How We Met
My father passed away when I was 16 and that caused me to build but a lot of walls. That coupled with an abusive relationship when I was 19, I was pretty guarded and cold-hearted when Chris and I met. Chris was (and still is) in law enforcement and worked with a friend of mine’s husband. We had both had a string of crappy relationships so our friends thought it would be a good idea to introduce us. He texts me, we talked for a few weeks over text because I was extremely jaded at the time and was in no hurry for anything. I finally let him take me out after almost 2 months of texting and talking on the phone. He was cocky, smart aleck, and seemed to think he was God’s gift so I had no choice but to put him in this place, right? I figured I’d never heard from him after I told him about himself, but apparently he liked how blunt I was because he asked me out on a second date. Shocked and intrigued I agreed to go out with him again and on that date he told me that he was going to marry me one day. I laughed, like belly laughed, and told him he was nuts. Five years (and a whole lot of mess) later here we are. I guess he was right after all.
How They Asked
Chris has always known that I am not a simple girl. I like big, elaborate, flashy things and he always told me that when he did ask me to marry him, it would be everything I dreamed of. I gave him “rules” if he ever was to propose… Things like asking my mom’s permission, use my full name, make sure my nails are done, silly things that I was honestly joking about. We’ve been through a lot in our 5 years together, kind of like Ross and Rachel from friends. “We were on a Break” has become our inside joke. But we finally got it together and started seriously talking about marriage. We knew we wanted to get married in 2020 and (I know we’re crazy) started looking at venues even though we weren’t “officially” engaged. I’d found a venue that was everything I’d wanted for as long as I can remember but looked at several others for pricing reasons. Nothing compared to Zimmerwald. So we made an appointment to go see it and he told me that since it was booked up for all of fall 2020 except for one date if I loved it, we’d put the deposit down. We’re aware that we were totally doing things out of order but our relationship is anything but normal. For the two days leading up to when we went to look at the venue, he was acting so strange. Strange to the point it was giving me anxiety. He kept saying he wasn’t and that everything was fine, that I was in my head, but I knew something was up.
My best friend called me the night before we were supposed to go and told me that she couldn’t make it but that she wanted me to come over bc she just needed to talk. I got out of my comfy pj’s and went over to her house for her to tell me she really just wanted to see me and she was going to do my nails. Weird, but I never turn down a manicure from her. The next day Chris, my mama, my little girl, and I go to the venue and I fall in love. It’s everything I’d ever imagined and then some. We finish the tour and my mom says she’s taking my daughter down toward the barn where we parked so that Chris and I can talk. We decide that we want to book it but he says he wants to go back down to the barn again. I say “the empty barn that we just came out of?” He says “well yeah, can you please for once not be stubborn?” So I do as I’m asked haha. I round the corner of the barn door and see my best friend, my mom, and daughter, his mom, his brother, and most of our favorite people standing there.
The barn is lit up with beautiful lights and I immediately start crying. We walk to the middle and he takes my hands, says my full name, drops to a knee, and asked the question I’ve waited my whole life to be asked while my little girl, the most important person in the world, was watching with approval. I said yes, of course, and moments of hugs, tears, and laughs went by. My best friend then comes over and hands me her phone. A video starts playing. They had met at my Daddy’s grave earlier that day. Chris had talked to my Dad and asked for my hand in marriage. Words do not even describe that feeling.
Having someone love you so much that they pace on your father’s graveside trying to find the words to say is indescribable. I found out that the reason I HAD to go to my best friend’s house the night before was so that Chris could go ask my little girl and mother for their permission as well, and so he would know my nails were done. He thought of everything and then some, and I, well I am blessed to be able to spend the rest of my life with someone so thoughtful and considerate. We booked our wedding the night we got engaged at the beautiful venue of my dreams and even though I’d pictured him proposing for years, I couldn’t imagine a proposal more perfect than the one he gave me.
