PUT A RING ON IT: Makho & Danielle Prove That Opposites Attract

At #TeamBeautiful, we love nothing more than a beautiful love story, which is why we want to take some time each week to highlight beautiful couples. “Put A Ring On It” allows you and your fiancé to share your story of love with us. How did he pop the question? How’d you feel? How about the ring? Tell us your story at: hbgotthering@gmail.com. 

This week, Makho Ndlovu and Carl Hlazo dish on their love story.

How We Met: Makho’s Story 

I was born in Zimbabwe and came to the United States at the age of ten. Having lived a majority of my adult life in America, I just always assumed that I would end up marrying someone from the USA. In my naive mind, I thought that an African, particularly a Zimbabwean dude, couldn’t possibly begin to understand me. Boy, was I wrong!

Our story began in 2005 when we met at a mutual friend’s house in Indianapolis, IN. At the time, I was living with my Mom and younger siblings post-college, trying to figure out what I wanted to do for a living. One of my closest friends invited me over to his house and he casually mentioned that he had friends over from out of town. I drove over there and warmly greeted the guests and tried to make them feel welcome. While I was friendly to everyone, this one particular guy stood out to me. He was in a separate room watching of all things, a gospel TV concert, and I was intrigued. I eventually found out that his name was Carl and he left a permanent impression on my mind.

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At first, I thought he was a triple threat. He was really handsome and shy, but something was just screaming out that he was also a lot of fun, all at the same time. As I mentioned before, when I met Carl he was listening to gospel music and pretending to be innocent, but I could see through all of that. There was something special about him that drew me in and I was immediately fascinated. Over the years, we remained in touch and our friendly relationship gradually blossomed into a blissful romance.

Early one Sunday morning in December, he asked to take me out to dinner at a Brooklyn neighborhood eatery and I happily obliged. We went to a restaurant close to the Williamsburg Pier, an area that provides residents with breathtaking views of New York City. After dinner we walked a few feet over to the waterfront and, as we gazed at the gorgeous city lights, he started rambling about our future. I could hardly concentrate because I was so cold. In my haste to get out of the freezing temperature, I almost missed his romantic moment and his proposal! When I realized what was going on, I shrieked in excitement and, of course, I said YES.

It was so sweet!

UP NEXT: Get His Side Of The Story And See The Ring! 

How We Met: Carl’s Story

I was visiting Indianapolis from my home base in Dallas for a soccer tournament. I was staying over at a friend’s house for the weekend and it was your typical guy trip: lots of laughs and jokes on the agenda and, to be honest with you, romance was the last thing on my mind. I had been in a few serious relationships in my life and had never been the type of guy that dated casually. Let’s just say, I wasn’t actively looking for someone, but I wasn’t adverse to the idea. After a grueling 12-hour journey, my focus in Indianapolis was to enjoy kicking it with the fellas and participate in an intense game of soccer. That was the only thing on my mind.

Makho stormed into my life like a Texas tornado. She walked into the house and made her presence known. Let me be clear, she was the exact opposite of me. Even though she was very assertive and opinionated, she was also very relatable. What an interesting juxtaposition, huh? Here she was, with her high energy, high voltage persona and beauty queen looks, and I’m thinking to myself “Oh my God, what a firecracker.” Needless to say, looking back now, I had absolutely no clue we would forge such a life-changing relationship that would have me leave my life in Dallas and follow her to New York. You just never know what the future has in store for you. I haven’t looked back since!

I purchased the ring way before I knew when and where I would pop the question. While thinking through the proposal, I had several ideas. I figured that I would carry the ring with me until I decided where I would pop the question. The ring was in our house for almost a week, probably just inches away from her at times. How it finally played out on Dec. 9, 2013 on the Williamsburg Pier was very organic. It felt like the right time to do it. I fumbled my way through it — I almost put the ring on the right finger instead of  the left — but the delivery wasn’t my focus. What mattered the most was the essence of what I was doing. I’m happy to say she loved it! Our love was never planned, so it made perfect sense that our proposal wasn’t some mechanical affair either. It was perfect just for us.

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