WE HAVE A NEW DATE!

Will and I met as many other couples have, at a bar. If you've been out with Will before, you know that he is the first to offer a round of shots. I was out celebrating my birthday early and he and I started talking after a mutual friend introduced us. He offered to buy me a birthday shot and we ended up hanging out for the rest of the night. A few more nights of running into each other downtown and we've been inseparable ever since. I am forever grateful for celebrating my birthday early all those years ago. -K I've always looked at our initial meeting as fate. I was originally supposed to go watch one of my friends perform at another bar on this night. Well, for some reason I wasn't added to the guest list so wasn't allowed in. Instead of heading home I stopped by the favorite place (1831) for a drink and Kelsey just happened to be there celebrating her birthday with a mutual friend. She is correct in stating I do enjoy buying a few rounds, so a few rounds were purchased and I think that connection was immediately established. Except then I didn't get her number, and didn't see her again for a few weeks. We luckily happened to be at the same bar a few weeks later and were able to re-establish that connection and the rest is history. I will always be thankful for being left off that list. -W

Being together for seven years prior to the proposal, I was convinced I would see it coming. It was the Thursday prior to my 30th birthday and most of our conversations had been around how we were going to celebrate. At the beginning of the week, Will seemed like he was starting to get sick. We had been planning on going to a silent auction for his work and I was starting to think we wouldn't be able to go. Thursday comes and he had started to feel better so we decided to go. I was excited to get dressed up and go to The Club as I had never been before. Once we arrived, we went straight for the balcony to see the view of downtown Birmingham. Once the crowd started going inside, Will suggested we take advantage of the empty patio to take a picture. He offered to take my picture in front of the view and told me to face the city. When he told me to turn around to take another picture, he was down on one knee with a very special ring in his hand. It was the perfect moment and I couldn't believe I didn't see it coming. And we were very fortunate a kind stranger took a picture to capture the moment because the rest of the night was a blur for me! -K I of course had been trying to plan a surprise proposal for some time, but I'm terrible at surprises. Give them away every time. I was able to keep this a secret though. I had part of the plan down. Go to a place with scenic view, then tell her I wanted to take her picture facing towards the view, then when she turned around I would be on one knee. The 2nd part of this wasn't put in place until maybe the week or so before. Through work there was a Gala/Silent Auction at "The Club", which was always looming above us on Red Mountain when we lived on the Southside, and it has literally the best view in the city. I knew this had to be the location. Fast forward to the day of the event and I was sweating bullets the entire day. Luckily she didn't notice anything and I was able to pull of the surprise! -W