(I apologize for length & images before I even begin. But it was such a special day I want to make sure to capture all of it, even the little details.)
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Back Story: I knew Josiah had an event planned for when we were in Tennessee for Christmas. One night we were at a Mexican restaurant and he told me he had a surprise for me in Tennessee but he hadn’t figured out what we were going to wear yet He said we had to go shopping for our outfits. He was saying that some people go casual for this event while others go very classy. Previously he had me send him a link to things I wanted to do while we were in Tennessee- this included Opryland so I thought this is what he was talking about.
We got a red dress from Express that I absolutely loved for it, new shoes from DSW and then a shawl from Nordstrom. Josiah got a new suit, tie, pocket squares, belt and shirt… the whole 9 yards. I was hoping and praying this was for a proposal but because he is such a romantic and does things like this I didn’t automatically know he was proposing. You can hope and pray but I kept telling myself I had to be happy and have a great time no matter what. I had been asking for hints as to what we were going to be doing the whole week prior. He had kind of hinted that I would see the kids (I used to babysit them when I lived in TN. They are older now and don’t need a babysitter but they are still my kids) but Josiah told me I could not text anyone or ask anyone questions about it. I kept true to that and did not ask anyone anything.
December 23, 2014: The YES Day
So day of… Ashley (the kids’ mom) texts me around 10:30 saying she was excited to spend the day together. So then I knew it was that day. Prior to that I had thought maybe it was that day but I didn’t have any sure way of knowing. He had previously told me I may have a pamper day with the girls (again, not out of the ordinary). Ashley picks me up at work and we head to Brentwood to the Blow Out Salon. We didn’t have time for lunch beforehand but I had some goldfish I brought to work that day, so we were good with a goldfish snack. I was getting my hair and makeup done. At first I was thinking we all were going to get our hair done but Ashley kept saying, “oh we just wanted to do this for you” and she wanted Caroline to see how the girl did my makeup. Okay, sounds good. The girl at the salon did an awesome job. I had her bump and curl my hair. I know Josiah loves it that way.
After that we went to lunch at Panera. I had black bean soup in a bread bowl, my favorite. It is here that Ashley tells me that Josiah had burnt my dress and was bringing me a new one. I told her that he is OCD and would work really hard trying to get wrinkles out of my dress. I find out later it was actually her who burned it but he totally took the fall for it. She is pretty OCD too. I felt bad because I kept saying how much I loved the dress, oops! Anyway, Josiah brings me a sweater dress in red, just like a black one that I already owned. I love this dress. He also brings me a beautiful black trench coat. We had actually seen this coat (or one very similar) last Christmas and I had really wanted it. So I was happy with my new outfit for the unknown event. Then it is time to get our nails done. Ellen and I got manicures and Caroline and Anne got pedicures as they had their nails done earlier in the week. I got shellac french nails. It is how I normally get them. Two of the nails were kind of bumpy and I was going to live with it but Ashely told me, “no, have them fix them.” Glad she did!
We then got in the car to go to Ashley’s work in Nashville. The girls kind of slip about going to the Opry Hotel to look at lights and I say, “oh, so we are going to Opryland to look at lights, I told Josiah I really wanted to do that”. They say, “oops, well you aren’t supposed to know”… or so I thought! They were trying to trick me into thinking that is where we were going.
Ashley gives me a Christmas present (they got me a Texas necklace) and then says, “Josiah wanted you to have this.” She handed me my cross necklace on a new chain. When we first started dating (March 30th, 2013) Josiah gave me a beautiful cross necklace with a diamond in it. I never took it off. The chain broke once and I got it fixed but then started using a chain my mom had. That chain broke and I went to get that fixed. The way they soldered it was too big for the cross to fit over it. So I started using the other chain again. That then broke one day and then I was out of luck so I had not been wearing it (I have no idea how that many chains broke!). Before we left to go to Tennessee for Christmas Josiah asked me where my necklace was and I showed him and put it on my dresser. The day we were leaving I noticed it wasn’t there and asked about it. He said, “don’t worry about it” and I left it at that. I figured maybe I was getting a new chain for Christmas.
We then head to Wedding 101 where Ashley works to get changed. Josiah was picking me up from there at around 3:30 pm and then we were going to meet everyone at 5:00 at Opryland. I wondered why he was getting me early but still was convinced he was not going to propose. Actually, I was trying to convince myself he wasn’t going to so I would not be disappointed. When we get in the car he asked me, “what do you want to do?” I was so confused at this point, still praying I wouldn’t be disappointed and he says, “I know! Let’s go take selfies at the Parthonen. How do we get there?” He isn’t normally a let us take selfies kind of guy but it sounded like a great idea so I said sure. We drive down West End and then he ends up saying, “No, let’s go to Belmont.” Belmont is where I went to school. I kind of point him in the right direction and then we end up down an alley because he got lost (purposely I learn later). I show him where we can park and we get out in the rain. He gets out first and I noticed a headphone under his shirt. He ignores when I point it out and says, “oh, don’t worry about them” and quickly changes the subject These are the same headphones I had to find the day before. He goes to the back of the car for some reason (later I learn to start the recording).
So we get out of the car and he has an umbrella he has purchased because it is raining pretty hard. I don’t think that was his ideal plan but I love how our photos turned out because of the rain. We walk over on campus and he is trying to get my to tell him what I used to tell people when I was a campus tour guide. I am telling him what I remember (barely anything specific) and pointing it out while continually saying I am cold at the same time. We turn around and I notice photographers who were kind of running away. Thought maybe he was going to propose but still convinced myself I needed to be okay and he wasn’t going to. It was Belmont, that was normal. Didn’t click that it would be Christmas break. We then start walking towards the main lawn. He gets me in one area and starts telling me how much he loves me, I think I said, I know. How he wants to spend the rest of his life with me, again I said I know. lol. I was such a know it all and still not convinced he was actually doing it.
And then he said, “no, for real.” and I said, “for real, for real?” and then he got down on one knee and pulled the ring out of his pocket. It was then that I realized maybe this was really happening! I was still in shock and then I noticed the photographers and videographer he had hired for the proposal.
We then go talk to them and I realize we are doing a photo shoot around campus. I then find out we are going to take some photos around campus. We walk around and find spots, take beautiful photos and then he tells them, “let’s go take photos at the mansion. Y’all go ahead of us I want to make out in a dark alley with her.”
Stay tuned for Proposal Story Part II
Some photos from our impromptu shoot around campus.
Did I tell y’all how much I love this man? He pulled off a proposal far more amazing than I could have ever imagined.
I can’t even begin to say how much I love he thought enough to get a photographer to capture the moment!!!