How We Met
Jessica and Adam met on a chilly New Year’s Eve night at his church. He was starring in a rescheduled Christmas comedy that his friend Josh had insisted on inviting his sister to see. Prior to that night, Jessica and Adam had only exchanged a few flirtatious messages on social media. Now, he was standing front and center in the role of a geeky TV news reporter in search for the perfect Christmas. To make matters worse, Jessica and Josh were seated right on the front row with a clear view of Adam’s humiliation. The only way he was able to get through the play was by refusing to look Jessica’s way for fear of forgetting his lines and losing what little dignity he had left. Afterwards, the two finally met face to face in the lobby. Jessica seemed genuinely impressed with Adam’s performance and wanted to know what his plans were for the rest of the night. When Adam told her he was going to stay and pray in the New Year, she knew she had a keeper.
how they asked
Anyone who knows Jessica knows that she loves her family and loves surprises. So, when it came to planning the proposal I knew it had to incorporate both elements. Savannah seemed like the ideal place for several reasons: Not only has it been dubbed one of America’s most beautiful cities, but it had also been on our bucket list of places to visit for years. To prepare for the big day, I asked my mother and grandmother to take a trip down there with me to see the city. While touring, we came upon the quaintest leafy square with a gazebo in the center; and while walking along the riverfront, found a restaurant called Vic’s on the River. Before leaving the city, we stopped by the iconic Forsyth Park and saw a young man playing a violin. I asked him if he lived in the area and he said yes, so I told him about my plans and we exchanged contacts. By the end of my trip, things were all coming together. The only thing left to decide was the date.
I chose April 16 because it was my birthday weekend (my birthday is April 17th) and I knew the thought of me proposing at that time would be the farthest thing from Jessica’s mind. It was also a convenient time for everyone to travel down. Fast-forward to the day of the proposal: I had planned an entire day’s worth of activities to keep us busy and mostly indoors, so guests could sneak in town without accidentally bumping into us. I told Jessica I had gotten tickets to a spring gala on the riverfront and that we needed get dressed up. I then arranged for a horse-drawn carriage to pick us up at our bed-and-breakfast and take us on a short tour of the Historic District, ending at Whitefield Square.
The carriage approached the square at just past 7 o’clock. Jessica was instantly drawn to the violinist playing under the gazebo, but was puzzled by a group of people sitting on the other side whose faces were hidden by colorful parasols. I led her up to the gazebo which had been covered in rose petals. As we hit the landing, the parasols went up and to Jessica’s astonishment it was both our families. Jessica’s grandmother motioned for a hug, while I stayed under the gazebo and pulled out the ring. When Jessica turned back around, she found me on bended knee and immediately burst into tears.
After saying “I do,” I told Jessica that we had dinner reservations at a restaurant on the water. So, everyone rushed over to Vic’s on the River, where we had reserved one of the private dining rooms. Jessica walked through the French doors only to find even more friends and relatives had come down to surprise her. As you can imagine, this really triggered the tears. We capped the night with a moonlight riverboat cruise and an impromptu serenade by a pretty awesome band. And I officially hung up my title for BEST SURPRISE PROPOSAL EVER!
