The next couple I get to introduce I know A LOT about… LoL!! It’s Brian and me! Being a wedding planner, I am planning my own wedding, but WILL have a day of coordinator for the wedding weekend. I can’t be a planner and a bride. So today I will share with you our engagement story!

I never would of guessed that that night would be “the night”! The day started pretty typical with Brian and I running errands and visiting family and friends. That day we drove to Bishopville to visit Brian’s father. When I entered my soon-to-be father-in-laws house he said to me can’t wait until you are my daughter-in-law. I brushed it off as Brian and I had been discussing marriage, so what he said didn’t totally shock me.

Once back in Columbia, we debated about where we were going for dinner and ended up at Solstice. The food was okay, but nothing over the top and Brian seemed calm throughout the dinner. Towards the end of dinner, he complained about eating too much and that we should go down to the Vista to “walk it off”. Going to the Vista sounded like a plan to me… I wanted to hit up Wet Willie’s for a slushie anyway. Well unknown to me, Brian had other plans.

We did park in the Vista, but as we started walking Brian stated that we should walk towards the State House. One for new scenery, sure why not. As we are walking to the State House, we stop at the corner of Main and Gervais street and Brian had this funny look on his face and I immediately thought “this fool about to propose”. But instead he goes let’s take some pictures. So we snapped a few pictures before walking across the street. And I breathed a sigh of relief! I wasn’t ready (in my Kevin Hart voice)… lol!!

So we walk up the State House steps, read the plaques at the front and by that time I am DONE with the State House. However, he insisted that we keep on walking. I grumble a bit, but start walking. Well after about 5 minutes, I get agitated and ask him can we start walking back to the Vista. He then tells me he knows that there is an African American monument on the grounds that he would like to see. So we walk around the WHOLE State House before we get to it.

Once we reach the monument, I am totally fascinated and start reading everything. During this time, Brian asks me what today is I say October 13, 2013 and it’s our anniversary. Then I start singing Tony Toni Tone “It’s Our Anniversary”. After signing the chorus, I turn to him and say no it’s not and then start laughing. Our anniversary was one week later.

So I am reading the timeline of our ancestors on the monument and for some reason start to sing Drake… “Started From the Bottom Now We Here”. Brian then turns to me and says just like our ancestors we have overcome obstacles and challenges in our relationship, but there isn’t anyone else I would rather face and go through them with. He gets on one knee and ask me to marry him.

I do the deer in headlights look. I think there was a calm silent moment, I just looked at him totally crazy. Probably not what he was expecting. I was just in TOTAL shock. The next words out of my mouth are “are you serious” and “did you talk to my mama”. When he answers yes to both… I start crying, drop my purse and run in a circle. Then I come back to him and tell him YES! Crying, laughing, and smiling the whole time.

Photography by Fokas Photography.