When St. Croix residents Shawna Powell and Vinny Promuto arrived at Flamboyan Resort for a weeklong getaway in mid-April, they were boyfriend and girlfriend. Before the duo left island, they were newly engaged. 

Fortunately, in honor of that special “pop-the-question” moment, Mother Nature provided a breathtaking sunset by the pool deck overlooking Magens Bay. Best of all, Jamie Walthall, Restaurant Manager of RooT 42 Bar & Grill took terrific photos of the touching surprise.

How did it all get choreographed so perfectly? Behind the scenes (Mother Nature aside) Vinny had prearranged the photo shoot with Jamie. In addition to reserving a special  for the couple, Jamie suggested that Vinny invite Shawna to get up from the table and walk over by the railing “… to take a closer look at the sunset.”

“When Vinny said those words to Shawna, that was my cue to get close by with the camera,” said Jamie. 

In addition to capturing the moment when Vinny went down on one knee and slipped the ring on Shawna’s finger, Jamie took a number of amazingly beautiful pictures. 

Adding to the overall joy of the evening, bartender Brian Cavaliere also shot a video of the entire event for the couple. 

 How romantic!

By the way, Vinny is a bartender at Sand Castle on the Beach in Frederiksted; Shawna is a dental hygienist at Dental 360 in Gallows Bay. If you happen to see them next time you’re on St. Croix, let them know you read about their romantic evening in the Coconut Post.