we'll be alright

lawkwardlaw:

brahyawn:

philupland:

NOVEMBER 14th, 2011

And finally, the OFFICIAL Charles Collyer & Valerie Macalino Proposal video, created and edited by the man of the year himself.

Just a few reasons why this particular proposal is EXTRA special:

• Charles had us wear accents of blue, to represent Val’s favorite color
• We wanted Val to get feelings of nostalgia during the performance so a large cast of people she used to dance with (PAC Modern alumni, Movement Project and Culture Shock LA) were invited to reunite on the dance floor. Some of these faces she had not seen in over a year. 
• Everyone near and dear to Valerie and Charles were invited to participate. Being a dancer was not a requirement so this made it even more special for her to see loved ones trying on some dancing shoes for the first time.
• Even if they weren’t able to dance, people from various aspects of the couple’s lives were there to support and watch the proposal take place. From immediate family members to high school friends, fraternity brothers to coworkers, plus a handful of their friends from the dance community. 
• Since Val was part of the PAC Modern family (she was a former coordinator from 2006-2007), and both her and Charles have a lot of history and involvement through PAC, we invited the current team to participate, representing her collegiate team dance roots.
• We wanted Valerie to feel surrounded by love, so we made sure she wasn’t just going to stand there and enjoy a special show. Charles and I created and mapped out a specific path for her to follow that eventually lead to the top of the stairs, where a fancy dinner table was set up for her to experience the grand finale (simply because she thought he made reservations for her at a fancy restaurant that night).
• To make sure everyone near and far had the chance to be in attendance, Charles even set up a streaming account that captured the entire event live online.
• The song? Charles picked it and when he first introduced it to me as an option, I knew it was the perfect song for them. Just listen to those lyrics!
• Why propose at the CSULB Pyramid? Charles was the boyfriend always at our PAC Modern rehearsals (which were held at the green side of the Pyramid). For almost 4 years, he was the guy always hanging out at our practice, watching her from the stairs, bringing her food or boba. His constant presence and support eventually led him to becoming our PAC Modern Booster Club President as he was always helping us out any way he could. We had bounced back various location ideas but I suggested the CSULB Pyramid because it was safe, free of interruption, open and did offer a lot of history between them. Charles decided the Pyramid was the perfect spot to execute the proposal. And this time around, it would be Valerie’s turn to watch Charles dance at the very location their relationship started blooming.
• Lastly, do the glowsticks have any meaning? Besides adding visual eye candy and flare, I truly believe Valerie lights up Charles’ life in many ways, and vice versa =) 

To witness this special day finally arrive after 7 years and seeing these two grow together since day one has been a blessing. It’s definitely been a test for all of Val’s good friends to have had her in our presence constantly without slipping as our blood pressure rose one too many times. It was an honor helping Charles bring his vision to life for the past 2.5 months, but was also a challenge to not update our statuses, tweet, blog, take pictures or “check-in” whenever we were all together at the pyramid rehearsing. What made this entire process easy was that we knew we wanted to make it very personal to her, something that surrounded her with love the entire time with nostalgic feelings and little surprises. Thanks again to everyone that participated and anyone who contributed a little something to make this night extra special for two very special people - you helped this dream become possible. I love the fact that so much of their roots, history, family, friends and loved ones were involved. I hope you enjoyed watching it as much as we all enjoyed creating a memory to last them a lifetime!

Charles - you are the man of the year without a doubt. Congrats on such an epic proposal that Val will undoubtedly never forget. Thank you for giving many of us a chance to re-live our college years and reunite as a huge family at our second home, the Pyramid. And Val - what can I say, I’ve known you since 03 when you were a tiny squeaking freshman and now you’re a tiny squeaking engaged woman! And to witness this special event take place is something I’ll always hold close to my heart. I love you both so much. Cheers to your next chapter in life!

Lots of love, Philip

I am so honored to have been apart of this (: Congratulations Charles & Val!!

So blessed to be apart of this! gotta love the PAC Modern fam