how we met
Colton and I met at a contra dance at the Apple Barn, a dance hall in a small town outside of Boone, NC. Contra is a type of social folk dance where you switch partners throughout the night. Colton asked me to dance, and we ended up hitting it off. We got excited every time we passed by each other throughout the night. We ended up waltzing together at the end of the dance, and afterwards he asked if he could take me out sometime. I was actually so excited that I momentarily forgot my phone number and put it in wrong in his phone. I had to find him on facebook later and give him my correct number!
how they asked
Colton and I have been talking about getting married for a long time. We dated long distance for two years, and Colton was ready to get engaged during that period. I realized that I wanted to wait, and Colton very sweetly respected my decision. He told me to just let him know when I was ready. I proposed to Colton on a misty Saturday at the Apple Barn in Valle Crucis, the dance hall where we first met. It was the day after his graduation from his master’s program, and we were going to be having a graduation party for him that afternoon with all of our close friends and family. Our families had not met before, so they would be gathering together for the first time. While I was “getting the house set up,” his brother presented him with his first clue in a small scavenger hunt. The clues led him to several places around Boone where we spent our first few dates together. With each clue, he received several scrabble letters. Once he had all of the clues, he had to arrange the letters so that they spelled “The Apple Barn”. Colton actually missed one of the spots by accident, so he had to contact me to find out what letters he was missing! Though he quickly figured out his final destination. On his way to the Apple Barn, he was instructed to listen to a podcast that I had made and sneakily downloaded on his phone beforehand. For the podcast, I interviewed some of our friends about Colton and his best qualities. I edited their kind words together and gave my own thoughts on how wonderful he is with my best NPR podcast-host impression. He finished the podcast after he pulled up to the Apple Barn. When he arrived, I was waiting outside for him with the wonderful photographer I hired to capture the moment. He walked up, apparently still clueless as to why he was there. As I began to talk about how much he means to me and how I finally feel ready to take the next step, the realization began to dawn in his eyes. I got down on one knee, and I asked him to marry me. He said yes! We shared another waltz in the Apple Barn, and it felt like we were both in a daze. After taking some beautiful pictures with our photographer, Megan, we drove to the party where our wonderful friends and families were waiting to celebrate with us. I had actually been so nervous before the proposal that I forgot to bring the watch that I had gotten for the occasion! We took some alone time at the party, and we exchanged jewelry. I gave him the engraved watch I had gotten for the proposal, and he gave me the ring that he had gotten almost two years ago. A lot of people are surprised that I was the one that proposed, but Colton had always been the one that was ready. Because of his strength and his patience, I was able to feel prepared and confident about our next big step. He truly deserved a big grand gesture, and I loved being able to give that to him. Link to the one-episode only podcast, “I Can’t Decide”: https://soundcloud.com/user-628419608-899492361/i-cant-decide
He picked out the perfect ring a couple years ago, and I finally got to see it the day I proposed! The ring is a solitaire, circle cut diamond with a simple gold band. The style is classic and it is absolutely perfect for me. I got him a watch with a navy blue face, a brown leather band, and a personalized engraving on the back of something we say to each other all of the time. It sounds cheesy, but one of us will say “You’re the best,” and the other one will say “You are” so the back of his watch says is engraved with “you are”.
