Clint Eaton brings down the house with a sapphire inspired on-stage engagement proposal that Danielle Cardozo will not soon forget

Engagement Story

Apr. 22

Clint Eaton and Danielle Cardozo are two very independent individuals. Danielle owns Brook PR (among other accomplishments); Clint owns his family’s 42-year-old business, Cranbrook Flooring Ltd. Despite both being business owners, they have always found time to make their relationship a priority. Their unique love and busy lives together teach them a new lesson every day. Their personalities are different but combine beautifully to create their story.

“It really is a story of becoming good friends and then falling in love,” said Danielle. The couple met in 2014 through mutual friends. They spent the summer relaxing with the group, and getting to know each other as friends. At the end of the summer the group planned a heli-camping trip—this was when their friendship became a love story. “It was on that trip that I really appreciated the values he carried with him,” Danielle said. “We started dating shortly afterwards.”

“It's hard for me to describe the relationship we have,” said Danielle. Between their businesses, and Danielle’s three children, it’s difficult to find balance. “There can be a lot of pressure and stress from our professional lives and busy schedule, yet it never enters our relationship,” she said. “We both recognize that we each have responsibilities, and we support one another unconditionally.”

Finding balance in the chaos, Danielle and Clint have always made fun a priority. The type of fun constantly changes: “Whether it’s a barbecue in the backyard with friends or a quick weekend in Vancouver for oysters,” said Danielle. They share a love for good food, which Danielle said is “non-negotiable” in her life. It’s the little things—like focusing on fun—that prove the effort Clint and Danielle both pour into their relationship.

All fun aside, Danielle appreciates the love Clint shows her family. “Most importantly, he has become the most amazing parent to my three children,” Danielle said. “I cannot begin to explain how amazing his relationship is with them. It's redefined my belief of what blending a family means.” Clint’s love and support mean the world to Danielle and her children. “He is exactly what we needed, with or without a ring and a piece of paper.”

Does anyone need a Kleenex yet? Clint and Danielle’s love story keeps getting better, especially when we get to the part where Clint pops the question.

Learning patience is a virtue

Danielle eagerly admits that she is not a patient person. “Indecision, lineups, delays, inefficiencies—they all drive me nuts!” After realizing that Clint was the perfect person for her, her decisive impatience was challenged.

“Our engagement story is a lesson in learning patience,” said Danielle. The couple had talked about marriage for a long time. They knew that they had found their match soon after their love story began. “However, as life often does, it had a lesson to teach.” For reasons out of their control, the couple was forced to wait longer than they had hoped before it was time to be married.

“Looking back, I am so glad we had to wait,” said Danielle. “It was being made to wait that made me realize that our solid relationship was the end goal, and not the piece of paper.”

Clint and Danielle happen to be friends with Heather and Brian at Jewels on Ninth. When the Masich’s needed new flooring they like to shop local so called on the experts at Cranbrook Flooring to do the job. It didn’t take long before the topic of engagement rings entered the picture.

”Heather and I must be really good at dropping hints” joked Danielle, “because before long I was designing my engagement ring with Jewels on Ninth.”

Although Danielle helped design her ring, she was not allowed to see the final product—her lessons in patience continued. A couple months had passed before Clint planned a weekend in Vancouver to visit the friend who had introduced them three years ago. He told Danielle he was going to take her to a few of her favourite restaurants and a concert. “I knew that was going to be the weekend her proposed,” she said.

How he proposed, however, was a surprise.

A bit of background about Clint: he is not a public person. “We are polar opposites in that way,” Danielle said. “I thought for sure he would pick a quiet moment in the weekend.” Danielle assumed that even Clint popping the question at a restaurant was too public for him.

A restaurant proposal was unlikely, but for reasons different than Danielle had assumed.

“When I heard Clint’s voice boom over the mic on stage at the Tea Party concert in Vancouver in front of a massive crowd—I just about died! I don’t remember the crowd sending me up on stage,” she said. “I was in shock!” Clint had successfully shocked Danielle with a proposal that definitely aligned with her outgoing personality. “There he was,” she said. “The most amazing man in the world, with the most beautiful ring I have ever seen, asking me to marry him in front of a thousand people.”

The couple is planning a small backyard ceremony after Clint’s grand proposal. Their lessons in patience over the years have taught the couple that their loving relationship is what matters, not an elaborate wedding. “It’s not about getting married,” said Danielle. “We just want to be married.”

Danielle Cardozo's stunning sapphire engagement ring

Clint and Danielle designed the perfect engagement ring with the help of Heather and Brian. Diamond baguettes frame a dark blue sapphire. “I have always loved sapphires, and liked the idea of having something different than the usual diamond engagement ring,” said Danielle. “I wanted something that would stand out to me, and remind me daily of the partnership we have. A partnership that runs as deep as the blue in this sapphire.”