Feeding fish with her dad was her favorite childhood memory. Years later, at that very spot, her boyfriend got down on one knee
A small tradition can turn into an important memory for a person. A woman also shared such a ritual with her dad as a child. They would go and get dinner at a particular spot and watch the staff feed the fish afterwards. It had become a core childhood memory for her as an adult. So when her boyfriend decided to propose at the same spot, it meant the world to the woman, per First Alert 7. The special proposal grabbed many people's attention in the community.
The couple, Shelby Pate and Jake Rydell, had been dating for over a year when the man decided it was time to propose. Shelby had actually hinted at the spot, Bass Pro Shops in Dallas, as the place where she would like to be proposed multiple times. "She had dropped multiple hints to me in regard to that she’s always wanted to be proposed to in front of the fish tank at Bass Pro Shop. I thought, well, ‘That’s easy. Check!'" the man pointed out. Jake was well aware of her love for the place and the memory she had shared with her dad at the huge aquarium there. So he spent months planning the perfect proposal. He found out that the place was less crowded on Saturday mornings and decided that was the perfect time to propose.
The couple went to the spot with their kids and although Jake was nervous, things went better than he had envisioned. "It worked out better than I had planned in my head. I was rehearsing on our way here, but then once the moment was right, I just took it and pulled her in and hit my knee." The moment was really special for Shelby, who drove with her dad from Houston to Dallas to eat at the place and watch the fish as a child. "For me, growing up, my dad raised me and he took me to Bass Pro Shop. We would drive all the way to Dallas to go and have dinner at Bass Pro Shop and then we could wait for them to feed the fish and watch that. So it was very special for me growing up and I’ve always been an outdoorsy girl."
The couple met each other for the first time at the Scooter's Coffee Drive-thru, according to the outlet. Shelby, who works as a teacher, noticed that one of her students was working at the drive-thru that day. She considered that a sign and asked the student to pass a note to the driver in the car behind her. "I felt that he needed to know that God loved him, so I asked for a sign and one of my students was at the drive-through, so I knew she had my back and I gave her a note and she passed it on." The person turned out to be Jake, who really needed the note at that time.
Shelby and Jake started talking on the phone after that and went on their first date a few months later. The couple is now set to be married in May 2026. The Bass Pro Shop commemorated the couple's special moment with a celebration basket. Shelby also started her wedding registry at the store. "I came in here yesterday to start a wedding registry and they were so supportive. The staff is so kind that I just hope they get the credit that they deserve because they are so nice."
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