the engagement story of how this gorgeous ring came to be on my little flangey here.
Speaker #1
It is a gorgeous ring. It is. If I can say so myself.
Speaker #0
It is. And we'll even talk about how you ended up choosing it.
Speaker #1
Yes, we will. Yes. Yes, we will. All right. So where do we begin?
Speaker #0
I think we should begin by saying we had talked about getting engaged. So we discussed getting engaged by our three-year anniversary, which was October 3rd, 2024. And so as time was going on, it was getting closer and closer to the day. And we weren't engaged yet. And I'm like, huh, he's really waiting right until the deadline. But I'm like, that's cool because that's what we talked about. And, you know, I had said some things to you. I didn't drop hints. I'm not a very subtle person I've come to realize in life. I think for a while I thought I was subtle, but I'm not subtle at all. So I was dropping not hints like directives on what exactly I wanted from a ring. I was like, I want an oval, an oval ring. And I want it to be at least three carrots. And I want it to be like with the little diamonds around. So like I had told him what I wanted because, you know, like I never, I never really thought I'd get married until I met Tim. Like you were the first time I met someone and I was like, oh, that actually sounds nice. It doesn't sound terrifying. It sounds quite lovely. But I always knew no matter what, if an engagement were to happen over the course of my life, I wanted the ring to weigh my hand into the ground. And I'm not very materialistic in other ways, but I do love shiny things. And I knew I wanted something that was shiny enough to see from a distance. So that was what I told you, but I didn't tell you anything else. And we did not design the ring together.
Speaker #1
Right. Yeah.
Speaker #0
So that's just a little ring tidbit for you.
Speaker #1
Yeah. Which, honestly, it made my job a lot easier. You know, so I will say there's nothing easy about buying an engagement ring.
Speaker #0
What was the hardest part?
Speaker #1
The hardest part was the budget, I think. Putting together a budget that doesn't break the bank, a budget that is not measly, but it's not like I'm going into tremendous debt to afford this. So finding the right budget and finding something that you would be proud to show off and proud to wear. This is important. Say what you will. And everyone comes from a different standpoint. This is something else that I learned. the same thing that worked for us is not going to work for other people. And I was reading Reddit threads. I was doing all kinds of research. And there were a lot of people out there who said, I don't care. I love the person. We got our rings from Amazon, or we got $10 rings online. Or someone even said, my betrothed or my boyfriend proposed with a ring pop. And it worked for them. And somebody else had commented like, he better not propose with a ring pop. So there's all kinds of different things work for all kinds of different people. But for me, because you were so clear about what you wanted, I wanted to get as close to what you wanted as possible. And you know, something that you'd be proud of.
Speaker #0
Yeah. And I mean, of course, that's the truth too, right? Like, the hardest and most important thing is finding the person that you want to be with forever. But if there is an item of clothing or jewelry that you know for a fact you'll wear every day for the rest of your life, it's got to be something you enjoy looking at because this is my view forever now. So I would honestly, like, I think I told you at one point, I'm like, I would rather have the ring I want than like having a big blowout wedding. Like, because this is going to be forever. The wedding is one day. So I really appreciated it. And I think I even said to you at one point, which this is a real diamond. But I think I said to you at one point, I'm like, I'd rather have a huge cubic zirconia than a teeny tiny speck that I can't see that's a real diamond. So that's how strongly I felt about having some sort of ring that weighed me down.
Speaker #1
Yeah. So this is where I had to do my own research. So you said I wanted three carats and you wanted pave, which is the diamonds on the side. Oh,
Speaker #0
okay. I call it that.
Speaker #1
French for paved, for those that are keeping track.
Speaker #0
It's be la junkie.
Speaker #1
so um i then had to discover everything about what diamonds are because i i knew nothing i just in my mind it was like they're expensive and they're forever That's what I know about diamonds. So I looked into the four C's, cut, color, clarity, and carrot.
Speaker #0
Okay.
Speaker #1
I really looked into the cut, the clarity, all of that. And I took it to a diamontologist to get it set because I got the stone by itself. And I thought like, well, you and I are both artists. We appreciate craft. Let me try to assemble these together. and the stone that I got It was cut on May 20th, 2024. Yes. The stone that I got was cut on May 20th, 2024. And May 20th, 2021 is when I met you.
Speaker #0
Wow. It was meant to be.
Speaker #1
It was meant to be. And that was just serendipity. So I was looking at all my options and then I saw that and I was like, okay, I have to get this one. It's everything else that she wants. It's the right color, I believe, cut clarity, and the fact that it was cut. At this specific time on this specific date, I thought, okay, this has to be. Yeah.
Speaker #0
And it was wild because the website that you got the diamond from, I had been like looking on it in the same timeframe that you had gotten the diamond. And I literally took a screenshot of a ring on there and I said, this would be good for Tim to get. And I sent it to my mom. And it was right around the time that I found out you bought the diamond from this website. So I feel like we were communicating telepathically because I was like, this is a great ring. It's a great budget.
Speaker #1
Yeah, it was meant to be. And I think that's another key for the fellas out there that want to, or for anyone who wants to propose with a diamond ring.
Speaker #0
Fellas, ladies, and non-binary kings slash queens.
Speaker #1
Exactly. The key is getting very close to what you believe your significant other wants and desires and feeling good about it. So even if you get something that doesn't hit all the marks. If you've done your research and you've poured over it and you've put your time into it and thought and effort and energy and you feel good about it, I guarantee that's the best decision you can make.
Speaker #0
Beautiful. So you get the ring.
Speaker #1
So I got the ring. Yeah. And then I had to keep it a secret from you.
Speaker #0
Which isn't easy because I like to do some investigative journalism, as you may know.
Speaker #1
Not easy at all. Not easy at all. And also we live together. So I needed to make sure that I had it in a place that. you wouldn't see.
Speaker #0
Bingo. The funny part is that I actually signed for my own ring and I didn't know it.
Speaker #1
That's right. I forgot about that.
Speaker #0
It got delivered because he got the ring from this website or the stone from the website and then went and got it set at a local retailer around here. But I signed for the ring and I was like, huh, I wonder what Tim's getting in this small box.
Speaker #1
They were supposed to call me. That was because their whole thing is... We were very discreet and it comes in the mail. And because it's in the mail, we don't want anybody to know what it is, you know, so that there's no funny business or theft or anything like that. So they were supposed to give me a call specifically so I could pick it up, but they didn't.
Speaker #0
It's okay. We're not calling the company out. And also, I didn't know what it was. I literally thought because it wasn't like the size of a ring box. It was the size of a small box. I'm like, I really wonder what Tim is getting.
Speaker #1
Yeah, I forget what I told you it was.
Speaker #0
I don't think I pressed you harder because I think I did. In me, I had a thought like, what if it's the ring? Anyway, so you get the ring, you get it set, and it's getting closer, ever closer to our anniversary date. And so my parents are coming into town. And what do you do?
Speaker #1
So I know that your parents are coming into town. What was the occasion?
Speaker #0
I think they were coming in for my mom's birthday. Your mom's birthday. My mom's birthday is September 27th. And so they were coming in just to hang out. Like they usually come in at least once a year and spend a couple of weeks with us because we have a guest bedroom and it's just a nice time to have a little family time.
Speaker #1
This is where I begin to put my plan in motion. Up to this point in time, I've actually spoken to Patrick Murphy, who's now gonna be the best man at our wedding.
Speaker #0
Friend of the show. And he's been on the podcast.
Speaker #1
That's right, yeah. So I had been asking him of just like, I need some help putting something together. What do you think? Is it best to go out to a restaurant? Is it best to do it at home? Is it best to do the whole nine yards, bells and whistles? Is it best to have an intimate thing? We had talked at least for an hour and a half moving through possibilities. And then he was my wingman the whole process through of like, you know, let me know what you're thinking. Let me know how I can help out. And then I learned that your parents were going to be coming into town. for your mom's birthday so i knew okay that is so close to our anniversary october 3rd which i i want to like that's the day that i want to propose so since they're already coming into town i'm not going to arouse too much suspicion with them already being out here and i i had a feeling that you wanted them to be present in in some capacity and i think i may have told you that at some point yeah and i i wasn't i wasn't exactly sure how i was going to include them yet but i knew okay they're gonna be out here already that means i don't have to make a big show like if if they came out if they weren't planning on coming out and all of a sudden they were here that might have tipped you off a little yeah so i use this to my advantage of like they're already here um and i i didn't want your mom to know yet. Because I thought, you know, you and she are so close. Yeah.
Speaker #0
We talk every day.
Speaker #1
Any sort of like giddiness or extra energy and coming out here to come see you could have given the surprise away.
Speaker #0
And to be fair, my mom has very rarely been able to keep a secret from me. I mean, like one time I literally caught her like planning my surprise party and then I found out and then I had to pretend to be surprised at my surprise party. So like her and I both knew I wasn't going to be surprised, but none of the people coming in. So I acted all surprised. Hey, if you're listening, you were at my 17th birthday. I knew.
Speaker #1
You heard it here.
Speaker #0
You're here breaking news. Put it on the headlines. So, yeah. So I think that was a fair call. Yeah. But you did want to give my dad a little heads up.
Speaker #1
Yeah, because I so I really wanted to do the whole traditional thing of like asking your dad for his permission and his blessing. And that. that whole thing. So I wanted him also to kind of know to maybe like plan ahead a little bit of like, I want to be asking you these things. So I just sent him a text and I thought it was very like slick and like wasn't giving too much away, but was definitely laying the hint of like, I'd like to have an in-person conversation with you about something very important. Because my text to him was like, you know, great, excited to see you when you come out. By the way, I'm planning something very special for... our anniversary on October 3rd, if you and Joanne wanted to stay out a little bit longer, you might want to consider staying and leaving the next day or the day after that or leaving that weekend.
Speaker #0
And my dad being the absolute literal person that he is, what did he say back to you?
Speaker #1
He sent a very direct text, very direct and blunt and was just... um you know oh no actually we we have to be in uh buffalo for another event um visiting some family um so so we're we're heading out on the second and he said literally i want to steer clear of your anniversary yeah i wanted to steer clear of your anniversary uh so we'll be leaving the second thank you yeah so like in his own way he was like i want to give you guys alone time totally having it go over his head that tim was trying to give him a signal that he was gonna ask me to marry him so then And... And lo and behold, your mom gets wind of the text somehow. And I don't know how she got it, but she may have asked your dad.
Speaker #0
My dad was like, oh, Timmy reached out to me, told him we're going to leave.
Speaker #1
Yeah. And she was like, well, what exactly did that text say?
Speaker #0
And then she read it and she goes, Mike, he was trying to give you a signal. It's clear that he was trying to propose to Lauren. You need to write him back. You need to write him back right now. So my mom acted as my dad's personal chat GPT and wrote up a sparkling response for Timmy. And said, actually, we would love to stay and I'd love to talk to you and blah, blah, blah.
Speaker #1
Yeah. And so I received that text and I don't know that I responded immediately, if at all.
Speaker #0
You responded.
Speaker #1
By that time, they were going to come out in a couple days. And I just I didn't know what to do because now I'm reformulating the plan of like, OK, so they were coming out. Now they're leaving. They're not going to be here. So I have to figure something else out. And I just thought I'll just I'll figure it out when I ask for the permission and the blessing when he gets here. I'll figure it out then.
Speaker #0
So they get here. We're having a great time. And one day, Tim and my dad go out to coffee. And I didn't think anything of it. I mean, I kind of hoped because, again, we're getting close to the deadline here, okay? So I kind of hoped that Tim would be having a very special conversation with my dad. But I also didn't think necessarily anything was happening. A lot of times, they will get together and talk about business. And like, just share and like, you know, they've got their own relationship too. So I thought maybe this is one of those occasions. I'm not going to get my hopes up just in case. So they go out and I'm typing away, click clack on my computer.
Speaker #1
Yeah, it was, I mean, it couldn't have been more perfect. We go out to Heirloom Cafe. Yeah.
Speaker #0
Great local business.
Speaker #1
Great local business. we're originally we're going to sit on the inside but it's kind of crowded there's a lot of like clamor so we get a nice seat uh outside um on the patio and um and your and your dad your dad then is ordering your mom's birthday gift oh he was yeah because you were like so mike i really want to ask you like hold on this is a call for joanne and then he was like yeah making a call about flowers i want flowers delivered and i want them at this address so i need them soon then you know Then he hangs up. Okay, Timmy, so what do you want to talk about? well sir so what exactly did you say to him just just paint the picture for me i want to hear it yeah well i i mean i think i said something to the effect of um you know lauren and i are are getting a lot more serious and we're combining our lives together in this way and um you know she means a lot to me and over the years like i've just really come to know her and to love her on this deeper level. And then I think I just... cut to the chase and I just said, you know, I just wanted to ask you out first to ask for your permission and your blessing if I could ask for her hand in marriage.
Speaker #0
And what did my dad say?
Speaker #1
And I think, I don't, I'm guessing he was expecting it. I'm not sure, but I think he was like, well, yeah, you know, I think that this is good and is, you know, essentially like a long, it was a long time coming and he thinks that we're good together and... Um, we've got a lot of growing to do together and he said we have growing to do together.
Speaker #0
No,
Speaker #1
not, not like that, but it was just like you, you two compliment each other really well. And, um, it seems like you're growing in this direction. And if you continue, you could grow and you could grow even more and have a beautiful life together.
Speaker #0
Aw. So you got the two thumbs up for rock and roll.
Speaker #1
I got the two thumbs up. Yeah. Yeah. And it felt good too. like Obviously, I was very nervous before we went out for that coffee. I was psyching myself up and just being like, okay, you got to do this. It's a rite of passage in my mind. But then afterwards and receiving the blessing and the permission, it was just kind of like, wow, this is great. And it kind of gave me even more courage to move on to the next step. And he did say in that moment, too, he was like, great. Now. we do have to bring your mom into it. Joanne. Yeah, we do have to bring Joanne into it because it's so much better that we were all in on it together. Oh, yeah. It just worked. Yeah.
Speaker #0
You can't leave my mom out of a plan. Yeah. My mom can create a little extra ruckus, but she also creates a lot of extra magic. You got to hand it to her. It's true. You got to hand it to her. So, okay, you end up telling my mom, my dad and I go into Whole Foods to do a little grocery shopping because we love the supermarket. my dad and I. And you, while my dad and I are in Whole Foods, talk to my mom and tell her. Yeah.
Speaker #1
Yeah. So she in that moment, like when you and your dad go into Whole Foods, she's like, so Timmy, Mike told me about your plan. And I think it's wonderful. And she was all for it. I'm just like, I think it's wonderful. I think you guys are made for each other. You're soulmates. Tell me what we can do. Tell me what you're planning. So I essentially told her my plan, my vision as she calls it Just that your favorite TV show is The Office. Yeah. And I wanted to recreate the way that Michael Scott proposes to Holly with the candles and the thing that he says before he proposes. And I had this idea of just recreating that in our home where there would be control. I felt like I would have more control over the proposal. There wouldn't be like onlookers, you know.
Speaker #0
No looky-loos.
Speaker #1
No looky-loos. So that was the plan. And leading up to it, I had plans to take you out to where we had our first date at Hearst, which is another local joint. And just to sprinkle in some other things that we had done in our dating life that were like memories. So I got us a money tree.
Speaker #0
On the day of our anniversary.
Speaker #1
On the day of our anniversary. I got us one of those because one of the dates we went on when we were first dating was a place called the Wishing Tree. which no longer exists, unfortunately. But the restaurant was great, like Middle Eastern food. And their gimmick was you could write a wish on a little tag and tie it to a tree. And then you could see if your wish came true. So I did that. I got us these little yogurt parfaits that we had shared.
Speaker #0
A lot. When we were first dating, you would always bring them to me, and I would eat them. The way to my heart is snacks.
Speaker #1
And I knew it. And I capitalized.
Speaker #0
And you also got Rosemary.
Speaker #1
Yeah, because we had picked Rosemary, wild Rosemary, on one of the... This was not a date, but when we first met.
Speaker #0
It was actually kind of a date when you look back on it. We were in a group and then we split off and hung out for seven hours by ourselves. But I just didn't realize I liked him at that time. Whoopsies. But I made you pick a sprig of wild rosemary. I'm like, pick this. We were on a walk. And I was like, pick this and smell it as we walk.
Speaker #1
Yeah, it was great. And I was like, ah, the aromatics. Love is in the air. And we like talked to trees walking and I was like,
Speaker #0
you have to talk to this tree.
Speaker #1
So on our way to verse, which is about a 10 minute walk away from where we live. So we were able to just walk there. I had this fresh rosemary that I had. I didn't pick it, but I bought fresh rose. Yeah. And I said, like, this is for us to to walk with as we walk to verse and we can smell it. We can remember.
Speaker #0
Yeah. So like everything he had done that day was like recreating the our falling in love story. Yeah. Like our time of falling in love. So we go to verse and I think he's going to propose to me here. Like my parents are in town. We're at this like jazz bar. There's a microphone. Like he's, he's going to get up on the stage and be like, Lauren LaGrasso. I love you. Please be my wife. So like the whole night I'm waiting for him to propose and for my parents like pop out of the back. And so our appetizer goes by no proposal. Our dinner goes by no proposal. After dinner drinks, no proposal. Dessert, no proposal. Bill, no proposal. So I'm like, I'll be damned. He is not proposing today. Well, clock's ticking. You got till the end of the night. No, I just didn't think he was proposing. I was pretty, pretty sure you weren't proposing. And we were going to Australia in about a week. So I'm like, okay, well, that's forgivable. He's going to get down at the bottom of the Great Barrier Reef, open up a ring box and be like here amongst the coral, please be my wife. so I was like That I can understand. So we start walking home. And what do I do? What?
Speaker #1
Well, real quick, do we? Yeah,
Speaker #0
real quick.
Speaker #1
Okay, no, I'll finish this thought. So, so.
Speaker #0
No, real quick.
Speaker #1
Yeah, I was going to say real quick. Do we have to talk about your parents?
Speaker #0
Almost blowing it?
Speaker #1
Yeah, almost blowing it.
Speaker #0
Yeah, I wanted to, but you skipped ahead. So I didn't.
Speaker #1
Well, we could talk about it. We need to talk about it.
Speaker #0
I got to take off my pants. I'm sweating profusely. I'm wearing a dress. Give me one second. I'm really sweating. All right. Pants are off, ready for the story again. So yeah, if we want to rewind, my parents did almost blow the proposal twice.
Speaker #1
Twice?
Speaker #0
Yeah. Maybe more than that?
Speaker #1
No, I remember once. I remember one almost big moment.
Speaker #0
Okay, now almost blow is one moment, but there were a few times when I'm like, something seriously fucked up is happening here.
Speaker #1
Right, right. Okay,
Speaker #0
so there were a few times when something happened that I was like, something is wrong. So okay, what was the first time? Yes. Okay, we were all driving and all of a sudden I was like, okay, well, you guys are leaving on the 1st of October, whatever it was. And my mom goes, nope, we're staying. And then my dad goes, yeah, we're staying with a smile on his face. Now, in order to understand why this is a very, very disturbing moment, you have to know this. Every single time my parents have visited here for over the past decade, almost a decade and a half. My mom decides she wants to stay for longer. My dad fights her tooth and nail and says, Joanne, I need to get home. I've got an appointment. And then after about two days of this dance, my dad caves and they stay for longer. Okay. Never in the history of my parents visiting me in Los Angeles has this exact pattern not occurred. So for my dad, my mom to say, I'm saying, and my dad to say, yep, sounds good to me. I knew something really fucked up was happening.
Speaker #1
And in my mind, I'm thinking, oh, no, like this is the plot has been given away. She's gonna know. And and it wasn't I guess it was weird because you and I both know that they didn't do the dance that they always do. But you had said to me that night, you were like, I don't know, my parents are just acting so. weird. My dad never says, okay, I'm going to stay. And so the next day, I made sure to tell them when you weren't around.
Speaker #0
You pulled them aside.
Speaker #1
Yeah. And I just said, I think Lauren really suspects something. And your mom was like, oh, well, why? Why would that be? And I explained. I said, well, forever, you have always said we're going to stay. And Mike, you say, no, I've got to get back. And if you stay, it's a day, but there's always this hassle. Um, so if there's any way that you could bring it up again and fight a little.
Speaker #0
Then they had to fight. Tim instructed them. You guys got to fight a little bit.
Speaker #1
I directed them. I was playing director in this moment of like, in order for the vision to work, you've got to fight a little.
Speaker #0
So they did. And it was believable. And then I was like, well, wait, no, they can't leave now because what if he's going to propose? So it was like, my dad said that his friend, his friend Ross that he's worked with for almost 50 years was telling him that he had to get back for this case that they were working on. I'm like, can't you just call Ross and tell him no? He said that he called Ross, but he didn't. He never had to go back.
Speaker #1
Yeah. Poor Ross. He probably was none the wiser. So the fighting happened and then you were back on track. But you did tell me, though, you said like, everybody's just acting so weird.
Speaker #0
Yeah. Because then the other thing was my mom invited me. She goes, you know what we haven't done in a while? I go, what? And she goes, Get our nails done. Okay. The year was 2024. The last time we went and got our nails done was 2019. So yeah, I'd say it had been a while. And I knew because I told Tim, if you're going to propose, make sure to find a way for me to get my nails done. But the thing that threw me off was we were also going to Australia and I had told my mom that I want to have my nails done for Australia. So I was like, okay, well, yeah, like we can go. I'm just like, I'm stressed right now. And I've got all these things going on. She's like, well, you don't have to go. You could also wait till you go to Australia and I was like,
Speaker #1
thrown off the track.
Speaker #0
Thrown off. So my, okay. So I'm like, okay, well I should just get them done just in case. Cause you never know.
Speaker #1
Yeah. That was, that might've been one of the hardest things because I knew that you had specifically asked that of me, you know, before I propose, you want to make sure that your nails are done and that they look nice. And I was thinking like, do I ask your, some of your closest girlfriends? But then I thought, I don't know that I want to involve them because I don't know if they will give it away or. Yeah.
Speaker #0
I put you in a tough spot because I notoriously don't have my nails done. Right. So it wasn't like I'm like one of those girls that always has their nails perfectly, perfectly polished.
Speaker #1
Right.
Speaker #0
They're typically not done.
Speaker #1
But it worked. You know, your mom was able to pull it off and you got your nails done. Your parents stayed and you believed that they were staying because they were able to make it happen. And then we went out on the date. Yeah. Now we can... Flash forward.
Speaker #0
Flash forward.
Speaker #1
So we're walking back to, we're walking back from Verse, back to the apartment. And by the way, when you, when we were leaving Verse, I went to the bathroom and then I was texting with your mom of just, okay, we're coming back in 10 minutes. Because her job was, I had about a hundred candles. for the for the office proposal yes and your mom and your dad were so helpful in that they stayed back while you and i were out to dinner and they set up these led candles and i had i don't know 10 or 12 regular candles yeah fire candles and then electric or battery operated yeah because we we wanted to make sure that whatever happened in the office where the sprinklers go off we didn't want that to happen because we actually do have sprinklers in our condo so it would have been very bad So your mom is taking care of the setting up the candles and I'm just sending them a little courtesy text of like, we're finishing up dinner now. We've just paid the bill. We're going to be on our way back. And she, I forget what she texted, but I think in hindsight, she had said like, oh my gosh, I got to get everything ready. Like they're coming back in 10 minutes. But on the walk back, you and I were just walking and you turned to me and said. You know, I really thought you were going to propose tonight.
Speaker #0
I can't hold in a thought. Not with you. I think I told you this when we first met. I'm like, you're human truth serum to me. I just, I like to tell you every thought I have. And I have to tell you, I really thought you were going to propose at dinner. I couldn't not tell you.
Speaker #1
And to me, this is music to my ears because I'm like, yes, like the fact that she's telling me this means that she has no idea. So she, I am As coy as coy can be, as best as I can, because I'm nervous. I've left the ring at home because I don't want to have this bulge in my pocket as I'm walking. If you would have seen that, it would have given it away. Yeah,
Speaker #0
it would have.
Speaker #1
So, you know, I'm receiving what you're saying of like, I really thought you were going to propose tonight. And I said, oh, really? You would have preferred if I had done it at home? No,
Speaker #0
no, no. I think I said, I really thought you were going to propose tonight. And then I'm like, but I'm kind of glad you didn't at the restaurant because honestly, I would have rather have you do it at home. and then you're like oh really you would have rather let me do it at home i'm like but i guess you're gonna do it in australia and that's fine i understand why you waited until then but if you could just do it at the beginning of the trip that would be great because i can't handle the pressure of knowing it's gonna happen and waiting for it anymore and i was like noted all right i was like if it's gonna happen at the end of the australia trip the whole trip i'm gonna be on edge being like, is it now?
Speaker #1
And, you know, so I'm just receiving all this like my inside. I'm just laughing hysterically of like, yes, we're celebrating. And, you know, so I'm asking you even more questions. And I'm like, oh, yeah, I guess at home would be better because your parents are in town and it would be before the trip. Yeah, that makes sense. That all makes sense. So we, you know, get to the condo door. We go inside. Then we are out are on the threshold. And I'm kind of like jingling the keys a little more than I normally would. kind of like yeah
Speaker #0
alerting for the listener. There's a door on the outside of our condo that you have to get in, in order to get to our front door. So we got in through that door and now we're right in front of the threshold of our door.
Speaker #1
And so I'm, I'm like making it known, you know, to your parents on the inside that were there and, and to their credit, they, they were ready. They had set up the, your, your iPad to be able to film like a master shot of everything that was going on. And then they individually had their own phones and they were filming. And we just we entered, opened up the door, crossed the threshold. And I think you knew immediately just the way that the lights and the candles and the rose petals on the floor.
Speaker #0
Yeah. Well, first of all, I started laughing hysterically. The reason for it is this. So we walk in and we see all the beautiful setup that they have. And then my parents are standing there with their cameras. And I think I was just laughing hysterically because I couldn't believe they got me. I was like, I'm going to quit this case. did it but i also was so happy that they got me because i'm like this is so special and then tim said that i kind of iconic line to me from the office and then i knew i dropped it i'm like oh my gosh i can't believe he did this for me say
Speaker #1
the iconic line do you remember it i think it's um this will be the hardest test of our relationship so far after this it's smooth sailing from here run out. The hardest test of our love so far.
Speaker #0
Yeah, I think it's like the hardest test I love his face so far. After this, it's smooth sailing. Yeah. And so then I was like, oh, my God, he's doing the Michael Scott and Holly proposal. So then he led me into the circle of like, because he made this huge circle with all these candles. And he led me into the center of it. And you were like, Lauren Louise, Roboto, La Grasso.
Speaker #1
Yeah, I gave my little speech. Just, you know, we've traveled. We've, you know, I'm in love with you.
Speaker #0
Yeah. You said, you said, um, You are the best person in the entire world. No, you didn't say that.
Speaker #1
My heart said it through my gestures.
Speaker #0
What did you say? You were like, we've traveled the skies or something.
Speaker #1
Yeah, we've mapped our destinies in the sky. This is a lot less romantic than the moment.
Speaker #0
It was really romantic. It was beautiful.
Speaker #1
I will say I was rehearsing it like all day and I was like, yeah, I mean, I just...
Speaker #0
You memorized it.
Speaker #1
I memorized it because I wanted it. to come from the heart. I wanted something that was written, but I wanted something that was coming from the heart too. I didn't want it robotic.
Speaker #0
Are you memorizing your vows?
Speaker #1
No. Oh, good. No, no.
Speaker #0
I can't because mine are too long.
Speaker #1
Too much pressure, way too much pressure. But this was a little easier because of just the theatrics of it and the intimacy of it too. And like, you know, it was all coming from the heart. But I was so nervous earlier that day that your mom had made this like salmon meal and I, it. It's like salmon. It's so light. And I could have like only a few bites. Yeah. I can't. I just can't eat this. Like I'm I'm feeling all the emotions right now. So but that yeah, that night got down on one knee, gave my speech and then, you know, asked you to marry me. And she said yes. She. She said yes.
Speaker #0
Yes, I did. I think I said I would love to because you asked what I would I be. would I marry you? And I said, yes, I would love to. Let me kiss. And so after all the hysterical laughing, then I started hysterically crying. I'm nothing if not diverse. I'm always shocked by how many emotions I can feel in one day. Like, how is it even possible that one human has all these different feelings in their body? So anyway, it was just so beautiful. And having my parents here meant so much and that you were all working out together meant so much. It was like, Everything I could have ever wanted and it and just incorporating the office, the show that has gotten me through all the hardest times of my life and has really been such a comfort and a friend to me. It just was perfect. And it was the perfect way to start our wedding journey. I think that this might be like part one. And I think we can go into like a part two now talking about the actual wedding planning. Yeah. Yeah. So. Because that took so much longer than I thought, but it was such an important story to tell because we told our whole love journey on the podcast. And I think it was just so important to talk about the engagement journey and what that was like and how we got there. I want to pause there and come back in a few days for the episode about the wedding planning process, what it has been like, what we're excited about, about marriage. how we've gone on our own self-development journeys, what we've learned about our relationship with each other, with others, all that good stuff. Justice for Bridezilla's, of course. So come back to hear part two of our wedding special on Unleash Your Inner Creative. Yay! Love you and believe in you.

About Unleash Your Inner Creative with Lauren LoGrasso (A Creativity Podcast)

New episodes are out every Wednesday - follow, rate and review wherever you get your podcasts :)

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

About Unleash Your Inner Creative with Lauren LoGrasso (A Creativity Podcast)

New episodes are out every Wednesday - follow, rate and review wherever you get your podcasts :)

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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