Rey proposed to Kylo Ren at Star Wars Celebration Chicago
I met Reylo at the Star Wars event and didn't even know it.
The Kylo Ren/Rey romance became a cosplay reality at Star Wars Celebration Chicago last weekend.
Rey basically said "hell no" to the prospect of romance with Kylo Ren at the end of The Last Jedi (and actress Daisy Ridley reinforced that), but I ran into a couple that made it a reality at Star Wars Celebration Chicago.
Walking to the convention last Thursday, I chatted with a lovely Swedish pair, Liv and Robert. Our paths crossed again on the show floor, but I didn't see them again all weekend.
Turned out they had an experience that transcended The Rise of Skywalker revelations, The Mandalorian footage or the glimpse at The Clone Wars season 7.
This pair, who met online and have been together three years, made Reylo a reality at the convention's Ahch-To photo display. Dressed as Rey and Kylo, they re-created an intimate moment by touching hands while cosplayer Phil portrayed Luke Skywalker.
Then they diverged from the movie's events as Liv made a "prop request," which turned out to be a tiny box. When Robert opened it, he found a pair of rings and a note saying, "Robert, I love you, will you marry me?"
"I didn't understand, and was super confused, because I'd never think she'd be the one to pop the question," he told me via Facebook Messenger days later.
"But when it clicked, I yelled out 'Whaat?!?!' and my head went into hyperdrive."
Turns out Liv quietly enlisted Phil and his wife Lorraine -- both members of the Saber Guild Endor charity cosplay group -- to help with her plot. She carried the rings with her each day, thinking of scenarios where she could pop the question, until she came across the Ahch-To display being run by Phil.
"Handing over the rings an hour before the proposal was meant to take place, my knees were jelly and my heartbeat was beating a frantic, erratic rendition of the Cantina Theme," she said.
"Somehow I pulled this thing off without Robert suspecting a thing ... and it's all completely crazy to think about, but yeah, with a little help from friends, Reylo is canon now. The Force willed it so!"
And what's engraved on the rings? "I love you" and "I know," appropriately enough.
