welcome to our forever

Hello honored guest, AJ Here! If you didn't know this already, Sara and I actually decided on our wedding date before we were even engaged! There were some incredible circumstances that led us to having our wedding in July, but it became apparent to us that this was what God desired. Knowing our wedding was only a few months away before we were even engaged meant that I needed to propose quickly, and it also meant that Sara would be expecting an engagement at any moment! I thought long and hard about how I could make our engagement a surprise, but since she was expecting to be proposed to, I couldn't think of any good way to genuinely surprise her. So, instead of making our engagement a surprise all in one moment, I thought I would fill a day with little surprises instead. I allowed her to know that she was going to get proposed to, but she wouldn't know when or where. In the spirit of embarking on the great adventure of marriage together, I decided to make the day I proposed an adventure as well. On April 9th, I had the Matron of Honor (Erin) invite Sara over for breakfast at her apartment. After breakfast, Sara was told to go into the guest room to get something. Upon entering, she found a letter I had written her as well as a dress I had purchased for her. The letter hinted at something "VERY special" happening that day and instructed her to put on the dress. The letter also contained a page with a cipher that needed to be decoded. The cipher led her to her 2nd location which was a lunch at Café Rio with Erin and two of her bridesmaids (Vanessa and Ericka). She was presented a 2nd letter and another clue. This clue led her to the 3rd location which was a park that we spent many dates at. Upon arriving at the park with her friends, Sara discovered one of her other bridesmaids (Kori) sitting on a picnic blanket with an iPad, another letter from me, and a bunch of snacks! On the iPad was a video from the Maid of Honor (Mallory) telling Sara all the things she loved about her. Attached to this letter was the 3rd and final clue. After proving her keen intelligence, she discovered that she and all her friends were about to take a road trip up to Flagstaff. This was about a 2-hour drive north from her current location (hence the snacks), but it was necessary because Sara just loves being in trees and in nature. Meanwhile my team of highly trained proposal decorators (aka. My friends and family) and I were racing to get the place where I would propose set up. After everything was in place and my team was hidden, Sara and friends rolled up to the spot. Sara got out of the vehicle to see electric tea candles lining a path into the woods. To her right was a long string of pictures from our relationship and scriptures that remind me of her written on note cards. Above her head were fairy lights which also zigzagged from tree to tree lighting her path. At the end of the path, on a blanket, was her 4th and final letter from me. In the letter, I told her everything I thought of her and also instructed her not to turn around as she would soon be hearing footsteps behind her. From my hiding place, I walked up behind her, got on one knee, and waited for her to finish reading the letter. Once she finished, she turned around, I asked her to marry me and guess what... SHE SAID YES!!! I then grabbed my guitar and, finally, sang a song to my new fiancé.