We(he) are tying the knot! #jellie

Our official first meeting was Fall Quarter of 2015 at the University of Denver. It was James' sophomore year and my freshman year and James was tasked with finding volunteers to lead worship at Cru, which is a Christian organization on campus. Somehow, my roommate Meredith and my name came up and we ended up meeting with James and his best man, Bryan Yoshida. How crazy!

Back in August 2019, I found out James Wehe was no longer going to be on the worship team. He was moving to NYC to pursue his master's degree in Classical Piano at NYU. As a "goodbye," we decided to grab ice cream at Bonnie Brae's and it ended up being a wonderful night where we talked until midnight...a rare thing for James Wehe to talk deep with someone he isn't super close to. Even though there were no romantic feelings at that time, we attribute that to the beginning of a closer friendship. Over the next few months, we texted occasionally and even planned to hang out over his Christmas break (which ended up not happenings, but that's a different story). Fast forward to February 2020, I was playing keys at Denver United Church where James's brother, Jordan, and his dad had come to church that day. I had met Jordan before and so he introduced me to Alan, telling him that I was one of James's friends. I just remember Alan looking at me, putting his hand on my shoulder, and saying, "If you care about James, call him." We call him cupid. Because, I did call James that week. And although it was still a few more months of friendship-building before realizing that there might be something more, that was a defining moment for us. May 17, 2020 is when we actually started dating. James was home in Alamosa, CO due to COVID-19, and was here for the indefinite future. We had been talking quite a bit over the phone and so he asked me how I'd feel if he drove up to Denver to see friends...and me. :) That weekend turned into quite a memorable one as he asked me to be his girlfriend. Little did we know, that was the beginning of a forever relationship!

For some background, James and I had taken a trip down to Alamosa to visit his family a week or two prior to our Disney trip. On that drive down, we were talking about the timeline of marriage and what would be ideal for us. We had originally thought getting married in summer of 2021 would be perfect. But, as we thought about what engagement would then look like for us, the idea of him being in New York while I'm in Denver, engaged and trying to plan a wedding, was less than appealing. So, I threw out a casual comment about him taking me to New York with him. I remember him saying something like, "Wait, actually, I think that's one of the best ideas you've ever had." And so it began! We talked to both sets of parents, whom we both adore and respect so much, and they all four readily approved. At that point, we realized we were working with a short timeline and so we set up a ring appointment and a talk with my dad so that he could propose when he was ready. Although we had looked at rings and he had asked my dad's permission, I was sure he hadn't had a chance to buy the ring yet because we looked at rings on Friday and left for Disney on Tuesday... and I was with him most of the days in between so I was certain it was impossible. Now that you know the pre-engagement story, we can travel to Disney World and our actual engagement story...keep scrolling...

Our day started out with a trip to Animal Kingdom in Disney World. We were almost half-way through our 7-day Disney adventure and, little did I know, I would arrive as a girlfriend and leave as a fiancé. So, after a fun day at the park, we came back to the hotel and showered and dressed up nice. Not an abnormal thing to do with his mom since she loves dresses and dressing up. It was a great excuse to be able to look a little nicer. We went to dinner at this Mexican restaurant and then walked around Disney Springs. As we headed back to the hotel, we ended up walking around the lake towards our hotel. It was a beautiful night. It was barely drizzling rain and the buildings were all lit up. It was truly magical (as Disney ought to be). As we neared our hotel, James asked me if I wanted to go on a walk just the two of us. I suggested walking along the beach and sitting on a swing in the sand. We sat there soaking it all in and, pretty soon, James pulled out a drawstring bag...something I didn't notice him having before. He pulled out a note I had written him and asked me to read it. Once I finished, he explained how that note reminded me of how I loved him through words of affirmation. He pulled out another note I'd written him while we were dating and had me read it, he told me he associated it with quality time. He then asked if I wanted to go to the dock and pier. We strolled along and he had me put all my stuff down so we could take some photos. Selfie time! Then, he pulled out two more notes and explained their association with the five love languages. I thought maybe he was just being sweet so I played along with it and made a comment about all the notes I wrote him and even joked I was missing the fifth love language. He whipped out the last note.

James then suggested we head over to the gazebo. Can I just say how perfect this gazebo was? As we starting walking over towards this brightly lit, empty, romantic spot...we passed by this massive tree and I saw Alan, James's dad - six foot four inches - trying to hide behind the tree. That's when I started to suspect something...I asked James, "Is that your dad?" and he quickly turned my attention elsewhere. When we reached the gazebo, James handed me a card and asked me to read it aloud. I opened it and read his writing on how he had fallen for me incorporating the five love languages. As I reached the last sentence, it read..."Kellie, I fell in love with you..." I looked up at him expectantly as if there was more. You don't end on an ellipsis for nothing. He seemed preoccupied and asked me to read it again. So, as I slowly read it once more, he finally came over and put his arm around me and let me read it to him. I finished, turned towards him, and we reminisced over the last few months of our dating life together and how much love we had for one another. Then, he got down on one knee. I was in shock. I, of course, did the Hollywood hand-over-mouth gasp and and then this is how the conversation went... Me: Wait. No, no, no. This is impossible. James! Him: Will you marry me? Me: Yes...yes, yes, yes! But, how, how, how?! Him: There's no how, how...it's yes or no. Me: Oh my gosh, no seriously! How did you do this? Him: I went to Jared's. How do I remember exactly how the conversation went, you might ask? Do I just remember the conversation perfectly? No. James is a good listener and knew I hoped to have the engagement on video, as well as some secret photos! So...thank you Jordan Wehe, James's brother, for hiding in the bushes and snapping photos of this magical moment James and I shared.