Paradise Pizza proposal leads to engagement in Carlsbad

A longtime Carlsbad resident named Paul Carreon came up with a unique way to pop the question to his true love — in green pepper slices, on top of a pizza, amid black olives and pineapple.

On March 2, Carreon phoned Paradise Pizza, his favorite pizza place, where he and his girlfriend Maricela Ambriz often go for pepperoni-and-bacon pizza. Carreon spoke with Anand Patel, the manager at Paradise Pizza, who was in on the secret plan.


“The day of the proposal, I heard Paul call in,” bride-to-be Ambriz said later. “Little did I know, Anand was already in on this whole thing! He placed our order for our usual, pepperoni and breakfast bacon.”  

Carreon and Ambriz, both 31, picked up the boxed pizza and then, “We drove up to Armada Drive to watch the sunset overlooking the flower fields in Carlsbad,” said Ambriz.

Ambriz said she opened up the pizza box and saw “WILL YOU MARRY ME?” spelled out in bell pepper slices. “He then got down on one knee and presented me with a gorgeous ring…. I said YES! It was perfect.”

Carreon and Ambriz finished the day with a surprise engagement party at his Carreon's sister's home, where friends and family — and Anand Patel — were waiting. The couple expects to marry this fall.

“Since we've been together for almost five years, we decided there was no need for a long engagement and we were thinking September of this year would be perfect,” said Ambriz.