Current City: Edmonton

  Choose a different city: Edmonton Calgary

Global Contest Winners

Kelly Thomas and Kevin Roberts

The story of Kevin and I's engagement is one I look forward to telling our grandchildren. It all starts back in March 2005 when my older sister got engaged and planned a destination wedding in Cancun Mexico for the end of July. We were all elated for her upcoming nuptials and couldn't wait to go to Mexico. Kevin had never been out of Canada, so this was a big trip for him. We scrimped and saved all winter long and finally had enough for both of us to be able to go. We had both worked so hard to be able to afford to go that we were really looking forward to the week off and the time we would be able to spend together. While we were scrimping and saving to be able to go to Mexico we started talking about our own wedding.

We knew that we were destined to be together forever and just needed to decide when and where to make it official. Kevin kept telling me that he didn't have the money to buy me a ring but that he knew that I was "the one". I told him I didn't need a ring or the traditional proposal, let's just start planning. So that's what we did...we set a date and started making plans. Little did I know he had something up his sleeve. Another thing you should know is that I am the most impossible person in the world to surprise, I am so nosy and curious that I usually figure everything out ahead of time and have to act surprised when the time comes.

So, the time for our trip nears and Kevin and I have been tanning and preparing for our vacation. Then the worst thing imaginable happens... Hurricane Emily. A week before we were to leave hurricane Emily struck the Mayan Riviera taking our hotel with it. Our trip was cancelled and my sister's dream of a beach wedding shattered. We were disappointed, but decided that we would make the most of our days off from work and take a trip to "Mexicouver", or as most people know it - Vancouver. Kevin had never been in the ocean and I thought that he should at least get to stick his toes in the ocean, even though it would probably be a lot colder in Canada than it would have been in Mexico. So, we bought an inflatable palm tree to take to the beach with us, so we could take some pictures on a beach with palm trees, and headed for the coast.

We had planned to stop in Kelowna for a couple days and spend some time with my parents and my brothers who live there. It was beautiful there, hot and sunny, almost like Mexico, but no swim up bars! We arrived early in the morning, around 3am on July 29th and got a few hours of sleep before waking up and doing "family things" all day. Throughout the day Kevin and my brothers spent a lot of time together running here and there, and I really thought nothing of it, as I was busy helping my mom do her shopping and stuff. Little did I know...they were plotting. We had a big BBQ that night and it felt so great to finally relax and enjoy some down time. Then my dad piped up that we should take Kevin to the beach and play some Bocce ball. I was so tired and really didn't want to go, but decided that Kevin really should see how beautiful the lakefront is there. So, my mom and dad and Kevin and I piled in the car and headed for the beach. My brothers left for a friend's house and decided not to join us. We stopped and picked up an iced coffee and away we went.

When we arrived at the beach I noticed my brother's car in the parking lot, and asked why they were here? I didn't receive an answer. Everyone started to walk to the beach but I insisted that we wait in the parking lot for the boys. Kevin said, "Come on, let's go walk on the beach", reluctantly I went with him. As we were walking to the beach, out of the corner of my eye I see an inflatable palm tree, just like the one we had brought with us. I said, "hey Kevin, what's our inflatable palm tree doing over there", and turned to walk towards it. The closer I get to where it is I realize that there are two men wearing sombrero's and waiter outfits standing near it with a picnic table all set up with wine glasses and such. I keep walking and I realize the two men are my brothers and I start laughing hysterically, I was laughing so hard that I was crying! It was quite the picture. At this point Kevin puts his arm around me and tells me he knows how disappointed I was that we couldn't go to Mexico and he wanted to recreate a romantic evening on the beach in Mexico for me.

I couldn't believe how incredibly romantic this all was. And then he says, "And Kel, one more thing..." and I turn to look at him and he is down on one knee with a ring box in his hand, "...will you marry me?" Well, that's when things went into fast forward, I started really crying, the crowd on the beach started clapping, I screamed out "Yes, yes, yes!!", my family started taking a million picture, Baby Duck was poured....it all happened so fast, but it is a memory I will cherish forever. Kevin had been planning this moment for a while and surprised me - totally- with a beautiful ring (that he had been hiding from me for weeks - I still don't know how he managed that!) and a proposal that could not be beat. I know how much he really loves me because he made sure that all of the people who mean so much to me were there. And now I have the rest of my life to prove to him just how much I love him.

Back to Prizes Page