Three years ago today, Parker and I got engaged. It was one of the most joyful days of our lives, and today I am going to share some ways that our families and loved ones added even more joy to our engagement.
Parker and I spent Memorial Day weekend with my family at Orange Beach, so we planned to spend the Fourth of July with Parker's family at their house on Gap Lake. I am usually not easily surprised, but I had no clue Parker got permission from my dad to ask me to marry him while we were at the beach. And then also had no clue that he had arranged for my family to come to his family's lake house to be there to celebrate our engagement.
So we got to the lake Friday, went for a boat ride Saturday morning, and when we got back from the boat ride, Parker said some really sweet things (which are mostly all a blur), and asked me to marry him. I of course said yes, and then as we were walking down the pier, Parker told me he had one more surprise for me.
When we got up to the screened in porch, my mom, my dad, and my sister were there, along with Parker's family. This was such an exciting surprise to me because 1. I thought they were spending the 4th of July at the beach and 2. Our families had never met, so I was ecstatic Parker made this family meeting thing happen on such a special day.
Please excuse the lack of makeup and slicked back hair look- If you didn't believe I didn't expect a proposal before, then maybe you do now.
Both of our families went above and beyond to help us celebrate this special day! My family brought us 2 beautiful Waterford champagne flutes. We were all given mimosas and Parker's brother in law Clay gave the kindest toast to kick off our celebration.
Then we enjoyed a delicious brunch Parker's family put together for us. How adorable are those cookies? Parker's sister Allyson found them on Pinterest and got them made. The baby's breath and pink banner were too cute too!
My sister Ebie typically tries to wear something for us to be twins because she knows how embarrassed I get. This time, she had no clue what bathing suit I would be wearing, and she just so happened to pick out the same bathing suit I was wearing this day. #twinning However, it was the Fourth of July, so I guess there was a decent chance we would both wear our navy bathing suits. And my mom brought a whole bunch of these red, white, and blue huggers from Walmart- so fun and festive! We still love pulling them out and reminiscing on this fabulous day.
Parker's family set out another lovely brunch the next day. Parker's sister came in with a super cute idea again! White powdered donuts with diamond toppers = diamond rings. SO cute! My family brought some gumbo that we had for lunch, and that was nice to get to enjoy some delicious, fresh seafood. You don't realize just how much you miss fresh seafood until you live 5+ hours away from home.
Our sweet niece Anna Clay made this collage for us after the weekend!
I could not have asked for a more special engagement. So many people contributed so much time and thoughtfulness to make this event so joyful for us.
Friends who were not with us at the actual time of the engagement also contributed to the joy we felt. Sending cards, bridal magazines, items with my new monogram on them, and well wishes meant so much.
I did not know to do this type of thing until I got engaged, but now that I know it is a meaningful thing to do, I will send a card, text, social media post, or something to let my friends know how happy I am for them. Maybe when I live closer to friends, I will be able to bring them some precious Pinterest cookies or diamond ring donuts. :)
Please let me know if you have any other thoughtful suggestions of things that you do when someone gets engaged. Thanks so much for reading and Happy 4th of July!