Emmanuel and Morgan were just about 40 days away from their wedding date when a global pandemic called COVID-19 unexpectedly sweeped over the world. While their tribulations were small compared to the health concerns of others, they were caught in a diffcult position to make the decision to post-pone their wedding reception celebrations. To be continued...
Morgan had been visiting her friends in Houston and flew back to Denver on a very early Saturday morning. When she arrived in Denver, Emmanuel had the car and bags packed for a romantic getaway weekend to a cabin in the mountains (so she thought). The entire drive up to Breckenridge, Morgan kept commenting how tired she was and how she was not looking forward to snowboarding that morning. Emmanuel kept gently encouraging her and reminding her that the snow season was ending and they should take advantage of the season. Eventually, Morgan and Emmanuel got on the ski lift and made their way up the mountain, using this time together to recall their favorite memories on the mountain. Morgan was so tired that she wiped out when she got off the ski lift, but laughed it off as Emmanuel helped her up and gave her some encouragement. When they went to strap in to their boards, Emmanuel asked her to stand, as he got down on one knee and said, "Morgan Payne, will you marry me?" Emmanuel's friend Nick captured the whole thing on camera and video (see below). Morgan was blown away by the surprise, and she couldn't think of a more perfect proposal.... but it wasn't over yet. After having a celebratory drink on top the mountain, Emmanuel mentioned that they needed to now drive to Fort Collins. Morgan was very confused and asked, "What about the cabin?" to which Emmanuel replied, "There is no cabin." They rushed off to Fort Collins, and Emmanuel surprised Morgan with a private dinner in the top floor at their favorite local restaurant: Ginger and Baker. When they walked in, the table was set for 9 people. At this point, Morgan was even more confused, but before she could ask any questions, Emmanuel turned her around to see the best surprise of all. Her parents, his parents, her best friend Jessica and husband David, and her Goddaughter Olivia. Morgan and Emmanuel had never been happier than in that moment!
RA Sushi at City Centre. Emmanuel and Morgan had been talking about meeting here for awhile and the date had finally come. In true Morgan fashion, she was running a little late. When they finally sat down for dinner, they were both a little nervous. Emmanuel kept pronouncing the restaurant as “Arh Ay”, and Morgan ended up ordering an appetizer with mango (she is allergic). It made for a great laugh, and they realized how much fun they had together. They stayed at the restaurant talking and laughing for 5 hours before saying goodnight.