Romantic Flight of Fancy: Comic-Con Was Scene of Her Marriage Proposal

When Elizabeth Baer’s boyfriend of 10 years asked her to marry him in the parking lot of the Comic-Con convention last year, it was truly the last thing she expected.

She and high school sweetheart Christopher Mitchem had gone to the event in full costume―he as Naruto Uzumaki, she as a witch―and they decided to go out to the car to change. When she asked for help taking off her shoes, Mitchem stayed kneeling long after the job was done.

“My first words to him were, ‘Are you serious?’ ” said Baer, a former ballet dancer who manages a Capezio and sometimes fills in at the Grossmont Center location.

No hysterics or successive phone calls followed because Baer didn’t want to jinx anything. In fact, she says they went back into the convention moments later and stayed until 10 p.m.

“I even waited two days to tell my parents,” said the North County resident. “It took my mom about a week to get adjusted to it. She wasn’t planning for it and I think she thought, ‘Oh my God, I have to pay for a wedding.’ ”

One thing’s for sure, Baer and fiancé are headed back to Comic-Con in a couple of weeks―this time sans fancy costumes. They’re saving for their nuptials in September!