An Orchid Show Engagement

Posted in The Orchid Show on March 28 2012, by Matt Newman

Every now and again an event comes along during an exhibition like the Orchid Show that eclipses the beauty of the flowers themselves. It’s a statement you might find a bit on the mushy side, but I think you’ll agree that it’s apt. Because when Qu and Wahnzen stepped into the Conservatory a few weeks ago, one of the pair knew very little of the fairytale moment unfolding.

Qu had spent months meticulously planning out his proposal, ever since he got word that his college sweetheart would be in New York for her birthday. “We met while studying at Oxford,” he says. One a philosophy major and the other a chemist in training, their divergent paths might well have left them strangers if not for a serendipitous thread of connection: “We were both members of the Varsity Ballroom Dance team.”

After graduation, Qu would travel to NYU here in the city to earn his Ph.D in philosophy, while Wahnzen settled a world away, working as a chemist in Singapore. It wasn’t until she landed in New York a few weeks ago that everything tumbled into place.

“I decided to propose at the Orchid Show because Wahnzen’s favorite flower is the orchid,” Qu says. “I had been planning the proposal for a few months–ever since I heard about the show!”

Qu had known about the exhibition since December–that a Conservatory full of his girlfriend’s favorite flowers would be on display just as they celebrated her birthday in the city. It was too perfect an occasion. The groom-to-be came up to The New York Botanical Garden a week before Wahnzen’s arrival to rehearse every motion, walking through the Azalea Garden to the Conservatory before entering the Orchid Show. There he would guide Wahnzen under the the arch between the two glasshouses as Ingrid Michaelson’s “You and I” played overhead–a song they both used to dance to in college. He planned each and every step, right down to the way in which he would spin onto one knee.

If you’re wondering if Qu’s daring paid off, I suppose it’s easier to show you:

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