Hair and makeup artist Jen Martens and her partner of seven years, Amanda Avila, had an ongoing bit. “When we’d go to places that are special to us, we’d make a little joke: ‘If I had a ring, I’d totally be proposing right now,’ ” Martens shares.
Her actual proposal in September 2023 wasn’t that spontaneous, but it came close. When photographer Christina Frary of Matthew David Studio asked Martens if she and Avila were open to modeling for a styled wedding photo shoot with her and fellow shooter Louis Willard Photo, Martens realized it’d be the perfect scenario to pop the question. The only problem? She had one week to put it together.
Martens overnighted a stand-in ring from jeweler Local Eclectic. Next, she called her tattoo artist, Cody Cowan of Iron Palm Tattoo Parlour in Palm Springs. “I wanted to get my ankles tattooed with, ‘Will you marry me?’ ” Martens says. “Miraculously, [Cowan] had an opening. Then I had to act like it was no big deal that I was wearing socks around the house every minute of every day.”
Aliva said yes — and soon plans to tattoo the word on her wrist.
THREE TIPS FOR THE PERFECT PROPOSAL
Phone a friend.
After years in the industry, Martens had a cadre of pros in her Rolodex to help her pull off her plan. Whether you hire experts or tap a few pals, it’s important to call in help to translate your vision into reality and provide pre-proposal pep talks to stave off nerves.
Distract, distract, distract.
Ahead of the big day, Martens says she was terrified of accidentally spilling the beans to Avila. To deflect, Martens took Avila car shopping. It helps to schedule fun or time-consuming activities to deflect attention from any brewing surprises.
Go with the flow.
“As much as you think you’re gonna say all the right things, there [will be] hiccups,” Martens says. Her proposal involved a last-minute location change, adding to the challenge of a quick timeline. Roll with the punches, and don’t worry about preparing a speech. “Just say what feels right at the time,” Martens advises.
