Brett Bordonaro of Waterbury wanted to do something different when he proposed to his fiancé Alex Styles and decided the 2015 Plainville Balloon Festival was the place to do it.
The couple met four years ago online. It wasn’t until the second date, when Styles invited Bordonaro to a ZUMBA class, that they clicked.
“That was when I fell in love with him,” Bordonaro said. “He kind of showed off a little in class.”
When Bordonaro booked the private charter from CT Ballooning back in January, he just thought it would be a fun way for both of them to conquer their fear of heights.
“I knew it was something that would take both of us out of our element,” Bordonaro said.
Then he got a notification in May from the company, reminding him that his charter was during the annual festival. That was when he decided the festival would be the perfect time to propose. Bordonaro wanted to step outside his comfort zone, something he says Styles is always encouraging him to do.
“Neither myself nor Alex had been to a festival before – had no idea what it was like,” he said.
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The couple arrived at the festival just before 6 a.m. Saturday to board the balloon “Starburst” and soon took to the air, floating through the sunrise. Styles – who was nervous about flying in the balloon 400 feet from the ground – didn’t know what was coming even when Bordonaro got down on one knee.
“I think Alex was confused at first because the first thing he said to me was ‘hi…’” Bordonaro said.
“I was like ‘oh wow’ – I didn’t know how to really react because I was so surprised,” Styles said. “I actually grabbed the ring.”
Despite his shock, Styles had no doubts about saying yes.
The couple enjoyed the rest of the ride and celebrated with champagne when they returned to the ground.
“Overall it was an amazing experience from beginning to end ,” Bordonaro said. “It was something out of this world that we had never experienced.”
The couple plans to wed in the spring of 2017.
