On January 19, 2018, Raul proposed at Red Rock Canyon outside of Las Vegas. He had been preparing to pop the question for almost a year and received Alyssa's parents' blessing in July 2017. Alyssa and Raul grabbed their picnic basket and blanket, headed to Whole Foods, stocked up on food, and drove to find the perfect spot. Among the gorgeous cliffs, secluded in a clear area off the beaten path, Raul began to tell Alyssa how much she meant to him and how she encouraged him throughout the past 5 years. The ring was tucked away in the picnic basket in a beautiful wooden case, and with tears in her eyes she found the ring and said "yes" to his proposal to spend their lives together with a vow to continually challenge each other, go on adventures together, and love each other. 

It was a perfect proposal, and Vegas was a fun place to celebrate it! 

It was Labor Day Weekend in 2015... Alyssa was in Comfort, Texas and Raul was in Las Vegas. They had never discussed engagement, but both saw something that made them think of engagements and weddings and thus began an exchange about rings. Alyssa told Raul she wanted a rose gold ring with a natural stone. She dropped the hint that she liked emeralds and celtic symbols, as well. Honestly after that conversation, they never really talked about engagements again, aside from the fact that they would one day become engaged once they lived in the same area. 

Years later when Raul decided he wanted to propose on the Vegas trip, he remembered the conversation over Labor Day and custom designed the ring you see now! How sweet is that?!