On July 23rd, 2014 on our 4 year anniversary, Garrett proposed on Chicks Beach in Virginia Beach.
About a month prior to that day, Garrett took his parents out to lunch to tell them his plan. After nothing but excitement and support from then on, he also took my dad out to lunch and gained permission to have my hand.
When I woke up on Wednesday morning, I had planned to have a typical day at work, run some errands after, and then meet Garrett at a local restaurant to celebrate our anniversary. However, when I got off at 5 o' clock and walked out of the door of my office building, there was a red carpet and a white limo with a sign with my last name.
Completely surprised, the limo driver greeted me with a handwritten card from Garrett followed by some instructions. I read the card and the first instruction was to play the first video on the iPad that was in the basket in the seat next to me. I picked up the iPad and found the video and hit play. It was Garrett, who pre-recorded steps I would be taking leading up to our "dinner date."
THE FIRST VIDEO:
Hey Babe, Happy Anniversary, I bet you are really confused on what is going on, but I want you to relax. As you can see there is a basket full of goodies to your left. If you open the first envelope, you will find a customized debit card. You are going to use that debit card to purchase a dress. I want you to pick a store in the area of Hilltop and you have only 55 minutes to get there, get a dress, and get back in the limo. Once you find the dress, play the next video.
So I pick a store that I used to work at, so I knew that I could find something and something pretty quick. When I walked in the store, being that I was super confused, I quickly filled in the sales person on what was going on, and she agreed to do anything to help! She then went one way and I went the other. Five minutes later, and boom, 15 dresses in the dressing room for me to try on. I found one that I actually really liked, got the debit card, and went to the front counter. I checked out and got back in the limo in 35 minutes, putting us slightly ahead of schedule.
THE SECOND VIDEO:
I know you are looking so beautiful in that new dress, so now the next step that we're going to take is something that you always said you would do. You said if I buy them, you will wear them.
At first, I had no idea what that clue meant and then it hit me. I HATE acrylic nails but he loves them. Next thing I know, we pull up at the nail salon. Apparently he came the day before and the nail ladies fell in love him. They all promised to have me out in one hour because he stressed I had an appointment after the nails were finished. I got back in the limo and played the next video.
THE THIRD VIDEO:
All right, we are getting closer to our dinner date, however, we have to make one last pit stop before... Hope you're having fun, babe, make a drink in the limo and enjoy this time.
He knows me so well. We pulled right up to the place that I get my eyebrows done. Once again, he visited the salon already, pre-paid, and set a time to make sure I was back in the limo. When I was finished with my eyebrows, the limo driver told me that I was running 20 minutes early and asked if I had anywhere in particular I would want to go before the last and final stop. Coming straight from work, the first thing to pop into my head was running home to freshen up. She didn't mind that idea at all and so we plugged in my address and I had all of a 10 minutes time span to fully freshen up before having to be back in the limo.
THE FOURTH VIDEO:
I know that you are looking amazing and I cannot wait to see you! We are getting so close, and I hope you are having so much fun! Now for this last step, you will have to use that bandana that is in the basket to blindfold yourself when the limo stops and the driver asks you to. After you put on the blindfold, someone will open the door, and we will go from there.
About ten minutes passed, and I was getting really anxious with a blindfold and having no idea of what was going on. He had blindfolded me for Valentine's Day to a beautiful dinner, so a proposal was the last thing on my mind. Finally, I took the hand of the person who was escorting me out of the limo, and I felt my heels digging in the sand. I didn't know who I was holding or what beach we were on, but someone finally took over my blindfold, and there was Garrett.
I was so excited to seem him after everything happening throughout the day. My back was to the water and both of my hands in his. He started with about a 5 minutes speech of everything about our relationship and all of the things that he loves about me. Then he asked me to turn around and look at the water. When I turned around, the first thing to grab my attention was the two chairs and a table he had set up on the beach as well as the tiki torches surrounding the table. He also had sand-sculpted hearts all around, however, I was so nervous I didn't even notice the "Will You Marry Me?" written in the sand. I turned back around and by that time Garrett had gotten down on one knee. It took me a couple minutes to process what had happened, but of course I said yes and was the happiest I'd ever been!
VENDOR CREDITS
Photography: Kirstyn Marie Photography // Location: Private Residence // Submitted via Two Bright Lights
