Guest Post: Planning the Proposal
Written by Sara on February 23, 2010 – 9:00 am -
Hello readers! My lovely fiance asked me recently when he could write a guest post on the blog (truthfully, I was SO excited that he wanted to write, I said, “Uh, how about now?!”). So, I’d love to introduce you to my dear almost-husband, Jordan – he’s going to tell you all about planning the proposal, from a groom’s perspective:
It was very early after Sara and I met that I knew that I would one day marry her. However, Sara and I took a lot of time falling in love, so it took about two and a half years before I realized that my dreams would come really come true. And reader, she was worth the wait.
I really had some plans to go really out of this world, blow her mind, and make anyone who can listen jealous (Sara requested that I don’t even tell her, so that she won’t be let down, so I won’t mention it here, but what I ended up with was leagues better in the creative and caring department that she should know that she’s ahead.). (Sara’s Note: Reader, he told me one of his ideas once upon a time - all I’ll say is that it involved PENGUINS, my favorite animal ever…but honestly, he wowed me with his actual proposal. WOWED ME. Read on…)
Well money and timing issues, among other things, got in the way of my grand plan, so I went back to the drawing board. Sara had told me that I needed to ask her Dad for permission, so I went along with setting up that meeting, and he gave me his blessing.
I had asked my parents for ideas on how to propose, and they had some great suggestions. I also asked my friends who did their own proposals and kind of got a mixed bag. However, one proposal did stick out, which was my buddy’s and groomsman’s Eric Depue. So, I borrowed his proposal plan to construct the overall structure of my plan.
My plan was to send Sara on a scavenger hunt around Sioux Falls, where we live. I would first send flowers to her office, with a card containing her first clue. I then planned to leave gifts at each stop on her journey, along with cards holding clues as to where she should go next. At the final stop, I would get down on one knee and propose.
Having the plan in hand, and the permission to go through with it, the hardest part came in planning and pulling off the whole ordeal. For my plan, I had to come up with a list of Sara’s favorite things and/or meaningful things we’d shared or experienced in our relationship. Luckily this list was pretty easy to put together, and the next plan came from mapping out the stores I would have Sara visit as she got her gifts from store to store. This was the hard part. I had to first find the right stores, and then make sure they had the right product, or something similar at least. Then I had to make sure I could trust some random employee to be working late enough for Sara to find them. Yeah…it was hard. [A special note: I wrote special cards explaining the reasoning behind purchasing each gift and how much I loved her. This also became a tough task, as I had to rewrite two of them because I couldn't find exactly what I wanted, and had to act on my toes to find the perfect gift for the occasion. But she said yes, so I think I nailed it.]
But by the hands of God, the plan could not have gone more perfectly. She received flowers at her office right on time. She then traveled to get her gifts from Barnes & Noble, to HyVee grocery store, to Triple Play Sports cards (a baseball card shop here in town), and then to Best Buy. The final clue then instructed Sara to trek out the waterfalls of Sioux Falls where she found me and walked (through misty rain) toward me. I said some sweet things that I’m certain she paid little attention to, I asked, she said yes, and we’re now happily engaged for 6 months, and have 5 months until we will be married!
The engagement took tons of special care, time, and thought, but I loved every second of it, and I would do it all over again. Next time, though, I’ll try for a sunny day.
To read Sara’s version of the proposal story, click here.
[Photo: Creative Kindling]
Tags: Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, HyVee, Proposal, Sioux Falls, Triple Play Sports Cards
Posted in Inspiration & Insight, Our Wedding, Personal | Comments Off
Green Post: Black Friday Shopping Tips
Written by Sara on November 23, 2009 – 9:11 am -
Good Monday morning, readers! I hope you all had a blissful weekend – I spent the last few days with J, with friends, and with Jim and Pam of The Office…needless to say, I pretty much checked out over the weekend and didn’t do any wedding planning at all! It was very relaxing.
A note about blog posts this week: in addition to the post below, I will put up a post tomorrow (Tuesday), but that’s it – I’m taking a long weekend to enjoy time with family and celebrate what we have to be thankful for this year. I encourage you to do the same!
The Thanksgiving holiday promises yet another exciting day – Black Friday. Two years ago, J and I got up early on Black Friday just to see what we could find, and he purchased our kitchen table (a black pub-style table; very fun!) and I scored a killer pair of black boots on clearance. But this year, J and I have more ambitious plans. A few months ago, J and I decided that we are going to try to purchase our wedding bands on Black Friday. We’ve never been on such a specific mission (as I said, two years ago we shopped for the fun of it), but I am eager to scour the ads on Thanksgiving Day and define our plan of attack.
That being said, this year on Black Friday, J and I are going to make a special effort to “green-ify” our shopping. Here’s a few tips for you on how to make your holiday shopping greener:
- Bring along your own shopping bags. J and I both purchased green canvas bags from our local grocery store, and this year, we’re going to put them to good use. By eliminating the amount of plastic you take home from the store, you inevitably reduce the carbon footprint of your own family (fewer plastic bags to throw away) and of your community!
- Bring along water in your own bottle. We all know that shopping can be tiring sometimes, especially when you’re standing in line forever at Best Buy waiting to purchase those seasons of The Office on DVD! Instead of just buying a bottle of water at one of the stores on your list, bring along your own bottle of water. You’re again eliminating waste by not consuming water out of the plastic bottle! Put ice in it to keep it cool, and stick it in your purse.
- Take advantage of Black Friday sales; invest in a water purifier. This point ties into #2, but it’s worth making. By running tap water through a purifier, you’re eliminating the need for bottled water.
- Purchase eco-friendly holiday gifts. This year, I plan to purchase many of my holiday gifts from Etsy, which is literally an online marketplace full of beautiful and creative handmade goods. However, I am also in the process of making a gift for my father’s 8 brothers and sisters (my aunts and uncles) using recycled and/or upcycled materials. If you’re looking for eco-friendly items to give as gifts, you can also check out the Eco-Mall directory.
- Carpool on Black Friday. This is the easiest way to reduce the amount of fossil fuels and pollution in the air, and is also the most fun! Shopping + time with family and relatives is always a recipe for fun.
I hope these tips will be helpful to you – happy shopping!
Photo courtesy of www.consumerreports.org
Tags: Best Buy, Black Friday, Consumer Reports, Eco-Mall, Etsy, green shopping, Jim and Pam, Thanksgiving, The Office, wedding bands
Posted in Eco-Chic, Our Wedding | Comments Off