Amber and Michael Snyder sealed their love over a Maine whoopie pie.
Additional Photos
Last year, both of them were in the U.S. Coast Guard.
Michael says Amber “loves her sweets. She’s a confectionery enthusiast.”
Amber especially loves whoopie pies, so when Michael decided to ask Amber to marry him, it seemed like a natural thing to incorporate into the proposal.
“There was actually a specific incident where we went out to dinner one night in the Old Port, and we went to one of the coffee shops down there that had whoopie pies,” Michael recalled. “And she didn’t like how big of a bite I took. That kind of stuck with me.
“And then, a couple of weeks later, I saw Cranberry Island Kitchen on the Food Network with Bobby Flay and the whole deal. That’s when it just hit me.”
Michael called Carol Ford and Karen Haase, the owners of Cranberry Island Kitchen, and asked if it would be OK to propose to Amber there. He says they were “super helpful.”
On Jan. 22, Amber’s birthday, Michael dropped off the engagement ring at the Cranberry Island Kitchen store at 52 Danforth St. in Portland. Ford and Haase tucked the ring into the filling of a classic chocolate whoopie pie and hid it in the refrigerator.
Later that day, Michael took Amber to Cranberry Island Kitchen. He told her he had ordered a whoopie pie cake for her birthday, and they were going to pick it up. Amber didn’t know that four of their friends were already in the store, waiting for the big surprise.
As the couple looked around, Amber started angling for some free samples.
“Karen kept looking at me, waiting for the signal,” Michael said, “so when Amber wasn’t paying attention, I told her, and she grabbed the plate and Amber turned around and there it was.
“I was, like, ‘Hey why don’t you try this one?’ “
Amber said yes to the proposal. If she had not said yes, Michael notes, “I would have emotionally eaten myself happy again.”
That night, Amber and Michael celebrated their engagement with a couple of dozen friends.
The couple now lives outside of Philadelphia. Michael is still in the Coast Guard; Amber is now a full-time student. They got married a month ago, on Jan. 10.
Pennsylvania claims that the whoopie pie originated there, not in Maine, but Michael and Amber aren’t so sure.
“We’ve seen whoopie pies here,” Michael said, “but nothing like what’s up at Cranberry Island Kitchen.”
Copy the Story Link
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.