There is one great question that does not appear on StoryCorps Great Question list: ”Will you marry me?” I’ve twice witnessed the excitement of two people deciding to spend the rest of their lives together and it always inspires. It makes you want to run out of the StoryBooth and fall in love.

Joel Weber first came to the Booth to interview his brother. After their conversation he told me he wanted to propose to his girlfriend Laurel Pinson and asked if I could help him out. I told him that we’d do our part to provide the romantic ambiance – the warm wood paneling, the soft lighting – but that he’d  have to be the one to pop the question. For those who have never been to the StoryBooth in Foley Square, you are missing out on one of the most intimate getaways in Manhattan. Bring your dates… I mean, book your appointments there now!

The day of the interview I felt honored to be in on Joel’s secret. I’m sure he was nervous, but so was I. This was one of the biggest days of his life, I didn’t want to blow it for him. But Joel was smooth. He led in with questions about how they met as interns; each instantly recognized the other was “hot” and the relationship blossomed from there. They didn’t rush; months passed before they first kissed in this self proclaimed “Victorian courtship.” During one summer, Joel and Laurel had a standing date on Mondays at Bryant Park for movie night. It was there that the romance began.

A couple of years later, here they are in the StoryBooth ready to commit. Or at least Joel hopes so…

About thirty minutes into the interview Joel interrupted Laurel in mid-sentence and asked “Do you love me?” Laurel said yes. Joel slid down onto one knee and posed the question that could potentially change the course of their lives: “Will you marry me?” The moments that followed – the joy, laughter, and tears as the ring was slipped onto Laurel’s  finger – all but sealed their fate. They marveled at the new symbol of their love. The ring was a family heirloom passed down by Joel’s grandmother from a marriage in which love had endured.

Laurel put the expectation best, ”I think I’m really excited to be with you…forever.” They laughed under the weight of their new lifelong commitment.

Joel was confident, “Wherever we go, I just want to be with you. “