I haven't been updating much, because I've been pretty busy planning my proposal, and now getting busy going into wedding planning. I wanted to write a blog on it, mainly so I have a written record this momentous occasion in my life.
To start the story off, I have to talk about the ring. I bought the ring in April based on an image she pinned to her secret wedding Pinterest board. I hid the ring for a few months in my house, while I went back and forth on ideas for the proposal.
On Mother's Day, we took a trip to Austin to visit her parents and I used this as an opportunity to formally ask her parents for their daughter's hand in marriage. While Dawn was getting ready in the morning, I pulled her parents aside to ask them and to show them the ring. I later found out her mom was so happy with tears in her eyes that she couldn't even see the ring.
Now that I had the approval of the parents, it took me about another month to finally get everything together and ready.
The date would be our 1 and a half year anniversary. I chose this day so I could take her out to do something and she wouldn't be suspicious of anything else going on. I could play any suspicion off as if it were for our anniversary. I brought her to Backstreet Cafe, which was where we had our very first date.
As soon as we left for dinner, my brother and a few of my close friends came over to help set up the proposal. They helped tremendously in getting everything together
There were about 60 tea lights
and a HUGE box of rose petals
A few days prior, I snuck out to my best friend's house to do a photoshoot because I wanted to include the twins in our proposal. I had these printed out and framed to be laid out on the dining table.
They gave us champagne and dessert to celebrate!
Around this time, we were finishing up dessert at Backstreet and I was texting my brother what their status was.
"STALL... NOT DARK ENOUGH"
I had to stall.
By now, the anxiety was building and I still had to buy more time before I could bring her back home. We finished up at Backstreet, and I persuaded Dawn to stop by another place for a drink. With it being another opportunity to get a second dessert, she obliged and I bought more time for them to get set up, and the lighting to get dark enough to have the right mood.
Our second dessert.
A job well done!
Towards the end of our second dessert, I get a text from my brother:
"COME NOW!!"
They were finally ready.
They finished lighting all the candles, placed all the flower petals, arranged the pictures and tied up all the balloons with scattered pictures of me and Dawn all over.
Now it's the waiting game for them.
As I made my way home, my nerves were building up, since I haven't seen any of it and had no idea what to expect. Up to now, it has just been lunch meetings with my brother with line drawings on a notepad of how it was going to be laid out.
Right when I pull into the garage, I ask Dawn to pull the trash can back in from the street. This gives me time to run in, set up my cameras and stand in place for her to come up to the surprise.
Right as she walks in, she's greeted with this:
The bouquet I sent to her at work earlier that day for our 1 and a half year anniversary.
The stairwell had a few balloons, candles and rose petals leading up to the living room.
This is the other bouquet I handed to her when she got to the top of the stairwell.
Rose petals, tea lights, balloons and pictures of us were littered all over.
While all of this was going on, everyone that helped set up was hiding down in the bedroom on my first floor, trying to listen in.
Then the big question...
And now we're engaged!!