By Dalina Michaels

Mike Klan and Dalina Michaels met at KEYT, where he is the sports anchor and she was a news producer. They are planning a summer wedding in Santa Barbara.

Every girl dreams about the perfect proposal. She is in a fabulous dress, hair done-up, the whole nine yards. Then over dinner, he surprises her with a ring in a champagne glass or with dessert.



So I was caught off guard (wow, was I ever!) when my perfect proposal came after getting out of a cardio class at the gym. The last thing on my mind was an engagement!

As I walked through my front door that evening, I was met by a series of handmade “playbill” programs, displayed by my boyfriend Mike on a maze of chairs throughout the house. Because I love the theatre, Mike had picked the perfect theme: “Act I” had pictures of us over the years, enjoying activities and travel, and pictures of our friends and family. When I got to the bedroom, the playbill read:“Act II continues throughthis door” ... and waiting on the other side with a gorgeous bouquet of roses was my love. He was playing one of our favorite songs and had placed rose petals all around.

Who’d of thought that coming out of the gym could be so romantic!

By Mike Klan

GO WITH WHAT SHE LIKES. If she likes the mountains,go on a hike and surprise her at the top. SantaBarbara has so many great settings; find the one thatsuits your style.

USE THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE. Think about ways topop the question when she is least expecting it, butkeep it within her tastes. If she is more reserved, aproposal on the Jumbo-tron at a sporting event mightbe more attention than she wants.TALK TO HER PARENTS. If for nothing else, just let them know you areserious about how much you love their daughter.

INCORPORATE SOMETHING SPECIAL. A favorite song, poem or anything thatis special to your relationship will make the whole experience so muchmore personal.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT. Don’t just think about what you’re going to say:rehearse! Run through it a few times so that when you propose, itdoesn’t get blurted out in an odd way. This only happens once, somake what you say count!