The date was August 3, 2019 on the beautiful Destin, Florida beach.
It was a very God blessed day and one I will remember for the rest of my life.
Now here is where the story begins....
I had just finished my second year of PT school and we had a family vacation planned with his family to go down to Destin, FL for a couple weeks since I had a three-week break from school before my final year of PT school started. My fiancé (boyfriend at the time) and I were so excited since we hadn’t been on a vacation for over 2 years together and we love the Destin area. My fiancé grew up going to Destin, FL a lot with his whole family for vacations…too many to count I’m sure! They absolutely love it there and I have definitely grown to love it as well….So much that we may want to move there one day, but that’s another story for another time!
Okay, back story - I can remember the first ever trip I took to Destin during the summer of 2017, and how fun it was to see my fiancé and his family’s favorite vacation spot where they made so many countless memories at for so many years. I got to eat at all of their favorite restaurants and visit all of their favorite shops, as well as finally getting to witness, in person, the incredible ocean views of the emerald coast that I have heard so much about, with its beautiful white sanded beaches and breathtaking ocean waters that have a greenish-blue ombré appearance. I also couldn’t believe how clean and clear the ocean was. I had never swam in such clear ocean waters before, where you can actually see your feet while you’re swimming. I fell in love with Destin that trip and couldn’t wait until the next time I could return. Little did I know I would be engaged there the next time I visited, just 2 years later.
Now...let me get back to the engagement story! 😊
While planning for the vacation, my fiancé mentioned that his mom wanted to get family pictures on the beach and that she hired a photographer that would take them while we were down there. He also told me to pack the dress he got me for my birthday, 2 weeks prior, that he had specifically picked out for me to wear for the family beach pictures, that way we all matched.
The day of the photoshoot we got all ready and then headed down to the beach in the evening so that we could get pictures taken at sunset. The photographer got pictures of just us girls first, then got pictures of the whole family, and then got pictures of each couple (my fiancé’s mom and dad, my fiancé’s sister and her boyfriend, and then my fiancé and I), with my fiancé and I going last for strategic reasons that I was unaware of at the time. When it was our turn for pictures, the photographer got some shots of both of us and then wanted to get some shots of just me, so she had me turn away from where my fiancé was standing. After those pictures were taken, I remember turning around to find my fiancé again. As I turned around, I remember looking up and seeing that every single one of his family members had their phones out and held up to take pictures, and in that moment I remember thinking to myself that something was definitely about to go down, because "why would they all be taking pictures of me?...That’s odd!"
The photographer then told the both of us to hold hands, and it was in that moment that I knew what was about to happen.
My fiancé grabbed my hands in his. He then went on to say a bunch of sweet, sweet things that I can’t actually remember because my mind was going crazy and I was in a slight state of shock, to put it simply…haha. I just remember that it was so perfect in that moment, but reality had definitely not hit me yet with what was about to happen!
Next, the moment we’d both waited for for so long, my fiancé got down on one knee and asked me to marry him, right there on the beautiful Destin beach in front of his family! Of course I said YES! I was trying so hard to hold back tears the whole time because I am not a crier by any means and was very aware that there was a lot of cameras on me...so I wasn't about to ugly cry haha. That was for sure the happiest moment of my life to date!
My fiancé planned and coordinated the whole thing. The “beach family photoshoot” turned out to actually be a surprise engagement photoshoot that was planned all along. He hired my dream photographer for our special moment, which is one who captures pictures using natural light (I just LOVE the way those pictures look with that style of photography! So bright and natural! The ability to truly capture the natural beauty of God’s amazing creations). He also got his whole family involved to make the surprise so special. Just the fact that he knew I wanted the moment captured and then went above and beyond to give me memories that would last a lifetime, makes me so in awe of the amazing and thoughtful man I said yes to forever to on that beautiful and perfect day. I never imagined we would have professional pictures to cherish forever of that very special moment in our lives.
When we got back to the condo where we were staying for vacation, my fiancé told me he had another surprise for me. Sitting on the kitchen table was a present for me to unwrap and two letters. The present was a cute dress he surprised me with that I’d had my eyes on for a while, which was so sweet of him. My fiancé also made the engagement even more special by meeting with two of my best friends, Courtney and Dani, before vacation to let them know of his plans to propose to me and ask them if they would be willing to write some sweet letters for me to read after the proposal so that they could be a part of the day even though they couldn’t be there with us in person. He knew that I would want them to be a part of the day in some way or another, and it was so special to be able to read those letters from my best friends on the best and happiest day of my life. The letters they wrote where so heartfelt and touched my heart more than they know…definitely icing on the cake of a day 😉!
My fiancé also met with my parents ahead of time for lunch in order to get their blessing and let them know of his plans for the proposal. He even texted my parents the morning of in order to include them as much as he could since they couldn’t be in Destin with us.
We ended up FaceTiming my parents and brother, who were at home in Ohio, to let them know of the great news. Afterwards, we FaceTimed some of my best friends (Courtney and my other best friend/big sis/MOH, Desi) to surprise them with the news. I was so excited to tell them because they’ve been so excited and patiently waiting (also probably impatiently waiting..haha) for this day to finally come. All of my best friends are married, so we’ve all been waiting for my time to come for a while, and it was so special to get to tell them all that I was finally getting married!
We ended the night with a nice dinner and some champagne to celebrate the special day as a new engaged couple, even though I really could not eat much of anything because I was too excited to eat and was still floating up on cloud nine. I went to bed that night with the biggest smile on my face and woke up the next morning having to pinch myself because I couldn’t believe this was my new reality. If you’ve been through it before, then you know the feeling of being proposed to by your best friend in the whole wide world, who chose to spend the rest of his life with you of all people, is truly indescribable. It’s seriously the best feeling!...Just you wait, girls! Your time will come and it will be one of the best moments of your life. I’m so excited for you to experience that moment too!
I am still so amazed at how much thought my fiancé put into our proposal. He went above and beyond anything I could’ve ever dreamed or imagined. When I look back at that day, I still feel like I’m living a dream. I’m so excited to have these memories with him forever. It meant the world to me that he included his family, my family, my very best friends, and did it at one of our favorite places ever. I am so blessed to be loved by him. I know I have an incredible man that God so graciously blessed me with, and I can’t believe I get to spend the rest of my life with him. God has been so good to us! He prepared us for that moment in our lives and has continued to prepare us for our future when we become one.
Just like my fiancé went above and beyond anything I could’ve ever dreamed or imagined when he asked me to marry him, that’s exactly what God does with our entire lives. His blessings amaze me everyday. His timing is always perfect. It has actually always been a dream of mine to get engaged and then married at a younger age in life (engaged at 20 or 21-years-old instead of engaged at 24) like all of my best friends were, but God’s timing is so much better. He knows what we need and what is best, whether we think so or not.
When I put things into perspective, I am truly grateful that we relied on His timing instead of our own, because when I think about it now, if we would’ve gotten engaged anytime prior to when we did, we would not have been ready, period. God knew that. It was His blessing in disguise that He made us wait. He gave us more time to grow in our relationship with each other, to grow closer to Him, to get fully prepared for married life so that we can be the best spouse we can be for one another, to get through school, to be more financially smart and set, and to have more time to spend and cherish with our families before we get married and leave home to start a family and home of our own.
His blessings are everywhere! You just have to look and appreciate the small things in life.
Always remember that God will give us the desires of our heart if we continue to rely and trust in Him always. He gave me my biggest dream come true…my best friend, my now fiancé, and my soon-to-be future hubby…and I have no doubt he’ll do the same for you!
”Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” Ephesians 3:20
“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4
Love Always,
Jessy Marie
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