Couple Goes Viral for Their Quiet Bookstore Proposal: ‘Could Not Have Imagined a Better Night’ (Exclusive)

A couple fittingly began the next chapter of their relationship at a bookstore.

For Luis, 29, and Alyona, 27, their favorite moments together are when they “can just sit and enjoy each other’s company.” With this in mind, Luis decided it would be best to propose in a “quiet and intimate” space where they could “feel safe to be [themselves] and truly enjoy the love of [their] special moment.” With Alyona being an avid reader, it was clear that a bookstore would be perfect.

“I wanted nothing more than to give Alyona the most perfect and beautiful moment I could possibly give her,” Luis exclusively tells PEOPLE.

Luis scoured Denver for bookstores with “character and charm.” Eventually, he stumbled upon a locally-owned shop in the heart of the city, Capital Hill Books. The owner happily agreed to help Luis pull off his surprise, and lended him the quaint space for a private after-hours proposal on Jan. 16.

Ahead of the big moment, Luis was admittedly “nervous and anxious” about what could go wrong, despite him thoughtfully planning every detail. He even brought a bouquet of roses and set up a small table with charcuterie and wine for just the two of them to enjoy. Overhead romantic string lights and candles on the bookshelves set the mood.

“The moment I saw her walk up to the bookstore though, all of those fears faded away,” Luis remembers. “I was reminded that all I really ever need is Alyona, and with her there now, the world more or less melted away.”

As captured on video, the clip of which recently went viral on both TikTok and Instagram, Luis proposed to Alyona on bended knee as she tearfully smiled before nodding. He presented her with a vintage-inspired, east-west oval diamond ring they custom-designed together with a local jeweler.

“[It was] a complete blur of emotion and tears,” Luis says. “I had thought about and practiced what I was going to say to her in those moments for months, but looking at her beautiful face begin to well up in emotion I must have only managed to say a fraction of what I had wanted to. I like to think that I could have said nothing at all, and Alyona would have still been able to understand the magnitude of my emotion.”

Alyona adds, “I was so overwhelmed with emotion, pretty much the second I walked in the door of the bookstore.”

Alyona explains to PEOPLE that Luis had left her a note beforehand on their kitchen counter with a little riddle about books, rings and eternity that asked her to “meet him in the city” at the bookstore at 6:15 p.m. sharp.

The call to action was a nod to one of their favorite songs, “Meet Me in the City” by Junior Kimbrough. Luis even rigged up their old kitchen boom box to play The Black Keys’ cover of the song while Alyona read the note. The song also softly played during the proposal.

“I got ready and was pretty much bouncing off the walls, waiting until it was time to head downtown,” Alyona recalls.

When Luis began his speech to Alyona in the back of the bookstore, she “instantly started crying.”

“I knew what was happening,” she says. “Luis said he thought about what he was going to say for months and had forgotten everything he had planned. He said, ‘You are quite literally my best friend, and I choose you today, tomorrow, and for the rest of my life.’ Then he got down on one knee, said my full name, and asked, ‘Will you marry me, sweetie?’ This is when I really started crying. I was crying so hard, I don’t think I actually said yes out loud, but I was shaking my head yes and immediately went to hug him and tell him I loved him.”

After getting engaged, Luis and Alyona were filled with “pure emotional adrenaline.” They debriefed over the special moment and all the shenanigans involved before taking photos with their favorite books.

“I was so giddy and over the moon happy with how perfect everything was and how special Luis made it,” Alyona says, with Luis adding, “Intoxicated by the smells of the old dusty books on the shelves and the dimly lit lights, I could not have imagined a better night.”

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The couple “immediately hit it off” when they met through mutual friends at a board game night in September 2022, not long after Luis moved to Denver from Texas during the pandemic. Luis was drawn to Alyona’s adventurous spirit while she admired his warmth and goofiness.

“It was as if she was put on this earth just for me,” Luis gushes, adding, “Knowing Alyona is the one for me is like knowing I need air to breath. I can not, and will not, imagine a life without her. We’ve lived a lot of life in the time that we’ve known each other and with that comes a lot of growth. We’ve grown together in a way that has intertwined us for a lifetime.”

He continues, “I love her like the roots of a tree love the soil they grow in. She’s my support, my life, my best friend. What a privilege it is to be able to be by her side to watch her succeed and thrive.”

Soon after Luis and Alyona started dating, it became “obvious” that they were perfect for each other, with them bringing out the best versions of one another. They made their relationship official on Valentine’s Day 2023, and every year since then Luis has asked Alyona to be his Valentine with flowers, balloons, and sweet treats.

“Luis has always proudly committed to showing me love and respect, advocating for me, pushing me to be the best version of myself, to pursue my passions, to making me laugh, ensuring I want for nothing, and he has always shown this through his words and actions,” Alyona says. “This repeated dedication to each other and our life together is how I knew Luis was the one. Luis is my best friend and life partner. I am so beyond thrilled to continue on this journey with him.”