Here's to a long and happy engagement!

      The photo above was taken just a few minutes before Josh proposed to me.  He is actually holding the ring in his pocket.  It was perfect.  Where's the picture of him proposing?  That's a funny story.  He and my mom had discussed it prior to the big day and he was supposed to say the code word "hamburgers" when he was ready to pop the question.  At that moment, my mom was supposed to get the camera ready and take the picture.  Well folks, he forgot the code word.  In his defense, the word hamburger is a bit odd to incorporate into a regular sentence at the Biltmore House, the most extravagant place in North Carolina. Despite not having a picture of him on one knee, it was still perfect.  I remember it vividly and I'm not entirely sure that a photograph would have done the moment justice, as it wouldn’t have been able to capture the joy I felt.  The intimacy of the moment is ours alone and I really love that.

     One of the first things that came to mind after I called family, sisters and friends was "when in the world is this going to happen?" I originally picked a date in January 2015, which would have been a 23 month engagement.  After a few months of being engaged, I realized that just wasn't practical for myself.  I'm quick to say "myself" because it was a very personal decision.  My family was able to adjust and prepare accordingly for the date to be moved up and the circumstances were in my favor.  I didn't move the date up because there is something wrong with long engagements, I'm just entirely too impatient.  There's no such thing as an engagement that is "too long" or "too short".  It really just depends on the couple, what they want and what they can feasibly do in a certain amount of time. When choosing the length for my engagement, there were a few things that I carefully considered.

What does being engaged mean to me?  

Obviously, it means the world to me!!!  Not only do I get to marry the man of my dreams, plan a wedding (which has been a blast), and be queen for a day, but I have the opportunity to become closer to Josh.  My relationship with Josh has always been wonderful.  A combination of that and all of the other great things in my life lead me to diagnose myself with what I like to call "life couldn't get any better" syndrome.  This occurs when you fall head over heels in love with your life and realize just how infinitely blessed you are.  It's a beautiful thing, but guess what?  It actually does get better!  Somehow I found a happiness beyond what I ever thought possible. The excitement is indescribable.  

When?  Where? HOW MANY PEOPLE?

I don't actually know why I thought I could handle a January wedding.  I have weather issues.  I complain if it's too cold and I whine if it's too hot.  I'm fickle and I know it.  I picked May in hopes of moderate temperatures and mild weather.  (I'm not sure I will get either of those things if the weather in Western NC this year is any inclination of what's to come.  That's another issue entirely, though.)  Next we had to decide where.  I began researching venues in and around the Waynesville area and realized that there was going to be a big problem.  That big problem was our massive guest list, which in all honesty is not a problem at all.  To know and love so many people is a blessing, rather than a curse.  Most venues had a limit of 150 guests.  The ones that allowed 200 and up were entirely too expensive.  I refuse to spend $20,000 on a building for my reception and was immediately insulted when I was quoted that price.  I'm sure the woman wasn't trying to offend me, but goodness, MAMA DIDN'T RAISE NO FOOL.  Even though the idea was right in front of our faces the entire time, we decided that we would like a church wedding and a reception in a different (but reasonable) location.  It took my mom pointing it out to us to make us realize that that was not only the best place for such a large wedding, but the best place for our religious ceremony to take place.  It was really a win-win.  Both the church and reception location are booked and reserved.  Yay!

So...back to the engagement length...

I knew that I needed a year at the very least.  Why?  I just did.  I sincerely love being engaged and I don't want to rush it. Aside from that, we are planning a large wedding and it takes a bit more time for that too.  There are some days when I wish that the date was already here, but I know that we chose the right thing for ourselves. We decided on a 15-month engagement.  We've had time to buy a house, adopt a dog (totally my idea, there was a lot of peer pressure involved) and take our time choosing the fun stuff- food, decorations, colors, etc.  Could I have planned my wedding in 6 months?  Sure.  Being a college student, I'm good under pressure and am capable of handling last minute details, but I spend too much of my life doing that.  My life at college is constantly rushed.  It's pure madness some days.  Assignments and papers are turned in last minute and I'm up all night studying for exams.  I get the job done, of course, but I hate the chaos.  I decided I didn't want to be rushed when planning a wedding.  This may be one of the only times in my life when I get to take as much time as I want to make things just the way I want them to be.  An opportunity like that doesn't come often.  

XO, 

Jordan

PS- How cute is my dog?  Totally worth the peer pressure.