Our Engagement Story

There is a little backstory here…As most of you know, I have a devilish little black cat named Delaney. She truly means everything to Ben, and their bond really is adorable. He was terrified of cats until he got to know Delaney. Very shortly after I started dating Ben, I professed to some girlfriends, “Ben is going to be Delaney’s dad someday! I just know it!” It’s quite crazy what a few glasses of Pinot Noir will do to a girl. Embarrassing, I know. Eventually I shared my “crazy girl” moment with Ben and the inside joke continued.

Saturday, June 2, 2018, a day that I will remember for the rest of my life. I should have known when Ben kindly commented on my hairdo and asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to curl it?” (Dry-shampoo and the “Barbosa Bun” was what I decided on for the night.) We parked the car, and Ben grabbed a gift from the backseat. It was a gift that he insisted I open “while we enjoy a drink and talk about how great the year has been.” I should have known when Ben carried a fleece jacket in 90 degree heat. (He had to hide the ring somewhere) I should have known when we walked into the bar and magically our seats were open. The very seats where we sat one year earlier enjoying our first date. The seats we selfishly hogged at the bar while we talked for hours, too nervous and excited to even order food. I should have realized there was a camera pointed at us for nearly an hour snapping pictures.

Yet, I had absolutely zero clue. (I honestly thought it would happen later in the summer or fall.)

We sat at the bar, and Ben gave me a beautiful photo album. We held hands, laughed, and remembered all the wonderful moments we had over the year. The night truly was perfect. I found out that Ben had been working on this photo book for months. The book even had screenshots of our first conversations. At the end of the book, was a page that said, “June 2, 2018- the day Delaney got a dad.” As I laughed hysterically, I started to get it. In my mind, I kept thinking, “Is this happening? Is this really happening?”

I remember Ben saying, “What do you think about that?”

I remember so vividly, grabbing his face and just saying, “I love you!”

Before I knew it, he was on his knee popping the question. I cried. He cried. We hugged.

Just as I proclaimed, “I don’t even know what hand this thing goes on!”, my mom appeared. I hugged her and noticed our other family members behind her.

The emotions I felt on Saturday night were beyond intense. At the end of the night, it was just me and Ben. I have never been more happy and excited to start this next chapter with my best friend by my side forever. If there is a place higher than Cloud Nine, that is where I am. I am so very blessed to have this incredibly thoughtful, kind, intelligent, and genuine man as my future husband. Ben is already my everything, and I get so excited thinking about the future with him. I never thought love this intense could exist.

I think these pictures best tell the story…

Special thanks to Shutterfly for helping Ben create the most amazing photo book. Thank you to the entire staff at Cask Republic– they were incredible to me, Ben, and our families. Thanks for putting up with us and celebrating with us. Thank you to Stacy Mettler for capturing these amazing photographs that we will cherish forever. Big thanks to our dear and talented friend, Russ Hollander, the Master Goldsmith. Whenever I look down at my hand, it will be a constant reminder of Ben’s vision brought to life. It is absolutely perfect! Most importantly, thanks to Match.com, because, let’s face it- it’s okay to look.