The Wedding Edit: Our Engagement Story (And FAQs)

This past Friday (06.10.22) I got engaged to my person.

It was one of the most magical days of my entire life and I am beyond blessed for the opportunity to be on this journey with my best friend. We've worked so hard to get to where we are now and there's still so much more work to do.

It still doesn't feel real!

Our Engagement Story

Tyler woke me up at 5am on Friday morning asking if I wanted to get up.

My response? Absolutely not. (context: Tyler couldn't sleep all night so he kept waking me up - needless to say, neither of us got much sleep the night before... and he wanted me to get up so early!).

After asking me a few times, he finally said, "I don't really feel like going to work today. Do you want to have a beach day?"

I was a little confused. He clarified and told me that he knew the weather was going to be beautiful so he took the day off. He told me that we were going down to Carmel by the Sea and to pack a bag because he got us a little room at an Inn for the night. (At this point I kinda suspected something but I wasn't totally sure).

We got up, Tyler went for a quick run, I packed and got ready to go and once he was all set, we were on our way!

The drive down was lovely (and an hour and a half felt like nothing after all of our crazy long road trips the past few months). We stopped to charge once since we didn't have a "full tank" and there was a famers market next to the charger! We grabbed some local, organic plums and cherries for the beach.

The first thing we did once we got to Carmel was grab coffee and breakfast at our favorite little spot there, Carmel Belle (was honestly SO pumped to get coffee LOL).

After that, we headed down to the beach and set up our little spot on the sand for a beach day. We walked, sun bathed (and didn't get burned - HUGE win), dipped our toes in the cold Pacific, watched the kids and the dogs play on the beach and ate some cherries.

After the beach, we went on a long walk through the town - it is quite possibly the most beautiful place I've ever seen (literally makes you feel like you're in a fairytale) but it's all hills so needless to say we were sweating pretty bad by the end LOL. We decided to check in to our little Inn. We took a little nap, showered and then got dressed up for dinner at a Greek restaurant called The TreeHouse Cafe a few blocks away. (the food was AMAZING... I thought he was gonna maybe propose at dinner but he didn't which threw me off the scent a little bit).

Once we finished up dinner, we headed back down to the beach to catch the sunset. We also stopped to grab a small ice cream on the way (not as good as Stewarts, iykyk, but it hit the spot). By the time we got to the beach, it was still poppin' and the sun was still pretty high so we decided to go for a stroll. We got all the way down to one end (all the while, Tyler later comes to tell me he was looking for the perfect spot).

When we turned to head back, we stopped at a big rock Tyler had scoped out. He said he wanted to take some pictures (something we'd planned so I didn't think much of it). I walked out, closer to the water and he set up the tripod.

Before he walked over to me, he reached into his bag to grab the ring (that's when I really knew). Then he asked my right there on the beach at sunset... and he got it all on video (sneaky little SOB). It was, without a doubt, the easiest "yes" I've ever said in my life.

Miracles from Mama: As I had mentioned earlier, the beach was poppin'! There were a ton of people there, but when Tyler proposed and when we were taking some pictures afterward, it was like we were the only ones there. The pictures also came out more beautiful than we ever could have imagined (context: Tyler is not too great at taking photos. He was so nervous to get these special moments and make it special for me that he prayed for my mom's help right before... let's just say she came through).

We called my dad to let him and my sister know (Nolan was at drill for the weekend and Tyler's parents were asleep by then) and then we put our phones away and sat down in the sand, watching the sunset. We decided to take the first night/morning for ourselves before we started telling anyone else which really helped us to stay present, practice our gratitude and soak up every moment of this new season of our lives together.

We went to grab a glass of champagne and then it was off to bed before letting everyone else in on the exciting news.

And the rest is history... now the real work begins!

...

FAQs

Q: Did you say yes?

A: Believe it or not, yes, this was a question a lot of people asked LOL! Yes, it was the easiest "yes" of my life : )

Q: Were you surprised?

A: Yes and no. I outline where I kinda knew and where I got thrown off in our engagement story above^

Q: Where did Tyler propose?

A: Carmel by the Sea on the beach at sunset : )

Q: Was there any significance to the date and/or the place?

A: June 10 is the half year of when Tyler asked me out (We'd been dating for 3.5 years when he proposed). As for the place, Tyler told me after that he always wanted to do it at the beach and he knew specifically Carmel by the Sea after I had mentioned that it was the most beautiful place I'd ever seen when we visited a few months back.

Q: Did Tyler ask for your dad's blessing? If so, when/how?

A: Yes he did. That was really important to me. He asked him in person at Easter (which I had zero idea about). He only had like a 5 min. window where I wasn't in the same room and he could pull him aside to ask. It was important to him to ask my dad in person as opposed to over the phone... he also asked all 3 of my uncles for their blessings as well (iykyk)

Q: Where is the ring from? Did Tyler have help picking it out?

A: It's from Sarah O. Jewelry, a small boutique jeweler out of Colorado. I came across this ring in particular a few years ago and thought it was just the most unique and timeless ring I'd ever seen. I definitely made some hints but my best friend Ally made sure Tyler had all the help he needed in picking it out! I am absolutely in love with it and could not recommend Sarah O. more. Their service, artistry and attention to detail is unparalleled.

Q: Had you guys been talking about getting engaged? If so, for how long?

A: I was upfront from the very beginning of our relationship that I don't date just to date. I date with the intention of endgame - that's just who I am and what I believe. If it didn't work out, as it hadn't in the past, no big deal, that just means that it wasn't meant to be - but I don't play games. This is something that the two of us have been working towards and trying to become better versions of ourselves for. We've still got SO much work to do, but having this in mind from the beginning of our relationship has put us on a path to setting higher goals and challenging each other to become better versions of ourselves each and every step of the way.

Q: Do you have any thoughts on the wedding yet? (When, where, how you're gonna plan)

A: We have a few thoughts so far but there is still a lot up in the air right now. I'm going to be starting the process soon though and will be creating checklists and guides and sharing our process so that it can hopefully help anyone else in the same boat now or in the future!

Q: Is there anything that Tyler or you would have wanted to have been different?

A: I know Tyler had mentioned that he wished he could've had my family there but other than that, no. It was such a picture perfect night : )

Thank you to everyone for your continued prayers, love and support. It seriously means the world to us. We're far from perfect but by the grace of God, we hope to continue to strive to be a positive example of perseverance and teamwork throughout our years to come.

We are beyond excited for this next season of life together!

This is only the beginning.

Sending love always,

J.S.