Love is in the air, and congratulations are in order. Award-winning actress, author, board certified life coach, and TV dating expert Brooke Lewis is engaged. Her fiancé pulled out all the stops to execute a one-of-a-kind “Old Hollywood Movie” theme proposal, and, well, it’s giving us all the feels.
Brooke spoke to us about the magical day:
“Since I have always been a “Ms. Picky Pants” about my plans, hair and men, it is no wonder it took me all these years to find “The One”! But, holding out for my true soul mate and best friend proved to be worth the wait, as I received the best night and birthday of a lifetime…the real “old” Hollywood tale I had grown up dreaming about, while watching movies with my idols, Elizabeth Taylor and Mae West!
Although a hopeful romantic, who watched too many movies, I never thought about marriage. I was a committed career gal who loved being an actress more than anything in the world! I met my fiancé, Mark, almost two years ago, while I was working as a Dating Expert and he was getting back into the dating world, after a very messy divorce. We have shared the most incredible and romantic life experiences and have been through some very challenging times together… and, this is how I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this man who is my true “leading man” and “hero”.
Mark knows me better than anyone, and, also knows I am like a control freak detective, who cannot be surprised! But, he did it! He pulled off my very own “Old Hollywood Movie Proposal”…the kind I had always dreamed of or seen in black and white! His saving grace in me figuring it out was that it was my birthday, so I truly was not expecting it! He said because we had been through a lot this year, he wanted to create an extra special birthday for me.
He started the afternoon by taking me to my favorite salon, Glamourax, to get my makeup done and told us we would be on the water, so maybe use some waterproof makeup. I got this vision in my mind that we were having dinner on a yacht in the Marina [laughs]. Fortunately, he pays attention and was smart enough to know that on the hottest day of the year in Hollywood (Yes, as luck would have it, it was 106 degrees and my hair sure does FRIZZ!!!), I would sweat my makeup off! At 4PM, I was about to go to the car, when the most exquisite 1940s Cadillac limousine pulled up to our home! It was like a scene out of Sunset Boulevard. We entered the car and the driver popped the bottle of bubbly, as Mark made a birthday toast and handed me a gift to unwrap. He knows that I grew up performing in musical theatre and one of my favorite things to do is see a Broadway show at the historical Pantages Theater. He knew that I had been dying to see the ever popular, Hamilton, and I opened my gift to a pair of orchestra seats. He, then, told me we had dinner reservations, but wanted to take me for a romantic drive first. He knows that ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed of seeing the Hollywood sign (never did I imagine I could see it from our home, like we do!), and he knows how much I love the nostalgia of the sign and the energy of old Hollywood. Our driver took us on the scenic route toward the sign, but detoured and we ended up at the fabulous Griffith Observatory, which has been preserved forever in Hollywood history, in films like Rebel Without a Cause and La La Land! We exited the car and Mark took my hand and led me to the “James Dean” section with the greatest view of the Hollywood sign. At this point, it was 108 degrees, we were dripping in sweat, I was a total “Hot Mess” and told Mark I was going to take one photo, then I was ready to go. As I turned around, he was on one knee, PROPOSING!!! It was right out of that movie again! The rest is such a blur, as I looked up to see one of my favorite red carpet photographers, Greg Doherty, shooting photos of our engagement. Talk about feeling like a true movie Star!!! Greg took us for a romantic photo shoot around the Observatory, as I cried tears of joy!
Mark got us back into the limo and on to our dinner reservation at one of my favorite “old school” New York stomps, RAO’S! He reserved our favorite “Tony Soprano” table, as my dream as an actress, is to play a role like Carmela Soprano one day! And, totally unplanned, one of my favorite Frank Sinatra songs, that has been one of my lifelong theme songs, “My Way”, was playing as we sat down in our booth… talk about “engagement serendipity”! After dinner, we headed to the majestic Pantages Theater to see Hamilton, which will go down in Broadway history! We headed home for one last champagne toast.”
See photos from the proposal below and have some tissues ready!
Photo Credit: Greg Doherty/Getty Images
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