My personal love story

One of my favorite parts of my job is that I get to meet a lot of great couples when I film weddings. It’s fun to see all the planning and forethought for their wedding come together in such a spectacular way. Surprisingly, however, I hadn’t thought much about planning my own wedding until a couple weeks ago. That is, after I purchased a diamond ring from Borsheim’s Jewelry and Gifts at Regency and took the most beautiful girl in the world on a date that turned out to be the best day of our lives. I asked her to marry me, and she said yes.

Stacy, my girlfriend, knew I was planning a special date for her that night, but she didn’t know what it was or where we were going. She also didn’t know that I’d met with her dad on the Wednesday before and asked his permission to marry her. I wasn’t sure if I was being too old-fashioned, but it was definitely a good choice and they both appreciated it a lot. I think the family got on board faster with the idea when they knew that dad approved first.

Stacy wore a beautiful silver dress and I suited up with a blue button-up shirt, black slacks, and a matching tie. She was shocked at the sports car when I pulled up (“Who’s car is that?!”) because I borrowed a 2007 Mustang GT from my dad for the night – stick shift of course. Her family came out to say hi and see the car before we headed out. Her dad knew I was going to propose, but played it cool for the surprise. He gave Stacy a hug though and I saw a big smile on his face as we left.

We listened to a playlist I prepared of love songs for the ride there. We headed downtown to the Old Market where we found a parking spot after a few minutes. Then, my roommate met us and took a few pictures of us together in our nice clothes. Stacy thought it was just because we had taken the trouble to dress-up, but I knew it would be important to us later to have pictures of us before the proposal.

We dined at the French Cafe in a private room they so-kindly provided for us. All I had to do was ask for something ‘a little more private’ when I made the reservation. I expected maybe being seated in a cozier room with less people, but was ecstatic to find out they were going to give us a whole room to ourselves! It was elegantly decorated with a romantic, candle-lit ambiance. The food was delicious, the service was enjoyable, and the conversation was superb, but I wasn’t ready to propose at a restaurant. I wanted to propose in private, and although it was a very intimate setting, I knew there would be a chance the waitress could walk in on us. Also, I was secretly enjoying the suspense of the evening.

After sharing a wonderful dessert and two cups of coffee, we headed to our next surprise: a carriage ride through Heartland Park! We hopped on board the carriage of our temporary but faithful steed ‘Elvis’ and snuggled close under a blanket. It was truly romantic. I was still saving the moment of the proposal for later, however. I didn’t want our driver, however friendly she was, to listen in on us.

After the carriage ride, I stopped at the car to pick up a messenger bag. I told Stacy I had one more surprise for her, a gift. I told her it wasn’t ‘anything big,’ which I thought was a pretty good pun. Rings are small sorts of objects.

I wanted to go down and find somewhere to sit in view of the fountains by the lake at Heartland Park. At this point, however, we had a little bit of trouble and got a little bit lost. Apparently it’s nearly impossible to get down by the fountains if you walk south of ConAgra. The only entrance is north of ConAgra. It was a nerve-wracking fifteen minutes, but finally we got down to the lake. It’s something we already look back on and laugh about, though.

As we sat down on a bench, I started to tell Stacy how I really love her, how she’s changed my life, blown my mind, how I believe God brought us together, how I’ve never had someone so special come into my life, even how I never thought I could love someone so much, and finally that I simply and deliberately want to spend the rest of my life with her. I opened up my messenger bag, took the ring box out, turned toward her on one knee, and asked “Stacy Vejvoda, will you marry me?”

Her jaw dropped and eyes watered. I could tell she had been waiting for this moment her whole life. In that moment she glanced down at the ring, met my eyes again, and said yes. What I will never forget is how briefly she glanced at the ring and how long it felt like she looked into my eyes. She was locked on my eyes. I expected the ring to be at the forefront of her thought at that instant, but she was only concerned about me. It was meaningful. We embraced.

As we walked back to the car, I continued about more things I love about her and we remembered to take a few pictures together with her digital camera. After we left downtown, Stacy called all her close friends and family members to celebrate the news, and then we visited our friends who were having a social night at their apartment. I poked my head in the door and said, “Stacy has a ring on her finger!” They were thrilled for us and Stacy got to tell them the story and show off her ring, which she loved! I was a little nervous about whether she’d like it because I picked it out without her, but she loved it.

Later, Stacy and I had champagne. It was an amazing night.

I’m so excited to spend forever with my fiancee and that I’ve been blessed with such an amazing woman to share life with. I hope everyone out there will be as happy as us! However, there’s still the question of who I’ll have film my wedding!