How We Met: Thomas and I met right before classes started our sophomore year at Ole Miss. From the night we met we became inseparable. A week into our “talking” was the first Ole Miss football game of the season and by the end of that game, standing together under a red and blue tent in the beloved Grove, Thomas asked me to be his girlfriend. Of course I said yes and was over the moon. A week later we were back standing in the Grove after the game and Thomas took my hand and told me he loved me. Even though it had only been a week of officially dating I knew I was in love with him too.
The Grove quickly became our “spot” of special filled moments and it was there that my life would change so much more- more than I had ever imagined possible. To us both the Grove had become our “spot” where our love grew and grew.
how they asked: Three and a half years later we were as happy together as ever before and preparing for graduation and Thomas’s final CPA test. My mom had decided to fly into town to help get my apartment ready before my dad, siblings and their families rolled into town for the big graduation weekend. I quickly became stressed out that they had all decided to get into town on Wednesday, the day before my last college final. I took that Thursday final at 8am and was ready to start celebrating my accomplishment, but my family was acting totally uninterested. The plan for that evening was for my entire family to meet up with Thomas and his parents in the Grove to take some good pictures together in our cap and gowns then go to dinner. My mom had given Thomas and I both the idea to go ahead and take the pictures before Saturday since it was supposed to be rainy.
As it got closer to the time we were supposed to leave for pictures my family was acting out of character by complaining about having to even go take them and saying things like “well why do we all have to go?” Which was all really starting to hurt my feelings. I even complained to my mom and older sister how no one seemed excited or to care.
I went ahead and got ready, wearing the white dress that my mom said looked better compared to the hot pink one I’d wanted to wear. Thomas had said he’d pick me up and then we could stop at their place to open a graduation gift from them and then head to the Grove, but his mom called immediately after I got in the car saying she was running behind and they’d just meet us there in a few minutes.Thomas pulled his car right up to the Grove and as we began walking into the acres of old oak trees he began talking about how special this place was to us and was asking me where our “spot” was exactly. As I pointed to the place we began dating and where we shared that first “I love you” my heart began to race. As we got closer, Thomas stopped, looked me in the eyes and got down on one knee. The sweet words he spoke to me I can hardly remember but he asked me to marry him and I couldn’t help but repeat “yes” over and over again.He slipped the most beautiful and dainty ring onto my left hand and we kissed. Moments later he pointed out the two photographers he’d hired to capture the magical moments and most importantly he pointed out both our families running towards us through the Walk of Champions!Thomas had thought out the most tiny and thoughtful details. Having my entire family and his parents there was a dream come true to me. They had brought champagne to toast us on our new chapter and I was overwhelmed by the amount of love and support we received. The out of character behavior by everyone had been to make sure that I didn’t suspect a single thing the entire day!I never could have imagined a better moment in our “spot” that was now even more special then before.
Photography by Scott Burton