When Kornelius first saw Rachel sitting on the sidelines of the North Carolina State University pep rally in 2010, the basketball player was already smitten. So much so that he had one of his fellow players invite her onstage to participate in the silly football tossing contest.
A few days later, they bumped into each other again, and he found the courage to ask for her number. After a couple of years with sporadic dates here and there, each of them focused on their studies, they decided to officially begin dating in 2012.
Four years later, Kornelius knew it was time to pop the question to the love of his life. They both already knew they would end up tying the not, especially when he started jokingly referring to her as "Mrs. Bascombe," but his elaborate proposal finally sealed the deal.
The sneaky beau managed to keep everything a secret and capture the whole thing on film.
The rouse involved a photo shoot with the couple. Rachel had previously modeled for a friend, showing off her gorgeous locks for a blogger who goes by Ahfro Baang.
Kornelius had the photographer contact his lady with a fake pitch: one of a fellow photographer, Myron Rogan, needing a cute couple for a shoot. To make things really enticing, Rogan also promised $1,000 to each of them for participating.
Everything hinged on Rachel spinning around with a handful of rose petals, something they had her practice several times without her realizing it was all part of his plan.
It took him months of planning to pull off, but they arrived to the rooftop to pose in front of a helicopter in their fanciest duds.
In fact, Kornelius purchased a few options for the both of them to try out ahead of time to make sure they both looked their best.
Rogan provided a list of instructions for the pair, which he, of course, worked on with Kornelius.
They even made sure to have her get a manicure beforehand with beautiful red polish, claiming it was necessary for the close-up shots. She didn't realize those shots would also feature a shiny new diamond, though!
With her back turned and hands full of petals, Kornelius quietly perched himself on one knee with the ring on full display.
Rachel wrote about her reaction on How He Asked, saying that at this point, "I am literally in shock, I grab his hand because my legs start to feel like jello."
Kornelius was definitely just as emotional as he tells her all the reasons she makes his life better and how much he wants her to be a part of it for as long as they live.
Take a look below to see the moment he puts the ring on Rachel's hand and shouts "She said YES!" in pure joy.
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