OUR ENGAGEMENT
On March 7th, Collins surpirsed me with a roadtrip to the Smoky Mountains. This was the same as our very first (of many!) roadtrips we took when we first starting dating. We were in D.C. visiting our friends Crystal & Dom, and on the way back to Alabama took a side trip through the Smokies.
Collins took me over to the main overlook and asked me to marry him. I told him first he would have to get down on one knee....which he quickly did! He pulls out the ring, and after some confusion on which hand to put it on, he reminds me I hadn't said 'yes' yet....which I quickly did!
Afterwards, we spent some time walking around Newfound Gap and taking pictures. It was such a perfect, beautiful day!
On our way down the mountain, Collins suggested that instead of staying another night, we head home and surprise our friends over a glass of wine, on our back porch. I agreed, especially since I had to play bells at church the next morning and really wasn't looking forward to getting up incredibly early Sunday and driving back. So, we spent the day meandering back down the mountain and to Alabama.
I texted a few friends and ask them to come over for wine at 9 PM. We’d be getting in around 6:30 and I wanted to quickly get my nails done. When we pulled up to the house, Collins told me to come inside for one more present before I went to the nail salon. When I walked in, everyone jumped out and the house was filled with friends and family for a surprise engagement party! Two of my friends, Corrie and Kellie, whisked me away to my bedroom where they had bought half a dozen party dresses for me to try on and let me get dressed up.
On Friday night, we didn't plan our hotel until we arrived and ended up getting a great deal at the beautiful Westgate Resort. We talked about what to do for Saturday and I wanted to go skiing in Gatlinburg, but Collins said he spoke with the concierge and that North Carolina had better skiing. I found out later that was a little planned misdirection.
So we took off on the pass through the park to get to the North Carolina side. Of course I wanted to stop every 5 seconds to take pictures. We stopped at the very top called “Newfound Gap” and Collins took me to one of the overlooks. Looking back, I realize why he was in a hurry, but at the time I found it odd he didn't want to stop and take pictures (notice in the picture below (pre-proposal) he is holding the ring hidden in his hat!).
Unbeknownst to me, he had planned to have his sister Cindy and her husband Bob come up to Gatlinburg the day before and scout the proposal site. On Saturday, they hid about 20 feet away in the parking lot and took pictures & video! (I didn't find this out until WAY later...I did notice someone taking pictures but there are dozens of people standing around all taking pictures too, so I didn't pay too much attention.)
We ate, drank, and toasted all evening. Cindy and Bob showed up about a half hour later with large printed pictures of the proposal along with a slideshow projected on a big screen and a video of the proposal. It was a truly fun party and we ended the evening downtown dancing the night away!
I was very surprised the whole weekend and from the trip, to the proposal, to the party, everything was perfect!