This proposal turned out to be one “fore” the books – when she was hit by a rogue golf ball hours before her boyfriend got down on one knee.
The painful incident was a “million to one” shot, Jessica Blakeslee, 28, from Seattle, Washington, said.
She and her boyfriend, Mark Michael, 27, were playing golf at Pacific Grove Golf Links, in California, while on a trip, and given that their families were all together, Jessica said she felt Michael’s proposal might have been coming later that day.
But on the 11th hole, a shanked golf ball flew to the side, through a tiny gap in the windshield of a golf cart and hit Jessica square in the face as she stood behind the cart.
The moment was extremely painful, but being a former Division 1 athlete, Jessica was also no stranger to injuries, having suffered multiple shiners and even a broken nose.
“The show must go on,” Jessica said, and after the round was complete – and she had been checked out by a doctor for a concussion – Michael suggested a few of hours later that they head to Pebble Beach Lodge for drinks with their families.
What followed was a quick black-eye-cover-up session with Jessica and her sister, Josie.
The surrounding area is where Michael calls home, and having then taken a stroll along the famous 18th hole at Pebble Beach – where golfers were still playing, giving Jessica some concerns after the day she had – before heading down to a nearby pier.
The location, overlooking the water, was where the couple first said, “I love you,” and it then provided the perfect spot for Michael to get down on one knee and ask the big question on May 9.
The pair then celebrated with their families, with the excitement of the occasion meaning Jessica had forgotten about her injury.
The 28-year-old later said she embraced the chaotic, imperfectness of the moment, with her sister, Josie, sharing the story of her shiner – and the cover up efforts – on social media.
Jessica said: “Honestly, it made it more memorable and more us.
“I could not have scripted a more chaotic, funny, and perfectly imperfect engagement if I tried.
“Yes, I wish I had looked a little better for the moment, but at the end of the day I was so overwhelmed with happiness that the black eye just became part of the story.
“The fact that Mark proposed anyway, at this deeply personal place to both of us, with all of our family around us, made it so much more meaningful than any perfectly planned moment could have been.
“We have always been able to laugh together, and this felt like the universe’s way of making sure our engagement story was one nobody would ever forget.
“I would not change a single thing. It’s a story fore the books.”
