THE PROPOSAL
WILL YOU DO ME THE HONOR OF BEING MY WIFE?
Wow...Cody went above and beyond. Years ago, Kalia told him that she would like to get engaged somewhere in nature, and that ideally there would be a photographer waiting to capture the entire scene. Low and behold, he pulled the team together, even in the midst of a pandemic.
They were supposed to go to Santa Barbara for her birthday weekend (April 27th), but with Covid, that was postponed. He was very insistent on rescheduling that trip, and picked the weekend of June 26th to make that plan a reality. She kept saying, "We don't have to go there! Let's just go to Big Bear, or camping or something low-key!" He couldn't be swayed.
Friday morning, they woke up around 4:00 to get dressed and make their way up to Santa Barbara. Cody scheduled an 11:00am wine tour at Folded Hills Winery, just north of Santa Barbara, where they got to spend the morning seeing the animals, touring the farm, and trying their delicious organic & biodynamic wines! During the animal tour, Cody got a little frisky with the Donkey and Zebra and suffered from a little love bite. All in all, it was a wonderful morning.
Then, they made their way over to Cold Creek Tavern, a rustic little tavern that was well known for their smoked brisket and ribs. They ended up meeting the owner and he provided a history lesson and tour of the property.
Once they were completely stuffed from the onion rings and smoked meat, they headed down the lush winding road through the mountains overlooking the Santa Barbara coast. They checked into the hotel, and took a short nap before dinner.
Instead of driving south to dinner, Cody started driving north, up the 5. Confused, Kalia asked where they were headed, to which he quickly responded, "My coworker told me of this awesome beach that we could check out. You wanted to go on a beach walk before dinner, so that's what we're doing!" She was blown away by the planning and effort that went into the entire trip, and quickly dropped the questions.
They drove to a neighborhood just north of Isla Vista, home of UC Santa Barbara, and parked right in front of what looked like a canyon trail. A bit nervous, Kalia jokingly asked, "Is this where you're planning on killing me?" He laughed and began walking onto the trail, through the tall eucalyptus and pine trees, finally opening up to the most breathtaking views of the Pacific.
They walked along the coast, and he casually guided her towards the edge of the cliff which was shaped perfectly for a secluded conversation and moment apart from the small groups of people enjoying the view.
From there, he turned so that her back was against his chest so that they could both enjoy the sunset while he had his arms draped across her shoulders. All of a sudden, he started lightly shaking, and at that moment, she knew what was happening. He twirled her around, and said, "Kalia".
Those that are close to Cody and Kalia may know that Cody rarely uses names. He usually calls her darling or babe, but when he's upset or apologizing, he says "Kalia" with an extremely serious tone. Its almost laughable because when she hears her name, she know something is happening.
Kalia and Cody swear they both blacked out, but some things that stood out to her were:
"We have been together for so many years"
"We have traveled together, seen the world, and I want to continue doing that for the rest of my life"
"I have already spoken to your mom and brother"
"Will you do me the honor of being my wife?"
Before she knew it, as he was getting down on his knee, so was she. Kalia said yes, and in disbelief, he pulled out the most elegant and thoughtfully made ring. He slipped it on her finger and they shared a moment kissing as the world faded away.
Once they get up, they turned around only to find our friend and go-to family photographer, Alex Phillips snapping away. He did it! He actually did it. He took her to a beautiful natural setting, coordinated with one of her favorite photographers, and proposed in such a memorable way.
She gave them a few minutes to enjoy the moment, and continued to have a casual engagement shoot right there on the bluffs. They took some pictures, walked back to their car, and headed to the restaurant in Downtown Santa Barbara where they were treated to glasses of champagne and a romantic dinner on the patio.
