Ashe and Shane met in high school back in September 2004. Shane transferred from a Catholic school to Hawthorne High School in northern New Jersey at the beginning of his sophomore year. Although he was still living in the same town, he didn’t have any friends at his new school. The couple met in their Biology class and Ashe was his first friend. She made sure to go out of her way so he had someone to sit with and talk to. Although they were great friends throughout high school, they never connected romantically. “We both ended up in long-term relationships… with other people,” Ashe laughs.
After high school, Shane moved to Michigan and Ashe moved to Pennsylvania for college. It wouldn’t be for another three years that they would reconnect. After he transferred to the University of the Arts in Philly, Shane and Ashe both ended up single at the same time. They started talking through Facebook and after a few weeks, Ashe got on a bus to Philadelphia to visit him. That’s when their relationship started.
It was a long distance relationship for a while. Ashe moved back home after college, and although the couple didn’t end up officially dating for a few more months, they kept in constant contact. They always joke that they are in a 10-year conversation. When they aren’t together, they’re constantly texting or sending each other snaps and funny memes. “He really is my best friend” – Ashe says.
When it finally came time to get a ring, Shane knew two things – he wanted something custom, and it had to be a surprise. Ashe’s Pinterest page was very helpful. It had to be something unique and different so a classic looking engagement ring was out of the question. Shane started shopping around and getting ideas in April 2018. They were going on a cruise for Ashe’s birthday in May and he was initially going to propose then. While creating the custom ring, he decided he wanted to propose in a different way.
Luckily, Ashe had a business trip in July, so Shane was able to use this opportunity to work with his jeweler to help design the ring. It had to be as beautiful and as unique as Ashe. When designing the ring, he was able to customize the metal, the style, and the gemstones. Steven Singer Jewelers made it so easy to visualize what the finished ring was going to look like and after a few weeks, he was able to pick up the ring. He was nervous to see it but when the ring was done, it was absolutely perfect. Now he had to figure out what to do for the proposal. It wouldn’t be until November that the perfect opportunity would come up.
Thanksgiving is Ashe’s favorite holiday so they usually host it at their place. She cooks a giant turkey dinner with pies for her large family, but this year they were going to be celebrating just the two of them. Shane knew Ashe was a little disappointed that her family wasn’t coming, but knew it was the perfect opportunity to propose. Ashe doesn’t love being in the spotlight so the proposal had to be intimate. Shane made reservations at City Tavern in Old City, Philadelphia. City Tavern is one of their favorite restaurants because they have recipes from the Revolutionary War period and Thanksgiving there is a big deal.
The restaurant brings in several musicians to play live classical music. Shane envisioned this being the perfect place to propose. The couple spent Thanksgiving Day relaxing and spending time together. “It was just a typical day –our friend Jim had actually stayed over the night before, so we had breakfast and played video games with him before he went home to spend Thanksgiving dinner with his family,” Ashe says, “I definitely wasn’t expecting anything. I was just happy to spend the day with Shane and go out to dinner.”
That afternoon, Ashe went upstairs to get ready for dinner. While she was in the shower, Shane secretly called Ashe’s mom to tell her he was going to propose. If he wasn’t nervous before, he was definitely nervous after the phone call. Ashe has three sisters and a brother. They were all on the phone when he called and immediately knew why he was calling. As soon as he asked for permission, they all started screaming and burst with excitement. He knew he had to ask her soon before his nerves got the best of him.
Ashe got out of the shower and finished getting ready. She was just relaxing in the living room, killing time before their reservation, when Shane started acting weird. He was clearly not relaxed, and just kept saying how much she meant to him and how happy he was to be with her all of these years and how she was his best friend… but she still did not put two and two together. Ashe literally said to him, ‘Baby, I love you, but stop acting so weird!”
Shane thought that Ashe had to know. After talking for a few more minutes, Shane got down one knee and pulled out the ring. In shock, Ashe couldn’t even tell you exactly what Shane said. She kept saying ‘Are you serious?’ over and over again,”. After the shock wore off, Ashe finally said “YES”!
They both could not have been happier with the proposal or with the ring. It meant so much to Ashe that he took the time to work with a jeweler to custom make it especially for her. Everything was just so perfect! Shane and Ashe then went to dinner, as planned, but instead of it just being Thanksgiving, it became an engagement celebration! It’s so special to Ashe that Shane proposed on her favorite holiday – now they get to celebrate two of their favorite things on the same day every year.
Shane and Ashe currently live in Philadelphia with their two cats, Quintin, and The Pig, and are planning their wedding for September of 2020.
