How We Met
I am a hopeless romantic and have always wanted to write a love story, just never figured it would be my own… here goes nothing. Sam and I have known each other for around a decade. We both grew up in the same neighborhood in Fort Worth, TX, went to the same schools and were members of the same Country Club, our parents are also friends. Even with all that commonality, I don’t personally recall meeting him until later in life, I was in college and possibly because Sam is 3 years older than me (our birthdays are 1 week a part). We both attended the same college and are die-hard TCU Horned Frogs (GO FROGS!) … all of that aside my very best friend started dating Sam’s roommate just after he had graduated. I ended up hanging out with them randomly at parties and we all kind of ran in the same circles. I had a serious boyfriend at the time and Sam was still in full blown “frat boy” party mode (even though he had already graduated, it took him several years to grow out of this stage LOL). Sam and I always had chemistry and got along well. We even kissed one wild/blurry night. I told him on Facebook the next morning to never tell anyone about it… his response “I have waited a year and a day for this secret, I am excited about it!” Typical Sam.
How They Asked
HOLY PROPOSAL… I don’t even know where to begin, it still feels like a dream.
I was on a family trip to my favorite Colorado mountain town, Beaver Creek, Co. I have grown up skiing and visiting Beaver Creek, and coincidentally my brother just moved there a year ago to be a snowboard instructor. Beaver Creek has a very special place in my heart.
THE BIG ASK
My parents, brother, sister, brother-in-law, Sam and Stevie (Nicks), my 1.5 yr old Labrador retriever all went on a village to village hike midway through the trip. We came back exhausted and I laid down to take a nice long nap when Sam abruptly told me I needed to be ready in an hour and that I should wear pants. I am over the top ya’ll, especially when in vacation mode. An outfit for every occasion! I grabbed my brand-new red jumpsuit/romper and asked about 10 questions at once. Sam told me nothing. I got ready and told my parents we were going on a surprise date and my mom seemed frustrated we were changing their plans…
Anyways, we jumped on Village Connect and ended up at Beaver Creek Stables. Yes, I am from Texas, no I don’t ride a horse to school, but I have grown up with horses and riding is one of my favorite things. I make Sam go on a trail ride on every trip we take. So, at this point I am just excited to be on a horse, and grateful Sam could keep a surprise from me. He told me there was a group joining us because the private rides were not available in the summer, I was bummed because I am a romantic and love the thought of a personal private trail ride… I quickly got over that after meeting the one and only outside rider, Toni a super fun local lady who wanted to go on an impromptu adventure. Fast friends!
All four of us, Sam, myself, the guide Adriane and Toni went up the mountains on a long ride, the weather was perfect. I was so impressed with all wildflowers and endless blue sky. Suddenly, the trees and bushes opened up and we came to this clearing near the top. The first thing I see is this picture-perfect panoramic view of the Gore Mountain Range! Something straight out of a movie. There was a picnic blanket set out in the middle of the clearing with music, just happened to be our song playing in the background and honestly, I kind of blacked out for a few minutes.
When I came to, Sam was on one knee and had the most beautiful diamond ring I have ever seen in his hand. Spoiler alert: I SAID YES! I looked over after giving Sam a big kiss/ intermittently screaming I noticed that Toni had captured the whole proposal on camera. This was all planned out… and Toni was hired as our proposal photographer. Next, there was a Chef (Kathryn) preparing a fabulous raclette dinner for two on the plaid picnic blanket with the best view in town. Adriane, Kathryn and Toni came up to me and Sam and were all just as excited as me. So sneaky, this group. Sitting on that picnic blanket with Sam, looking out at the most beautiful Rocky Mountains, there isn’t a more romantic setting. What a fairly-tale. Better than anything I could have dreamt up. Proposal continues…
After we had our own personal photo shoot with the horses and stunning mountain views we hopped back on the horses and LITERALLY rode off into the sunset. I gave all the girls a big hug and thank you… Village Connect picked us up and little did I know Sam had another surprise up his sleeve. Next, Sam tells me this is our exit, I am still staring at the bling on my hand and don’t even notice that we got off. Sam escorts me down a path and I look up and there is a cabin in front of us with a glowing fire pit. I think this is where we are staying the night, I’m excited. I open the door, its pitch dark and all of a sudden, the lights come on and my family is there to greet us, yelling SURPRISE! As I scan the room in shock, I see sneaky Toni taking pictures of the whole thing. How did she get there before us, I am still trying to figure this out?My mom, dad, sister, brother, brother-in-law and my best girl Stevie are all there to celebrate. There was a huge table of every desert you could think of (this was one of my favorite surprises, I have a sweet tooth problem). The table banner read “She Said Yes”. The fact that MY family was able to keep a straight face and not give anything away for the entirety of the trip is unreal. Everyone should win an Oscar. Honestly, the whole thing couldn’t have been any more perfect. I was so happy to be able to share this moment with them and loved that they were there.
Added bonus, it gets better. After we have over indulged at the cabin, we head over to Ritz Carlton- Bachelor Gulch where we have a gorgeous room awaiting. Throughout our room there were candles and framed pictures of the two of us. The entire time I am thinking, this is so over the top!! I love it so much! Hands down the best day of my life. After basking in all his glory, Sam told me he could not have done any of this if it weren’t for Stephanie Fleck, a local proposal/wedding planner that he came across online when googling ideas. She had helped bring Sam’s ideas to life and brought the dream team together for this very special day. They pulled it off! The Perfect proposal. I am grateful Sam found her and was really impressed with everything, so much that I hired her for our wedding, which will be in Beaver Creek next summer! My heart is so full, and I am completely over the moon.
So glad I packed my red romper….