Hoboken Pier A November Proposal
I loved meeting Shikha and Neal in this Hoboken Pier A November proposal! Neal wanted to have a a beautiful set up and gorgeous backdrop for when he dropped to his knee and proposed to Shikha. Read all about their beautiful day and story here.
.
How they met
“Oh man, a running joke about me “sliding in her DMs” but really was confused on how we knew each other since we were following each other on Instagram. Realized we had some mutual friends and then the next thing we know we’re talking daily for like 4+ years (Facetiming daily for almost 3+ years at that). As far as dating goes, we’ve Officially been dating for just over 1 year. It’s a running joke though cause we say Officially really we’ve been together for 2 years or more. I would fly to Jersey and NYC to come see her. At one point we just didn’t talk about it too much and then Covid hit which delayed me asking her out cause I wanted to do it in person.”
.
I love reading about how my couples meet! Neal is definitely amazing!
.
About their first date
Neal: “I consider, and I believe she does as well, our first date to be the day after we met in person for the first time. She was in Chicago with a few friends, we met up at a club and had a great time. Then the next day, I actually picked her up and showed her around the city. Took her to a few cool rooftops for drinks, walked around the city, and then ultimately the best part of the night was when we walked along the riverwalk and sat down. We just sat and then talked for a while, which honestly was a great way to end the night. I got to know her more and she got to know me more cause it’s a totally different feeling getting to know someone in person after talking over the phone for months.”
.
Chicago sounds like it was the perfect backdrop to their beginning!
.
What they love to do together
“So I’m a foodie and she is an extremely picky eater. Some people are surprised how it works out but I have her try things and if she doesn’t like it I end up eating the whole thing haha. We like to have new experiences though. We’ve been trying to be more adventurous if the weather allows. So we went kayaking in the Chicago Riverwalk which was super fun. We also have a favorite restaurant in NYC, which I keep forgetting the name of, but it’s this awesome Italian spot. The first time we went we met an older couple who talked to us for a while and they thought we were a couple, we let them think we were (probably a sign I should’ve asked her out lol) but that spot is our favorite. We try to visit every time we’re in NYC. Then, of course, deep-dish pizza in Chicago. Our favorite spot is Gino’s East, an awesome place with amazing pizza! Outside of that, we just like to hang with friends as well and enjoy everyone’s company.”
.
Sounds like they’re adventurous and that’s so fun!
.
Why Shikha is so special to Neal
“This could go on forever, but truthfully everything. She gets along with all of my friends, and I mean like really gets along with them (not just cause she’s my girlfriend). She’s extremely caring and trustworthy. I honestly thought I was someone who couldn’t trust easily but with her, everything has come easy. Caring about her, trusting her, are things I’ve never had to think twice about. Just a natural instinct. Every guy says their girlfriend is beautiful, or should at least, but to me, she is the most beautiful person. The part that gives me the chills is it goes beyond just her looks but everything about her has me smiling all the time. There’s more but I’ll leave it at that!”
.
AWWW, her smile is definitely captivating!
.
Why Neal choose this place to propose
“She 95% thinks it’s going to be in Chicago, so I think doing it in NJ would be such an amazing surprise. Now Jersey City / Hoboken cause the first time I came to visit her we stayed in this area. It was an amazing experience getting to know her more and I think Hoboken has a beautiful view of the skyline and most importantly is near the shore. Just a body of water means something to us I think. On our first date, the best part was sitting near the Riverwalk. Asking her out was near a body of water when we were in Boston. So if possible I’d love the body of water to be in Jersey when proposing.”
.
Neal did so good because she was definitely surprised!!!
.
That moment Neal knew Shikha was the one
“This might sound really weird, but just seeing how much I cared. If there was maybe one specific moment, it was that first time we hung out. Now I knew she didn’t maybe like me then or given it much thought at that time, but when dropping her home I stayed with her until her friends got back to the Airbnb as well (rather than leaving her there by herself). Then not too long before I really knew I was going to eventually propose to her (before she met my parents and all), her flight going back home to New Jersey was delayed. When I say delayed, I mean by nearly 6-7 hours. Rather than doing my own thing while I was at home, I stayed near my phone or on the phone with her the entire time. I mean I didn’t study, didn’t watch tv, anything. I just stayed by the phone cause I was genuinely concerned about her. Then when I found out her flight could be cancelled (she really needed to get home that night or the next morning if possible), I was willing to take my car and a friend of mine and drive her all the way to Jersey through the night so she wouldn’t get in trouble with her parents. That’s when I truly realized I’m not scared to ask to marry her. WEIRD I know, but it’s true lol.”
.
I love how it’s the small moments that make someone realize their person is the one!
.
About the Proposal
Neal contacted me a while ago to start this plan to propose to Shikha. He wanted to have a beautiful set up and was able to find the Marry Me letters and rose petals to make it super romantic. Adding the perfect backdrop of the NYC skyline and it was simply stunning!
.
On the day of, his friends and family were able to get there early too to help set up the place. Thankfully we had sometime before Shikha arrived and were able to get everything set up. The weather was cold but the sun was peaking out of the clouds which made these photos so gorgeous! See the proposal here:
.
Family and Friends
Neal made sure a bunch of their friends and family were there to witness this special moment. We had so much fun taking some fun group photos, see them all here:
.
Hoboken Pier A November Portraits
Hoboken Pier A is one of my favorite places to photograph at. I feel like I’m there all the time, and I’m not mad at all about that! November is a chilly time, but we managed to still grab some great portraits of them, they are so sweet!
.
Shikha and Neal, congratulations on your Hoboken Pier A proposal in November! I am so thankful I was able to be there to witness this once in a lifetime moment! Good luck on the next step, wedding planning is the best!
.
Did you enjoy reading about this day? Read more stories here.
