It has literal layers of meaning.
Alex Patterson wanted to orchestrate a meaningful proposal for his boyfriend of two years, Benjamin Mize.
He pondered a YouTube-worthy choreographed dance, but when he read a suggestion about pairing a proposal with another event, the lightbulb went on.
"September 21 is Ben's birthday, so I decided to do a surprise birthday party for him, but I didn't tell everyone coming it would also be a surprise engagement and party," Patterson told BuzzFeed Life.
Patterson invited their loved ones to Southland Perk, a Lexington, Kentucky, coffee house Mize's uncle owns and that the two of them helped renovate.
Nicole Nolan
Patterson popped the question after successfully surprising Mize and their guests with this pièce de résistance on Sept. 19.
The three-tiered, book- and board game-themed cake features all of their interests. Mary Catherine Reneer, a wife of one of Patterson's medical school classmates who owns Creative Cakes by Catherine, whipped up the confection.
Mary Catherine Reneer / Via imgur.com
Every element tells a story about Mize and Patterson as individuals, and as a couple.
"We’re both literary minded," Patterson said. "We’ve also developed a shared interest in board games, so I thought about the books and games that are most important to us."
Harry Potter is a favorite of theirs, and Patterson picked the sixth installment because it has a chapter called "The Unbreakable Vow." It’s also Mize’s favorite book from the series.
The Iliad and The Odyssey are nods to Mize's job as a Latin teacher. "They're one of the first books he lent to me," Patterson elaborated.
Pandemic is a cooperative board game in which players work together to save the world from disease — which is fitting, given Patterson's future as a doctor.
Mary Catherine Reneer / Via imgur.com
Patterson also incorporated "Amare," the Latin word for love, and a wooden stake as a nod to Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
"We both like The Office, which is why I included the Dunder Mifflin logo, but Ben really likes Buffy," Patterson told BuzzFeed Life. "He introduced me to the show and watching it together has been a big part of our relationship."
Mary Catherine Reneer / Via imgur.com