Since I was so busy photographing weddings and planning my own last year, I didnt get to share in every detail on actually BEING A BRIDE myself! Thought it would be fun to backtrack and follow the past year and all the fun (and stressful) parts of planning a wedding! Let’s start with the beginning and the day Josh PROPOSED, a year ago today!
Last year I had a home office and it was quite common for me to spend an entire editing day non-showered, in my pjs, glued to a computer. On this special day, Josh called in sick to work and decided to hang out with me all day on the couch… little did I know he was on the phone scheming with my photographer friend Courtney Wix to be there to document the proposal. Since he knew there would be photos… and was so sweet to READ MY MIND and know that OF COURSE I WOULD WANT PHOTOS OF THE PROPOSAL?!!!!!… the first obstacle was to get me out of the sweatpants and to be wearing real clothes and possibly have showered (which I thanked him for later). So his brilliant idea was: ‘hey, it’s such a pretty day, let’s get dressed and go for a walk and then go get dinner’… my thoughts: ‘um thats dumb to shower before a walk, but whatever…’ OBLIVIOUS. I just keep editing away the whole day.
Cue my friend Margo and her mother-in-law… they just happened to pull up that afternoon to take some photos in the buttercup field. Of course I wanted to stand out there and chat it up with my friend and her cutie pie baby that I hadn’t met yet… for what seemed like just a few minutes. No big deal.
WELL it was a big deal! I walked back inside and Josh was tapping his foot and his watch and anxiously said: ‘what are you doing??!!! we have to go on our walk!!!!’
‘CALM DOWN! Whats the big rush?’ …I dont like to be rushed.
‘And leave your phone here, too!’ …I tend to overdocument/text/facebook quite often and my phone camera is an extension of my hand… but okay okay… it seemed very important to him to leave it at the house. —it also seems that most proposal stories tend to include a slightly rushed/cranky/upset/confused girl… poor guys, they try so hard, but we really like to have control of every situation or at least know what’s going on, right?!
So LITTLE DID I KNOW (I love the ‘little did I know’ in every story. I absolutely love surprises)… my sweet photographer friend had been laying in a ditch in the back part of our farm for a good 30 minutes waiting for us to walk back there so she could capture the big event. She was nervous. Sweating. Nervous. Waiting. She had called my sister to make sure she was in the right location… Sara warned her to be sure she’s not where Dad buries the dead cows (we live on a cattle farm). So now she’s freaking out, grossed out, sweating, nervous, and waiting. (I love you, Courtney!)
We head off for our walk, I’m slightly cranky that I’ve been rushed and really wanted to talk to my friend… however, when you reach that point in your relationship where you are anticipating every moment to possibly be the proposal, I had started to wonder ‘what if it’s today? right now? No, surely not. Oh maybe!’
While photographing her baby, Margo snapped this ONE SHOT of us walking over the hill… she had no idea what was about to happen, either!
Josh: ‘arent you going to hold my hand?’ Suspicious me thinks: ‘oh yes, we should hold hands, especially if IT is about to happen!’ I grabbed his hand, wondering where the ring box was hidden. We take the 5 minute walk to the back part of our farm, nicknamed by my papal ‘The Outback’ and where a few months ago, Josh had built a little bench from a fallen tree. It was normal for us to go back there and sit and talk. We walk back to our bench.
His bottom barely hits the seat and he starts reaching in his pocket! I’m shaking, tearing up, thinking: ‘oh my gosh, oh my gosh! this is IT! I’ve waited so long and it’s here. YAY. oh gosh! I love him so much, this is so fun! Oh wait, pay attention to what he’s SAYING, Shea! YES YES YES!’ and i’ll admit I the photographer in me was also thinking: ‘he better have gotten someone to take photos of this!’ haha.
It was short, sweet and the most precious proposal and of course we both just started crying… and of course my sweet friend was snapping photos nearby. :)
Happiness.
Now, I have to share this part of the story. During this time, my mom and dad mentioned to my sister, Lindsey, that Josh was proposing in ‘The Outback’… sweet Lindsey, who has her blonde moments, immediately freaked out. ‘WHAT?! THE OUTBACK?! STOP HIM!’ she thought Josh was proposing at The Outback Steakhouse, on a Wednesday afternoon. ‘Shea will hate this idea, she want’s something sentimental and creative. Call him and stop him RIGHT NOW!’ My dad was so confused and said he thought it was a GOOD idea! Mom finally caught on and reasoned with her: ‘No Lindsey, back there, behind the woods!’
‘OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH. Oh yeah, she’ll like that. That’s sweet’… Bless her heart. She’s so pretty. :) I love you, Lindsey.
We walk back to my parents house, so excited to share our fun news. Lindsey was cutting a client’s hair in my mom’s salon at the time. I busted in to share the excitement. We cried. Then I immediately video chatted my sister, Sara. We squeeled and cried and made plans to celebrate over dinner together.
Just a normal Wednesday afternoon on the prettiest Spring day. Just so sweet and perfect. I’m so glad to have these photos, priceless. Thank you a million times, Courtney!
Then of course, later that week, we just couldn’t resist dining at THE OUTBACK and picking at sweet Lindsey’s misunderstanding… yes, we pretended Josh proposed with my ring in a Blooming Onion. People were staring. :)
