Denver Museum of Nature & Science Proposal | Brian and Samantha

Its no secret that I love museums (since I work at one and all), so when one of my colleagues contacted me about photographing their proposal in front of our favorite building, I of course said yes.

I’ll let Brian and Samantha’s words below fill you in on the details of their lovely Denver Museum of Nature & Science Proposal, witnessed by a mastodon, a photographer, and a lovely couple in City Park in town to celebrate their anniversary. Congratulations you two!

Denver Museum of Nature and Science Proposal photo

When did you know you wanted to propose? (Brian)
I knew that I wanted to spend a lot more time with Sam as we were dating and things just kept getting better with us…but we really began seriously talking about getting married while on vacation in Chicago in December.  From there plotting and ring designing began.

Did you know it was coming? (Samantha)
I suspected something was up with that weekend, especially since Brian asked me to take Monday off of work. I didn’t know when and where it would take place and was completely surprised by the scavenger hunt

Denver Museum of Nature & Science proposal photoCity Park Proposal photo

Take me through the scavenger hunt:
There were 7 stops on the scavenger hunt featuring places that were special to us, and a mutual friend stationed at each to provide the next clue.  The hunt began in Boulder when we stopped at the Hotel St. Julien for lunch.  Brian was super nervous and awkward…for a few minutes, and then excused himself from the table for a second.  While he was gone the first accomplice showed up and started chatting with Sam.  Eventually he explained that Brian wasn’t coming back and Sam was on a scavenger hunt to find him.

After finishing Brian’s food, he gave her the first clue which directed her to the Denver Center for the Performing Arts back in Denver.   This clue led her to the Pepsi Center, where she got another clue that took her to the Cooper Lounge in Union Station.  From there, she headed to D-Bar Desserts for a drink and a churro, before getting one more clue to go to the Zoo.  The final accomplice at the zoo sent her back to the Museum, where she met Brian (and a well-hidden photographer) under the Snowmastodon.

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Tell me the story of the gems and fossils in the ring–it’s so unique and beautiful!
Lots of meaning in the ring.  It was designed by Brian and Bob Kortz Designs in Denver.

The curved shape on one part of the ring is there to mirror the tattoo on Sam’s wrist.  I sent a picture of the tattoo to Bob who built it into the ring.

The center stone is a blue sapphire, because I knew Sam needed something more original and colorful than a diamond as the center of the ring.  I chose blue for the color because she has a long history with the University of Michigan and that was a huge part of her life I wanted to honor (Sam: Go Blue)

The fossil Gomphothere tusk is actually a family heirloom from Brian’s Grandfather who found the fossil in Nebraska.  The significance here is that Gomphotheres are ancient relatives of Mastodons which seem to follow Sam everywhere she goes (Snowmass).

The dinosaur bones on either side of the tusk fragment are there because Sam is an amazing geologist and dinosaur educator at the Museum.  Who has found lots of dinosaur bones over the years!

Inside the band of the ring are two more tiny stones…One Rhodochrosite piece which is the state mineral of Colorado (our current home state) and the other is Petoskey stone, the state rock of Michigan (Sam’s home state).

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