M & H

Holly loves surprises. McKenzie hates them. They decided they would race to propose to one another - not sharing any details. In August, they went to the same jeweler just three days apart. Their families worried they might pick the same days, but then McKenzie picked October 19th and Holly chose October 26th - just seven days from the other. McKenzie worked with their friend, Maddie, to pull off a Clue-themed, “house-warming,” party at Maddie’s new house - this would end up being the engagement party. The hope was that on the way to the party, McKenzie could text Maddie and ask if she needed anything before they arrived. Maddie would respond and send them to Tontitown Winery for a specific bottle she was craving. Holly and McKenzie would go in together and buy a bottle of wine that they could keep forever since they bought it right before they were engaged. Though, as most things go, we pulled into the winery’s parking lot and Holly told McKenzie, “I’m not going inside looking like this.” SIDE NOTE: We had character assignments and Holly was in a cheetah print dress, bling high heels, and a fur coat. Maddie tried to give her a costume that was really just an elevated version of Holly, but Holly took it and ran - full costume. She slayed obviously, but neither of us would've imagined the outfits we picked for the Clue party would be our engagement outfits. Anyway, McKenzie decided not to pick an argument in that moment and went inside the winery alone. On the way in, she frantically texted the photographer that there would be a slight change in plans and she would have to throw a Hail Mary to get Holly out of the car. After McKenzie bought the bottle of wine, she walked back to the car, opened the door and showed Holly the bottle. "Get out of the car; I'm proposing to you," McKenzie said to Holly. Holly was stunned and thought McKenzie was joking. She very quickly realized that McKenzie was indeed proposing and all of this was real. They walked to a spot under a tree, laughed for a second about how wild it was, and then they decided they would spend forever together.... and after all of that, Holly still thought they were going to a Clue party. It wasn't until they were getting out of the car at Maddie and Dax's house that she realized there was no Clue party, but a party to celebrate them - themed "She Had No Clue." They finished the night with all of their favorite people and snacky foods - ready for all that lies ahead.

When Holly didn't propose back to McKenzie immediately, McKenzie thought she would have to wait an eternity to get a ring, too. Thankfully, Holly had the perfect plan. If you didn't know, Holly is a night-shift nurse. So after she worked Saturday night, she came home and "went to bed" while McKenzie went to church with her sister, Bailey. Once church was over, McKenzie headed home with Bailey and when they opened the garage, they discovered Holly's car was gone. McKenzie walked inside to find flowers and a letter on the kitchen table. SIDE NOTE: McKenzie does not like surprises. END SIDE NOTE. The letter said things like, "today is the day," and, "enjoy the day with your favorite people doing your favorite things," and, "I'll see you at the end!" So McKenzie and Bailey headed to brunch at McKenzie's favorite spot - Homegrown. She was met by her best friends, Maddie, Dax, Izzy, and Adrian. Holly had asked them to do brunch with McKenzie, unbeknownst to her. After brunch, there was another letter. This one said it was time to shop and get my nails done! McKenzie, Bailey, and Maddie headed to their favorite nail salon where Holly had made an appointment in advance for them. After nails there was another letter - time to get ready! Holly told McKenzie to "wear whatever you feel comfortable and confident in," and that she had plenty of outfit choices to match my vibes. Once McKenzie was ready, she received her final letter. This one said it was time for McKenzie to meet Holly. Bailey drove McKenzie out to Holly's parents house where Holly picked her up in her dad's side-by-side and drove them to a spot on the farm. It was so silly because the week before while on a buggy ride, McKenzie had mentioned wanting to take some engagement photos in this specific spot. As they walked up to the spot, the same feeling from the past Sunday came over them. The moment they'd dreamt about for so long was FINALLY happening. Also McKenzie is for sure a crier so when Holly told her the inside of her ring was engraved she lost it. No more holding it together. After, they drove back to Holly's parents house and had their very first conjoined Sunday family dinner. McKenzie's family was there to celebrate! It was the best day - start to finish!