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The proposal…..no, not the movie, (although I guess it is not too far off as I am a driven, career oriented foreigner), this is our proposal. How Steve proposed to me last Saturday!
The last few days have been an absolute whirlwind. I feel like I have not stopped moving, I have not stopped talking, and my brain has certainly not stopped buzzing with things to do. This could not be in greater contrast with the day of the proposal, which was probably the most relaxing day we have had since we moved here! I would never have guessed it would have ended the way it did.
Other than going to the Winchester Farmers Market, we stayed in all day, and even ordered pizza for dinner. Ordering pizza has always been something special to us, and we both really enjoyed it. Steve suggested that we went for a walk around one of the local parks after dinner, and I was happy to oblige. I was however, wearing absolutely no make up, had my pajama sports bra on, and running shorts…..not exactly how a girl wants to be photographed, but at the time it didn’t seem like anything was up. I even left my phone on the couch, as I did not have anywhere to put it!
We walked around the park, as the sun went down, and the idea of a proposal did pop into my head. I know Steve is VERY aware of how much I love sunsets, mostly because I tell him every single time there is a nice one…..which is almost every day in Winchester. We walked all the way around the park, even stopping a few times to admire the beautiful sky, and he did not say anything, so I figured I must have been wrong.
He wanted to check out a clearing in the trees (our runner minds always thinking about new loops), so we walked back up the biggest hill. We stopped, and he put his arms around me, and held me in place for a few moments. I wiggled a little to start walking again, but he held on…..I then knew what was coming…….
He got down on one knee, and pulled out the most beautiful ring. Perfect, in every single way (other than being too big for my baby fingers). I don’t want to share the exact details as that is our special moment, but he told me he was looking forward to spending our life together, and asked me the question every girl dreams of. Tears in both of our eyes, I said yes, and we soaked in that moment.
The rest of the evening was a complete blur. My head was spinning, I could not quite believe it had happened, and we didn’t even think to take a photo until we were back down the hill and back towards the car! Unfortunately, iPhones have not mastered photographing both a beautiful sunset and the people in front of it, so after a number of failed attempts to capture it, we headed home. After all, it was more about us, not what we would show others.
We returned home, and called our parents on FaceTime. Somehow my dad was still up at 1am, and after some prodding, woke my mum up so we could tell her. Steve’s family were a little easier to get a hold of, and everyone knew it was coming already, so there was not too much surprise.
The next day, we celebrated with lunch out at our favorite deli, and this cookie. I am sure the amount of frosting in the middle will make most of you want to throw up, but it was perfect for us, and we devoured it! We also went into Lexington to get the ring resized, but my fingers are so small, that they have to specially make another ring to my size, which will take 6-8 weeks!!!!
So there you have it, I am now engaged to the man I want to spend my life with, ready to check off my number one thing on my life goals bucket list. We are currently looking at getting married at, or close to St Joseph Beach in Michigan in mid August, 2015. This way it is easy for my friends and family from home to fly into Chicago, and it is easy for our friends and family in Michigan to attend. It is also a beautiful location, and I have dreamed of a beach wedding my entire life.
Over the next 11 months I will be feeding my organization and planning addiction, and preparing for the day every girl thinks about.
Thank you so much to everyone who has congratulated us, we are very lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful people!
You can read more about the rest of our wedding story, and check out our BEAUTIFUL VENUE by reading my #RaceToTheAltar and #Run2me2015 Series on the wedding page.
For those married readers, what is the one tip you would give me for planning a wedding? For those who are hoping it will happen someday in the future, what would you like to learn about as I go through the process?
50 Comments.
oh my goodness — CONGRATLATIONS!!! My heart completely stopped when I saw your tweet about this post. That is amazing, wonderful news!! And so awesome that he found such a sweet way to catch uyou off-guard (I, too, was not dressed up and looking my best when it happened to me). I love that he made it very “you” with the sunset. 🙂 we didn’t really have a traditional wedding, so my planning for that was a little pitiful… But the one thing we made sure about it was that it represented “us”. I wanted it to have a lot of heart and reflect who we are as people (casual, but intimate). I can’t wait to hear more about it! Yay!!!! Congrats again xoxo
My advice enjoy every moment of this special time-it really does go by so quickly. My 20th Anniversary is coming up. You both look so happy-enjoy!
You guys are just too darn cute! Very excited and happy for you. Sounds like the perfect, meaningful proposal. And now the really fun part, the planning! My one tip: I wish mine had been a smaller, more intimate affair. But I think you know yourself well and I am sure you will come up with the right setting, number, day that you want!
Congratulations! I love proposal stories, and loved this one! I got married just over a year ago, and the best piece of advice I heard was to pick one thing the two of you absolutely want (great food, big band, etc) and stick with that. Don’t let everyone else influence you and tell you that you need all these other over-the-top things you don’t care about it. Then focus on the day and the celebration of your love, that’s all that matters!
OMG CONGRATS and best wishes!! What a sweet proposal! I’m so excited and happy for both of you. St. Joe’s Beach will be so perfect. Love it there! I will congratulate you again when you come whizzing by on the Chi Marathon race course! : )
I am just so freaking happy for you. I honestly figured it would happen sooner rather than later–hel-LO you moved to KY with him! But this is just awesome, so sweet, so you guys. My best advice for wedding planning–treat it like a (fun) race day. Know that things will go wrong, things will come up, but find a way to stay in the moment, make it work for you, and enjoy it. You’ll have all these months of prep leading up to it, and you’ll get it into your head that you need it to be THIS way or THAT way. But let it be what it will be. It won’t be anything else, and you can’t force it. Treat the problems as problems but not CRISES. Just deal with them, and move on. And food. Don’t let yourself get hungry. Not worth it.
My biggest tip for planning a wedding: DON’T STRESS ABOUT IT!! Seriously, I stressed SO much about how much money everything was costing, who to invite, who not to invite, how to decorate, if the food would all mesh well together, etc etc. It wasn’t worth stressing about at all in the end because the wedding turned out FLAWLESS and I was on cloud 9 for wedding day. I didn’t have to worry about anything – it was all done for me. You will LOVE you wedding day no matter what happens, so do yourself a favor and don’t stress!
What an amazing proposal! I love that you weren’t all dressed up and fancy — makes it more special I think. As for the wedding planning process… enjoy the process! Get people involved and let them help you. I love spreadsheets and I tracked EVERYTHING that way… kept me from going crazy. 🙂
Awww! Again, huge congrats to you both! So happy for you! For some reasons, I knew this was in the air, but I expected for him to propose at the finish line of the Chicago marathon… maybe because that’s always been my dream (post-marathon proposal) 😉
So perfect! And I can totally relate to the organizing/planning addiction… I have so much fun with that, too. Enjoy it all!!
A big huge congratulations to the both of you! How exciting! I would give you advice but you seem pretty darn organized and I have a feeling you won’t need it 😉
I do however, wish you both the very best and I’m looking forward to seeing the dress!
makes my heart so happy! cannot wait to follow in the rest of this journey with you friend. <3 you!
Awww, you two are so cute!! Congrats again and so happy for you both! My one tip is to enjoy the time that you are engaged because it’s so easy to get caught up in planning and rushing ahead to the big day. Also to remember that this day is ultimately about the two of you and your day should reflect that vs. what someone else has in mind for you. OK that was two tips!
Wonderful!! So very happy for both of you!! Enjoy every minute of the planning – the trick is to make sure the two of you do what you want cause it’s your day!
I just got the HEEBEE JEEBEES! ha ha ah! Man, I am getting to that age where I want to find happiness and love like yours and Steves. I had it for almost the whole year thus far, however, things recently turned sour, ugh. The worst. I wish you and Steve the best, you’re so lucky to have found *the one*! PS: That ring = YUM! 🙂 Ha Ha! Try not to eat it? LOL jk!
I am so, so happy for you! And St. Joseph’s Beach – BEAUTIFUL setting for a wedding. My one piece of wedding advice – do what you want. It’s your wedding!
So so happy for you! Congratulations my friend. <3
My advice? Things can get overwhelming and the details will seem like a big deal but, really, all the "stuff" doesn't matter. Enjoy this journey with Steve and stay focused on what really matters.
Congrats again! Sounds like he planned everything right and made the moment very special for both of you. Good job, Steve. 🙂 My advice for planning: there are always more details that you can add and more things to buy, but unless you want to spend a billion dollars on the wedding, be okay with letting some of those little things go. (Trying to make your wedding look like photos on Pinterest is an uphill battle.) And make time to do things together that don’t involve wedding planning, especially as the wedding gets closer. Good luck with everything!! And keep us updated! I want to know about colors, themes, everything!! 😀
CONGRATS!!!! Ahhhh I’m so excited for you!!!!! 😀 Being engaged is so much fun and being married is even BETTER! Good luck on all of the wedding plans!!
Awww, so sweet! He totally nailed it. 🙂 So happy for both of you!! Wedding tip, enjoy the engagement, it’s exciting and special. Also, don’t be a bridezilla, haha!
You two are perfect. I still remember the photos you sent me of you guys when you were visiting him a while back. It’s so beautiful to see such a loving couple engaged & waiting to spend the rest of their lives together <3
I am so happy for you Tina!
Lately I haven’t been seeing you on my bloglovin dash and I wonder why. I like the design of your new blog though!
It took 3 weeks to resize my rind and it was the longest 3 weeks of my life! You just want to show off that beautiful ring! We did a beach wedding in Jamaica and loved it!
Your posts are not showing up in my newsfeed! I checked in today thinking maybe I was missing something and sure enough I did! OMG I am just soooo excited for you. We will need to talk planning and you will need to use AllSeated (that seating chart genius concept I talk about on my blog all the time)…I am in love with that cookie sandwich, you knew I would be! Soak in the moments now and truly enjoy every second of being a bride. It is a wonderful time in life!
Congratulations!!! I am very happy for you! Remember it is your day! You enjoy it! it is all about you two, not the parents or the in-laws 🙂 Exciting!
Congratulations!! It sounded like the perfect proposal! And I gotta say, there’s no such thing as too much frosting:)
Congrats!! Wedding tip: Stay relaxed and go with the flow…things will go wrong and that is OK!
Literally freaking the HECK OUT HERE! EEE! Girl! I’m so, SO happy for you! And for Steve too, obviously, because he gets to spend the rest of his life with your fabulousness 😛 But, really… congratulations! I’m definitely looking forward to seeing some sneak peaks into your wedding planning!
I’m SO happy for you! What a perfect moment (and he did a great job with the ring, it is beautiful!). Congratulations, enjoy your wedding planning! My tips: don’t get too caught up in the details of the wedding (all you’ll remember is the emotion and what a wonderful day it will be), keep it small and intimate and to get a great photographer. 🙂
sdfhkejshfdk CONGRATULATIONS! how romantic and special and perfect, I teared up reading this, I am such a sap and SO happy for you. PS. perfect amount of frosting 🙂
You look SO happy-congrats! That ring is gorgeous and the cookie looks AMAZING.
Gahhhh!!!! Congratulations Tina!!! I’m soo happy for the two of you. What a wonderful day and your ring is beautiful. My best advice is think of the wedding as one big party to celebrate the rest of your life together. Don’t get too wrapped up in the wedding. People thinking about it as a wedding tend to think A LOT about the wedding and not a lot about the marriage. Take your time, be happy and enjoy the moments!
Ahhhh I disappear for a week and this is what happens! Congratulations Tina, I am so happy for you 🙂 I think a beautiful sunset and a frosting filled cookie is a fantastic way to celebrate the start of your next chapter (plus he really did do a great job, that ring is stunning!)
What an amazing moment! Congrats to you both! I can still remember the moment Mark proposed and how fast my heart was beating when he did. So excited for you!
Congratulations to both of you!!! So exciting. Beautiful ring!
For wedding planning advice, this is just my opinion, but it helped me >>> Keep it simple and don’t stress! The day is about celebrating your marriage and your life together – it’s not worth worrying about the little things 🙂
YAYYY!!! Happy wedding planning!
Congratulations Tina :). I’m very happy for both of you :).
Oh Tina, congratulations again! So happy for you! Can’t wait to see more of your planning. As one of the already married girls here I would recomment to sit down just the two of you and decide what’s important to you. In the planning process EVERYONE will have his or her own opinion and it’s hard not to give in too much. After all it should be your day. And it’s suppost to be perfect for you two and not necessarily uncle XY or aunt Z!
And then a few more practical things:
1. It’s going to be a summer wedding so make sure you have enough to drink. We got married in June at 30°C and you never saw anyone without a glass. And shaddow!
2. Get yourself a second pair of flat shoes. At some point you won’t be able to stand any longer. Those will save your life!
3. Buy a dress in which you can properly sit and move. It’s the key to feeling comfortable and enjoy the day. If you want a long train make sure that you can pin it up.
4. If you want a veil consider to remove it before people start to congratulate as otherwise they will endanger your hairdo 😉
5. No matter what make sure YOU TWO don’t have any other tasks on the day than getting pampered and having fun.
6. Get to know your photographer. Chemistry is the key to great wedding pictures!
I am so happy for you. I never felt more loved by everyone than on my wedding day.
And don’t forget to enjoy the process. It was certainly very stressful and hectic but it’s so much fun!
Yeah congratulations! I loved how he proposed to you! I am so happy for you guys!
Awww yayyyy!! Congrats, Tina!
Finally catching up on your blog…. OH MY GOSH! Congrats!!! So excited for you two!! I’ve never heard of St Joseph but I just looked at the website and wow… so beautiful! So happy for you guys! 🙂 <3
I am so over-the-moon for you!!!! What a fantastic proposal! Congratulations again and a lifetime of happiness to you both!
Also I love the new blog layout. It looks fab over here! 🙂
YAYAYAYAYAY! I’m not sure how I showed up late for this post but I love it!!!!!! So happy for you girl!
Ahh I loved reading the proposal! My one tip is to take your time and savor the moments. You will be busy planning now and at the end, but in the middle, just enjoy your time. Things don’t need to be done all at one time. You two are so cute and that is the best proposal! Also, that cookie is perfect if you ask me 😉
I’m way behind after my week away from blogging but loved reading this.
Congratulations – you look incredibly happy as you should.
And, I would love that cookie especially the frosting!!!
Congrats!
Your posts haven’t been showing up in my Bloglovin feed and I missed this!!! Congrats! So happy for you and wow! This is a whole lot of change going on for you! Graduation, moving, engagement, finding a job. All great stuff!
I seriously teared up reading this… it is so beautiful and perfect!! ahhh I CANNOT WAIT to hear all the wedding planning details. I love engagement stories/weddings/happy people… I’m such a romantic at heart! xoxoxo congratssss!!!!
WOW TIna!!!! CONGRATS!!!!! I am a little late to the #wowlinkup and popped over to read this. SO happy for you both and you look so happy 🙂 I’ve (somehow-the time has flown by!) been married for 3 yrs. My biggest tip is to try to enjoy the process and remember that at the end of the day all that matters is that you, the groom, and someone to marry you are there. All the other details are secondary. The wedding also goes by so fast!! Ah so so excited for you 🙂 Thanks for sharing with us 🙂
I missed this and then realized after I read this morning’s post where you were scouting wedding locations that you must have gotten engaged – congratulations! I got married on the beach in Michigan as well (in Leland) 🙂 Great choice! The one thing I will tell you is that parts of the planning may get pretty stressful, but it will ALL be worth it the day of your wedding, I promise!
Congratulations! I am very late in reading this! I think my best advice is to roll with things. With weddings, things never go exactly according to plan, and from someone who has been married for 22 years, I really only remember the fun things from the wedding, not all the things that went wrong. Well, not that I don’t remember them, but they just didn’t really matter. It’s not worth stressing over them.