In a rambling love treatise posted to Instagram, Ace of Cakes star Duff Goldman explained to his 197,000 followers on Monday why he proposed to girlfriend Johnna Colbry with a ring made from butcher’s twine.
It turns out the 43-year-old chef can be a bit impulsive, so when the idea of popping the question to long-time girlfriend Johnna Colbry, 24, came to him like “a mule kick to the heart” on Sunday, he had to get it done right away. With no time to purchase a “real” ring, he used what he had on hand.
“I woke up yesterday and it felt like any other day,” Goldman wrote on Instagram. “Sun was shining, birds was chirping. I made some coffee, ate a little breakfast, and got in the shower. I was shaving my head when like a mule kick to the heart I realized that I am absolutely in love with Johnna (@letushear) and I can’t imagine living another day without her in my life. She is kind, funny, smart, beautiful, cool, wise, and sexy. She’s a tempest of feeling.”
“I didn’t plan this out,” he continued. “It just happened and it was so glaringly obvious that I couldn’t have stopped it if I wanted to. I asked her to marry me. She said yes. I cannot imagine a state of happiness that is more intense than whatever I’m feeling right now. My heart just might burst.”
He then explained why he decided to use professional butcher’s twine — the same material used for trussing turkeys and tying up stuffed chicken breasts — as a symbol of his devotion.
“I’m sorry I didn’t have a real ring,” wrote the Food Network star. “I hope you don’t mind butcher’s twine. I am a chef, after all.”
Colbry shared Goldman’s photo of the couple holding hands on her own Instagram page and added this comment: “Officially my ride or die. My forever muffin. My buffalo. I’m so crazy about you @duffgoldman and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life going on adventures with you!”
On Tuesday, Goldman told People magazine how he was overcome with emotion while shaving his head in the shower on Sunday.
“It was just like, ‘Boom! You’re incredibly in love with this girl, you need to marry her.’” he told People. “I almost called her from the shower—I think it was a good idea that I didn’t though.”
Instead, he decided to propose later that day while celebrating Easter Sunday with Colbry and her family. He even asked for her mom’s blessing.
Goldman’s last-minute decision to use butcher’s twine as a ring is not a great leap from the material that was used as a marriage symbol thousands of years ago. Papyrus scrolls dating back 6,000 years are evidence of the exchange of braided rings of hemp or reeds between spouses. Ancient Egyptians considered the circle to be a symbol of eternity, and the ring signified the perpetual love of the spouses.
We’re guessing Colbry and Goldman will be upgrading her twine ring in the near future.
Credits: Images via Instagram/Duff Goldman, Instagram/Johnna Colbry.