Going to Disneyland on Valentine’s Day, I was expecting to see thousands of clichéd marriage proposals. You know the kind, where the guy and the girl are standing in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle, the guy gets down on one knee, pulls out a velvet ring box from some pocket in which he’s had it mysteriously hidden from the girl the whole day, the girl gasps and puts her hand over her heart, and the photographer conveniently shows up out of nowhere and gets the whole thing on film.

Surprisingly, I only saw one. And it was nowhere near the castle.

Because it was Valentine’s Day, the princes were with their princesses for meet and greets. I was waiting in line for the second time, hoping to meet the ones I didn’t get before. We were about two hours into the line when I looked up to see a man in his mid-thirties causing a ruckus in front of Snow White and Ferdinand.

“Ladies and Gentlemen,” he told the crowd, “out of all the princesses in the land, I have found my one true love.” He gestured to his girlfriend, who gave him a look that seemed to say “shut up you idiot, everyone is staring at you!” Unbeknownst to her, he pulled out a little red ring box. Snow White was the first to see, and it was then that I knew what was happening. Her face seemed to register a mix of happiness, shock, and disbelief that she was lucky enough to be witnessing what was about to happen. The man got down on one knee, held out the box, and popped the question.

His girlfriend wasn’t the one to gasp and put her hand over her heart, but rather, it was Snow White, as tears started forming in her eyes. Tears were forming in the girlfriends’ eyes too, as a murmur of “awwws” went up in the crowd. She walked forward and he slid the ring on her finger as a loud cheer erupted from everyone standing in line. Snow White, happier than the now engaged couple and everyone watching combined, took them and Ferdinand in a huge hug as the photographer stood by, snapping pictures. It was a truly magical moment, and it touched the hearts of everyone in ear shot. Even the little four year old wearing the Cinderella costume in front of me, too young to understand what was going on, was cheering and jumping up and down. That’s what Disneyland magic is all about, and I hope that couple gets their happily ever after.

Later that evening, my dad and I stopped at Carl’s Jr. to get some snacks for the drive home. As we were leaving, the same couple who got engaged hours earlier was coming in, celebrating their new engagement with a dinner consisting of hamburgers and curly fries.

I guess everyone celebrates their engagements in different ways...