I said, yes...of course!

the engagement

As they both knew, taking it one day at a time wasn’t going to last long. They had their up’s and down’s as they always had, but within two months after taking her hand in his, again, they became inseparable. And only two months from that time, he brought up the topic of marriage. Marriage was something they talked about a lot in the first eight months together, but this time it was much more serious than it had ever been before. They discussed the idea one afternoon, and by the time they were done talking, he had practically proposed to her without a ring. They quickly began making preparations for a marriage that would take place two months later in August.

All the while they knew they were crazy, yet they had always been, so they figured it was alright that way.  

Slowly, if “slowly” even applies in this scenario, they began to inform their families—first his and then hers. He wanted to do things right and ask for her father’s approval. It was one of the first times he and her father had really ever spoken to one another, but it was a good conversation. The girl knew, of course, that they would be going home for him to ask for father’s approval, but what she didn’t know was that he was planning on surprising with the actual proposal that same weekend.

The day following his conversation with her father, they meet with his family for a Sunday morning breakfast. After, they made their usual walk to the car to then leave for Provo, but just before they got in the car, he asked if she wanted to go down to the school where they first kissed, before heading home. He made up some excuse to keep her on her toes, so that it would be somewhat of a surprise. All the while he was nervous, hoping that she would neither see nor feel the boxed ring that he was carrying in his pocket. Eventually they made their way down to the field where the lay that over 3 years ago. As they stood on the baseball diamond, they looked out toward the ocean and the beautiful empty field of the school which surrounded them. As the girl looked around taking in the view and reminiscing of times past, the boy began to tell her of how he had saved all the letters that she wrote him on his mission, and that he even had a piece of one of those letter with him that day.

At this time the boy pulled out a piece a paper from his pocket. It was one of the last pages of a letter she had given him to read on his plane ride to his mission in Africa. On the paper she had drawn a picture of them at the temple and alluded to the fact that it was her hope and dream to marry him one day. Across that same piece of paper, the boy had written “I guess dreams do come true. Amber Lynn, will you marry me.”

As she took the paper in her hand and tried to put it all together, the boy knelt down on one knee and opened the box showing her the ring. He was unsure of what to say next, only knowing that this was the girl he wanted to marry and be with for the rest of his life. As she now understood what was really going on, he began to speak: Amber, I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” It was cliché, but he was so nervous it was all he could think to say. At the time he was just happy that words were able to come out of his mouth. Before he even he could speak another word, she started tearing up, and answer with enthusiasm written note with enthusiasm.

“Yes, of course.”

Her tears and response now brought tears to the boy’s eyes--he could hardly speak and was at a loss for what to say next. She understood— he had said and done all that she could have asked. When he stood, she embraced him and let him know that it was perfect, making it all the more difficult for them both to hold in their emotions.

After a few pictures to capture the moment (see above/below), they stopped back by at his house to share the story with his family and then they quickly went to her house before venturing back to Provo, now engaged couple. They both couldn’t believe it. and they both couldn’t have been happier.

The engagement process was interesting to say the least, and things seemed to move even faster than they had before, but now with both families on board were able to really start preparing for the big day. One of the first things they made sure to plan was there honeymoon—they had talked of going to paris together even before they had ever mentioned marriage, and so now as an engaged couple they did every thing they could to make the dream of paris a reality. She began doing all the things that every soon-to-be bride does in regard to her wedding, while he did his best to be supporting of her vision. For the next two months she lived on Pintrest, coming up with idea and executing crafts and elements of the wedding.

As time passed the reality of the wedding set in while the plans continued to change. What was originally planned to be a wedding of around 150 people at a set venue in a city near their home town, slowly began transitioned to plans of an intimate wedding of just immediate family and two close friends at an open setting on country mountainside.

Eventually all the plans and new plans came together and the big day was finally arrived.