There’s something you should know about me: I hate surprises. Well, surprises for me–I love throwing surprise birthday parties, watching family members’ faces light up when they open a surprise gift, and getting up early to make E a nice breakfast. But for myself? No, thank you! I’m that total spoilsport who always dug through my parents’ closets around the holidays to see what Santa was bringing me this year, and rarely did I make it to Christmas without knowing exactly what I was getting.
So you’d think that since E and I had picked out my ring together nearly six months earlier (yes, we had it for almost half a year before he proposed–but that’s another story), it would have been impossible for him to catch me off guard–but it turns out I’m marrying a boy who knows me so well that he did just that.
E proposed to me on May 7, 2017. We’d had an ordinary Sunday morning so far, sleeping in and grabbing a quick breakfast before church. E had woken up early to buy donuts (my weakness) and gluten-free coffee cake from the grocery, but I didn’t think much of it. He’d been faking me out about proposing the entire day prior, so I wasn’t taking anything he did too seriously.
When we got back from church, he suggested that we go for a walk at my favorite nature preserve, because “we had a special afternoon planned for after lunch.” I immediately perked up. He was really clever to tell me that, in retrospect, because I totally expected a late afternoon or evening proposal. I changed into hiking clothes–E assured me that there’d be time to change back into my nice outfit when we got back–and we were off to the park.
It was a beautiful day out, and we’d walked about a mile–out into the prairie–when E suddenly turned into a side trail that led up a hill to a gigantic oak tree, because he “wanted to get a picture.” I didn’t follow him at first because I was eager to get onto the next part of the day! E had to motion twice before I trekked up to join him, grumbling about getting Lyme’s disease from the tall grass the whole way (very romantic, I know :P).
And suddenly E was down on one knee and asking me to marry him! I was so surprised–the first thing I said was, “Is this real?!” And when, after I finally got out a “yes,” my sister and two of my best girlfriends, E and L, came running up from the other side of the hill, I really thought I must be dreaming. There were lots of hugs and happy tears!
But little did I know that E actually had a whole celebratory afternoon planned out for us! After snapping a few pictures at the park, we headed to my favorite restaurant for lunch with my dad, stepmom, and little brother. Then it was off to my mom’s house to enjoy cake with my mom and a good family friend. E even remembered to include my best friend of fifteen years, N. She was out of town for the weekend, but he FaceTimed her into the celebration while we were at my mom’s. I can’t believe he managed to pull off the whole ordeal without me finding out–but that just made it that much more special.
Finally, after everyone had gone home, we had time to let it really sink in. We were finally, finally officially engaged! We’ve gotten a couple of rude comments (mostly of the “But you’re so young!” “Is she pregnant?!” varieties), but everyone who knows us as a couple well is so excited for us. Ultimately, we know that it’s the right time for us, and that’s what matters. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day or more supportive family and friends–or for anyone more perfect to spend my life with.
But tell me: If you’re married, what’s your proposal story? (And if not, what’s your dream proposal?)
And are there any other questions you have about our engagement?
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