A Very Merry Proposal: Downtown Tinley Shines In Couple's Big Night

TINLEY PARK, IL — The holiday lights in Tinley Park's Zabrocki Plaza weren't the only things twinkling Friday night—a diamond ring freshly slid onto a finger sparkled, too.

The couple—Josh Fonseca Jr., 27, and Lauren Paprock, 31—captured hearts on local social media, with a photo by a passerby capturing their marriage proposal lit by the glow of a giant ornament along Oak Park Avenue.

Fonseca Jr. knew he wanted to propose Friday night, but the weather wasn't cooperating. They had dinner reservations at Primal Cut Steakhouse, a place that's become a staple for their date nights. He had been hoping to pop the question in front of the Oak Park Avenue Metra Station's iconic clocktower, but a relentless drizzle made that less feasible.

"It was just raining way too hard," Fonseca Jr. said. "The whole way there I was thinking, 'How am I going to do this?'"

The Steger residents have been together nearly five years, having met through mutual friends on a night out in Schererville, Indiana. What started as a chatty meeting as new friends turned into an entire night together, with the pair talking until the early morning hours and following it up with breakfast. They've been inseparable since.

"She’s always been there for every decision I’ve ever made," Fonseca Jr. said. "We both got new jobs, started a home together. Everything we’ve had, we’ve earned it. We’ve made our way, by ourselves, and it’s been nonstop grinding. … We’ve always been headstrong. Everything’s been together."

Oak Park Avenue is special for them. Homewood native and Homewood-Flossmoor High School graduate Fonseca Jr. is a car and drag racing enthusiast, spending many evenings in downtown Tinley Park at the local cruise night—he's known for his 2002 Mustang and 1989 El Camino.

He first visited Primal Cut with his grandmother, but it's become a favorite for special family occasions and celebrations, he said.

"We always go to Primal Cut whenever we can," Fonseca Jr. said. "Everyone’s really friendly there, they always took good care of us. Food is always 10 out of 10. The area’s always been friendly, always been nice."

The two walked through the ornament before dinner, Fonseca Jr. scoping it out to make sure the rain wasn't dripping through. Once he realized the structure would keep them dry, he knew that's where it would happen.

The food was great as always Friday night, but his nerves were getting the better of him.

"I couldn’t even finish my food, I was so nervous," he joked.

As they ate, Paprocki nudged him, as she'd done playfully many times before.

"While we were at dinner, she looked at me dead in the eye and said, 'This would be a great place for you to propose to me,'" Fonseca Jr. said.

He had other plans.

As he positioned his phone to capture what he told Paprocki would be a brief photoshoot, she insisted on time to fix her hair. When the camera was just right and he knew both were in the frame, he dropped to one knee.

"I was surprised, I wasn’t really expecting it," Paprocki said. "He kept positioning me, I thought we were just taking pictures."

It played out exactly as Fonseca Jr. had hoped.

"It worked out so perfect," he said.

On Christmas Eve, the pair reflected on their relationship and each other.

"He was just the sweetest, and what attracted to me were his baby blue eyes and his smile," Paprocki said. "We started off as just friends but over time it blossomed into something so much more. I am grateful for everything he does for me by giving me the best life possible. Can't wait t be married o him and have the rest of our forever together."

Fonseca Jr. said he's happy to have her by his side.

"She’s always been by my side," he said. "... even with drag racing, she’s always been there—she’s always my 'co-pilot.'"

Paprocki said she loves their life together—even his cars.

"He treats me so good, like the queen I deserve to be like he’s said since Day 1," she said. "He puts up with a lot of my baloney. ... I deal with his 'crazy,' especially when it comes to his cars."

(And the rain let up, and they still got their photo with the clocktower backdrop.)