A Marriage Proposal Under the Electric Sky

There are no official stats on how many Headliners have found their significant others through dance music, but I’m pretty sure the numbers are staggering. I met my wife of 12 years at an underground and have since shared countless moments making memories as a result of our mutual love for syncopated beats and all the late-night shenanigans that go along with that.

“We got matching EDC owls after we got married. It represents what the festival means to us, what we mean to each other, and how we met through music.”

Being a raver often seems like a lifelong commitment, so it only makes sense that the search for your lifelong partner starts on the dancefloor. Where else are you going to find that special kind of person who not only gets it, but also appreciates that feeling of euphoria that washes over you when your favorite DJ is crushing it? Or the person who is more than willing to dive head-first down the rabbit hole with you for three days of nonstop partying in Las Vegas? When you find said partner, you grab ‘em and don’t let go.

Meet Dan and MacKenzie. Call it destiny, fate, kismet, or coincidence—these two crossed paths while Dan was promoting and DJing in Regina, Canada. When he was ready to take their relationship to the next level, he could think of no better place to do it than Under the Electric Sky.

Here’s their story, as told by Dan:

How did you get the news that you were going to EDC?
It was Christmas. I’ve always talked about going to EDC, because it’s one of the biggest and best festivals on the planet. Come Christmas, my wife surprised me with EDC tickets. I opened them on Christmas and pretty much fell over and died. I was actually looking for an opportunity to propose to her. And right when I got those tickets, I knew that was it.

Can you tell me a little bit about the proposal?
The whole time I was on the plane, I didn’t know what I was going to do with the ring. How was I going to hide it from her the whole time? So, I got a necklace and put the ring around my neck. We were in Vegas for three days before, so I wore the ring around my neck for three days until finally the first day of the festival. As I was sitting on the bus on our way there, I was so quiet. I was sweating bullets, and I was kind of scared a bit. Proposing is a really big step in somebody’s life. She kept asking me, “What’s wrong with you? How come you’re so quiet? You should be excited!” I told her, “I am really excited; I’m just tired.” I just kept making these excuses.

“We got matching EDC owls after we got married. It represents what the festival means to us, what we mean to each other, and how we met through music.”

We get there, and I walk in, and I was so nervous. I was waiting for the perfect opportunity to do it, and she just looked so happy. The second she walked in, her face lit up. I figured this was the best time to do it; we were standing right at kineticFIELD, at the entrance. I got on my knee, and she turned around, and she sees me and [screams], “What are you doing?!” I kind of looked at her and gave her the ring. There were so many people around, and I felt a little weird and awkward, so I got up really fast and mumbled the words. I was kind of a blubbering mess and a little bit teary and crying.

I finally got the words out, and the second I asked her the question, a couple behind her tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around, and they asked her, “Hey, can you take our picture?” Right in the middle of our proposal, this happens, and I’m still waiting for the answer. [She] turns around again after taking the picture and started getting blubbery faced and said yes, and it was the best feeling in the world. I mean, [I] get to marry my best friend!

That’s so beautiful. Did you guys meet through dance music to begin with?
Yeah, we did. I used to throw a lot of events in my hometown, Regina. She used to come out with her friend. The very first time I met her was at a Tritonal show, at a club called Pure. I was actually trying to pick up her best friend, inviting her friend to hang out, but I could tell her friend wasn’t too into me. So, we were all dancing, and when Rihanna “We Found Love” comes on, MacKenzie taps me on the shoulder and pulled me in to dance with her. That’s how we first met… that night I gave her a goodbye kiss.

What does EDC mean to you with this incredible moment attached to it?
It almost feels like it’s a part of us now. It’s now not just a place to go to; it’s something we must do, now that we have this personal connection with it. EDC Vegas is where our forever love blossomed [laughs]. It’s really hard to explain. It’s like home for us now.

You have matching owl tattoos, yes?
Yes, we got matching EDC owls after we got married. It represents what the festival means to us, what we mean to each other, and how we met through music.

After you proposed, did it become a topic of conversation with the people you met?
Oh yeah, all the time. People would ask what brought us to EDC, and we got to retell the story. It was great.

Do you think you’ll renew your vows at EDC?
We might, actually. We are going again this year. She brought it up and said she wanted to do an EDC wedding. So, it’s possible.