We’re getting married!

Tyler and Mary had been Facebook friends since 2015 and shared mutual friends through Milligan College. But they never talked or actually met each other until the summer of 2018 when Tyler randomly messaged Mary on Facebook. He said, “I’m not sure how we became friends on here, but you have the most charming smile. Like ever.” Soon they were texting, then talking on the phone several times a week, and then visiting each other in Nashville and Bristol. For a while Mary kept Tyler in the FriendZone, but Tyler’s patience paid off and it wasn’t long until they fell in love.

After Tyler and I picked out rings at the end of summer 2019, I was anxiously anticipating the big moment and trying to predict every possible opportunity. Every time we would go hiking I would be extra glam. One day Tyler told me it probably wouldn’t happen until 2020, which I honestly believed since I knew our efforts were going toward renting a house together. So I stopped expecting it at any moment and put it out of my mind for a while. On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, November 30, we had plans for a date night. Tyler asked if I wanted to hike at our favorite spot Roan Mountain that morning and I was like, “Nahhh it’s cold and rainy.” On our way to Asheville, he put on the playlist we made for each other. That was the first time that day I thought “Hmm... hiking in our special spot... playing our playlist... going to Asheville which is also our spot... is he?? Nahhh.” So we get to the Omni Grove Park Inn to grab a drink before dinner and look at the gingerbread houses. As we’re walking around, he insisted that we check out this waterfall he hears on another floor. We get to it, and it ends up being this tiny trickling fountain. So I’m like “Cool. Lets go to the bar now.” And Tyler turns around with this look on his face he always has when he’s about to say something sweet. And I think, “Is he?? Nahhh” and he says, “I hate clichés too” and I think “Is he??? Nahhh.” Even as he gets down on one knee and reaches into his pocket and opens up the box I’m thinking “Is he????” Also my disbelief and shock response is usually “NOOOOOO!” which is really inconvenient for that particular moment. But also in that moment, I wanted to just pause and soak it in: the man I’m in love with asking me to spend the rest of our lives together. It’s a moment that I can’t just whip my phone out and snap a picture of, but it’s one I’ve waited and prayed for my whole life. So as I’m standing there cherishing this moment, I realized I hadn’t actually said yes. “Yes! Well obviously yes.”

I had couple of ideas for the proposal. Mary is tough to surprise, so that was top priority (you always want to beat the expectations, right?) I planned to take her to our favorite spot on Roan Mountain but it was raining and freezing cold that day, so I had to go with plan B. I told Mary we should go to Asheville to have a date since we hadn't been on one in a while. On the drive there, I hinted at it by playing our shared playlist we made when we first started dating. Surprisingly, she didn't seem suspicious of this. When made it to The Grove Park Inn, we got all the way to the entrance before I realized I left the ring in the car! I told her I left my phone in the car and ran back to get it. I made it back to her within a minute, and she was still unphased. The hotel had a gingerbread house exhibit going on, so we walked around looking at those for at least an hour with my hand sweating on the ring box in my pocket. Finally, I heard a fountain in the distance, so I looked at Mary and said, "Let's check out this waterfall they've got here." I thought it was going to be a grand scene, when it actually turned out to be the least impressive fountain. I looked at it disappointingly, and Mary tugged, "Alright, let's go." I turned to her, and realized it was just her and I. I remember looking at her and imagining the rest of my life with this woman; through every trial and success, her soft smile being there. I knew that this was the moment I needed to ask her. I choked on the words. All I could muster was, "I hate cliches too." She looked at me perplexed. I got down on one knee; she gasped, "No.....No...No..." After the third 'no', I thought, 'seriously??' She finally shook her head out of the disbelief and said, "I mean, yes!"