June 23, 2022

J’rel and JaNae’s Proposal at The Coves in Aruba

A Proposal for the Books

We had the amazing opportunity to document this proposal for J’rel just last week. Usually when we go into proposal sessions, we are not always sure what to expect. It’s safe to say neither does the one that is proposing.
With these two lovebirds the vibe and energy was reflected in the location he picked out, wild, exciting and fun!

Where it all began

Ohhh where do we start? The first time that I saw J’rel was at one of his fraternity car washes. I was in the car with my teammates/friends and I casually said “oh he’s cuteeee.” Funny enough, we were on two separate sides of our university (living our lives) and never saw each other again until about a year later… WHEN J”REL SLID IN MY DMS!!! And you know the rest … he followed me, I followed him. He CLAIMS that I commented on one of his Instagram stories first but I don’t know how true that is. I mean who can resist his cute dog Bella? Nevertheless, we began talking off and on over the summer and when we got back to school in the fall, we planned to hang out. I will never forget, our very first time meeting, J’rel somehow had me doing his hair while we aimlessly watched random shows with his roommate, C.J. From that day forward, I can truly say we were pretty much joined at the hip.

What we love about each other

What I love the most about JaNae is how caring and patient she is. She is the one who is always reaching out to others, showing support, and uplifting whomever she comes into contact with. She goes above and beyond for her friends and family. She constantly expresses in multiple ways how much she loves and cares for those around her.

J’rel’s sense of humor definitely reeled me in. He is such a jokester; from changing song lyrics to his own made up ones to when he has random dance battles with himself and deems himself as the winner. Even though I never even have the chance to rebuttal with my own moves!!!

Where does the laughter develop from

The funniest thing that J’rel does is, give me random nicknames that change by the day. It started off as “biscuit” and somehow transformed into any little thing that he can think of that makes me giggle. The funniest thing JaNae does is talk to the dogs as if they’re humans and can understand what she’s saying. I’ve never seen someone have a full conversations with animals, INCLUDING dramatic pauses as she awaits their responses.

Our perfect day together

Our ideal day together would consist of vacating to somewhere with nice weather and views, lots of laughs, pictures, adventure.. OH and ……….SHOTS!!!!! Aruba was ideal time for us both. We relaxed on the beach, ate an unhealthy amount of amazing food, went crazy through the desert in UTVs, and even went cliff jumping for the first time. What’s a better than that??

When did you know she was the one?

I can say I’ve known JaNae was the one from the beginning but when I REALLY knew was about a year and a half after we started dating. It was the summer after I graduated from nursing school and was studying for my NCLEX. I was stressed, depressed, and driving myself crazy. JaNae was back home with her parents but did everything possible to keep me uplifted. She sent me positive messages constantly. She would take me out and treat me like a king. She prayed for me, helped me realize that I had to be more confident in myself, and most importantly she made me focus on my goals. At my lowest she was right there without hesitation. I will forever love her.

How did the journey to your proposal go?

Sooooo, accidentally I took off of work for a week after I failed to sign up for days. I thought that it would be the perfect time to take our yearly vacation. As I began looking at destinations I realized that I should make this a special one. I texted a shared friend of ours (shoutout to Amma!) and let her know the plans I had. She began to help me pick out rings that we thought JaNae would like. She would take her out and casually bring up weddings/rings. I began planning the trip and decided that I wouldn’t tell JaNae any details. She desperately tried to get an idea of where we were going but she didn’t find out until we got to the airport. After a conflict with the shipping of the ring I thought that everything would fall apart for this perfect day.

On the actual day of our engagement we went to get tattoos on the island, something to remember our first time flying out of the country. Little did she know, this vacation would be memorable for another reason. After dressing up, we went to the lobby of our hotel to take shots. On our way we were asked by many people if we were going to get married or engaged. We got to the venue and I still had no idea how it would play out. I was so nervous. Demian did a FANTASTIC job with getting the perfect shot. Everything went perfect. Better than I could have ever imagined.

You think Aruba will be part of your vows?

Aruba will definitely be a part of our vows. The week was amazing for us. One of the most memorable times of our lives. We love Aruba and are already ready to come back.