It often happens that happiness is found after bouts of pain and struggle. This couple from California had been dating for quite a few years when a fake vacation, and several white lies, made the way for some unbelievable surprises. Their story begins with a bit of dishonesty and some sketchiness.
Matthew and Kristina had begun dating in 2011. The couple share their lives in sunny California, and just like any couple, have had their share of ups and downs. But they’ve taken on every obstacle, which has made them a stronger couple. When Matthew told Kristina of his plans to visit New York for a friend’s birthday, she was happy to take him to the train station. Everything seemed normal, but she didn’t know the whole story.
Kristina had no idea of what was really going on. She didn’t suspect anything was off because Matthew had never lied to her before. While Kristina was thinking that Matthew was taking a trip with some friends, Matthew actually had some tricks stashed up his sleeve. To begin with, Matthew had been planning a life-altering secret for quite some time. But in order to make it happen, Matthew had to tell a few white lies to his beloved Kristina.
Sometimes we find ourselves being dishonest with our loved ones, but a good relationship is built on the foundation of trust. Matthew and Kristina definitely made trust a key part of their own relationship. After spending such a long time with Kristina, Matthew knew he wanted to be with Kristina for the rest of his life. After giving it lots of thought, Matthew came up with an incredible idea that Kristina would love.
Matthew told Kristina that he would be taking a three-day trip across the United States, but in reality, he would be making several stops along the way. After packing a video camera, Matthew started out on his journey. His first stop was with Kristina’s mother, Angelina, who was extremely excited by Matthew’s visit. Matthew made his next stop with Kristina’s grandmother in Vegas. As Matthew recorded his visit, his grandmother left a very important message for Kristina.
Her grandmother explained to Kristina that she wanted to give her an important gift that had been in the family for over 80 years. Matthew had put a lot of work into his surprise, but it was worth it. It took lots of time to find the perfect way to tell this beautiful story to Kristina. “After learning about the eleven or so months of plotting and planning, it was clear just how much effort and thought went into this day,” Kristina said many months later.
In retrospect, you can easily tell how well Matthew knows Kristina. It’s what anyone could ever hope for in a partner. Everything worked out perfectly and people from all over the world were in awe of how thoughtful Matthew turned out to be. “My gosh, you’re killing me!” wrote one YouTube user in a comment. “Girl, you are blessed and blessed and BLESSED! My gosh, look at that family! Look at those friends! Look at that man! Too sweet. Thank you for sharing this with the world.”
After Matthew met with the the members of Kristina’s family, Matthew put the video together, and began the final stage of his master plan. He started reaching out to more members of her family. He let them in on all the juicy details in hidden Facebook events and phone calls. Everyone was over the moon with happiness! Matthew began to wonder if Kristina would be equally happy, or would she actually be upset over what he did.
“On June 11, 2016, we tricked my girlfriend Kristina into going wine tasting for a friend’s birthday in Napa Valley,” Matthew explained in the beginning of his video. “The winery we chose to all meet at was also the same place where we first fell in love five years ago.” Matthew titled his video “How To Make Your Girlfriend Cry”, and that’s certainly what ended up happening. Kristina couldn’t control her tears.
Matthew was able to visit Kristina’s mother, and her grandmother, but there was one person who Matthew wasn’t able to visit. Even though they had been together for such a long time, Matthew was never able to meet Kristina’s father. Kristina was born and raised in upstate New York, so he took the long journey to pay his respects to the man who raised Kristina, but not in your typical fashion.
After battling cancer, Kristina’s father unfortunately died way before she ever met Matthew. Kristina always told Matthew that her father would’ve loved him and it made her sad that they would never be able to meet each other. “Matt flew across the country to visit him in New York,” Kristina later wrote. “I watched through tear-filled eyes as he placed my favorite flowers on his grave and told him how much he loved me,” she said, “and promised to take care of me for the rest of his life.”
As it turns out, Matthew’s story about going on a trip with friends was fake. While on his journey he made quite a few secret stops along the way. After Matthew visited her father’s grave, he made his way to her mother in Florida. After getting her mother’s blessing, he made his way to Las Vegas to speak to her grandmother about her 1935 diamond. Matthew made this journey months before proposing.
“As I made my way down a long path through the beautiful estate grounds,” Kristina recalls, “I could finally see Matt in the distance. As I closed in on him, I was hit with yet another surprise. Family and friends from all around the country had been flown out to witness this special day.” Kristina agreed to marry Matthew while standing in front of the beautiful view of wine country as the background.
“While planning and implementing this proposal,” Matthew blogged, “I never imagined it would turn into such a spectacle for the world. I turned the entire production into a 20-minute video and posted it on YouTube,” he explained. “Four months later, the video went absolutely viral.” His video has an incredible five million views and counting! “It took a ton of planning and even a little deceiving,” Matt recalls, “but it ultimately paid off in the end.”
“My girlfriend got a truly meaningful proposal and our family and friends were involved in something that they will cherish and talk about for years to come. I think all major moments in life should include an experience and a lasting impression such as this.” Matthew set a precedent with his proposal. Proposals don’t need to be a huge production, in order for them to be magical. They just need a bit of hard work to be meaningful and memorable.
Proposals should be a moment full of magic in any couple’s relationship where their world stops spinning. For Matthew and Kristina, their engagement just marks the beginning of long and happy marriage. “My fiancée and I have received an overwhelming amount of pleasant messages and comments from people all over the globe,” Matt writes. “It has been a truly amazing experience and I am so happy that I was able to provide something that touched so many.”