How did he propose?
I thought I knew exactly when Gabriel would propose. All of his hinting led to Valentine’s Day, but goodness was I wrong. The evening before Valentine’s Day (which was a Thursday) he wanted to go out and eat sushi. I, on the other hand, did not want to go out since it was 9:30 in the evening. My mother urged me to go, and I’m so glad that I did. We got to the Japanese restaurant and there was only one other couple there. We ordered our sushi, ate, and then when it was time to pay something strange happened (throughout the entire evening I noticed that he was very nervous, and the thought didn’t hit me as to why he was that nervous). He all of a sudden “dropped” the ink-pen that he was signing the receipt with. Then proceeded to get on the floor and pick it up, but I noticed that he was continuing to kneel on the floor. I looked up at him to see why he was still on the floor, and I was greeted with him kneeling on one knee with the ring box in his hand. He then asked me to marry him, and in my shocked/joyful state I could not stop saying yes.
Tell us about your venue and why you chose it:
We got married at The Manor at Stowers Hill in Harriman, TN. We chose this venue because of their gorgeous property, the beautiful barn (which had tables made out of the old horse stalls!), and the kindness of the venue owners.
What was your favorite and least favorite part about the wedding planning process?
My favorite part of the wedding planning process was finally finding my dress at Monica’s after trying on over 100 dresses all over East TN. My least favorite part was the stress of making sure everything was ordered and completed on time.
Any advice for other brides planning their big day?
Whatever you do, don’t let your big day fly by you (which it does), but take the time to sit back and take in the moment with your family, friends and your now husband. Those moments are so precious.
What was your favorite part of your wedding day?
I can’t even begin to name a favorite part of our wedding, because every little part of the day was cherished in a different way than the rest. If I had to name one, it was getting to see the sheer joy upon my husband’s face when we did our first look. After our photographer took pictures, she left us alone to have a private moment together. That moment spent holding each other was such a tender and loving part of the whole day.
Venue: The Manor at Stowers Hill
Photographer: Kelsi Walters Photography