Dream Wedding Giveaway: Shelby & Joe

We met at a club in East Lansing the summer after I graduated high school. I saw him there a couple times before I actually decided to talk to him. We kept smiling at each other from across the room and I walked over to him and asked him to dance with me. Of course he said yes ;) and we have been together ever since. We live together, both go to Grand Valley, and have 3 kitties together :D

We got engaged the day before his birthday, which was exactly a week before our 3 year anniversary. We were hanging out in Holland on the beach with his parents when it started thunder. We walked up the stairs to the deck overlooking the beach and I was wiping sand off my feet when he reached into his bag and pulled out the box. He opened it and asked me if I would make this the best birthday ever by agreeing to marry him. I waited a few seconds for him to actually kneel down, then said yes! I was speechless because I know I'm supposed to marry my best friend and now it's actually happening!! My ring is perfectly simple and the perfect size for my little hand. He had the diamond from my mom's old engagement ring from my dad into a diamond band. I love it!

Dream Wedding Giveaway: Tabatha & Elvis

I met my fiance Elvis in High School, where we had a class together.  I never knew until years later that he had a crush on me as I did on him.  He used to tease me about being so uptight.  I never wanted to help him or anyone cheat in class, I would even throw away notes to prevent them from cheating.  He would just smirk and shake his head.  He loved doing anything to make me smile.  He would throw the notes towards me to catch my attention, it would always make me flinch.  I told him while smiling, "you need to stop making me flinch, one day my husband will reach in to give me a hug and I will think he is trying to throw something at me!" 

We remained friends throughout High School.  After we graduated, I moved away to go to College.  Elvis stayed near home to go to school.  He had heard I was single.  He sent me a message asking if I was free for a date.  I of course couldn't say no! 

We eventually started dating, we ended up moving back to the Grand Rapids area.  We even bought a house.  We were saving up for an engagement ring, when we had a little suprise.  Our son Leo was born 3 years after our first date.  He is the best thing that has happened to us.

My two boys gave me an amazing suprise, when Leo helped his dad ask me to marry him.  I have never witnessed a more romatic and thoughful moment. 

I would have never thought at age fifteen when I was talking about my future husband to Elvis, I would be lucky enough for it to be him.

Dream Wedding Giveaway: Nicole & John

My fiance and I met via MySpace. Can't say it was love at first sight. We are both divorced so we took our time. After five and a half years we finally decided it was time to take the next step. 

Dream Wedding Giveaway: Gary & Kirby

Gary Grahs and I met at a Halloween party circa 2006. Mutual friends had invited us and Halloween is my most treasured holiday. I love to dress up!  During the party, I happened to find Indiana Jones to be quite handsome and charming! And frankly, who can resist Wilma Flintstone? I mean really - she was a hottie, right? :-) Our history was written the moment we met.

Gary was going through a divorce but still full of life and willing to try another hand at love. In a few short months we were dating exclusively and slowly started to weave our lives together.

It's been almost 6 years now since we first met and I can't image myself without him. I was never the "wedding dreaming bride-to-be" type and honestly could have cared less if I ever tied the knot. Until there was Gary - I hadn't ever even considered being a bride. But through ups and downs in our lives we've supported each other and enjoyed all the good times. He's hilarious, and he's romantic, and he's my very best friend.

Gary asked my parents' permission over a dinner of fumbled words and a lot of laughs. He and I each fit into each others lives so well that it was practically a no-brainer that we should make it official and permanent. With their blessing, he set out to find my perfect ring. While I might have ever thought about being a bride, I do LOVE jewelry and had made comments about my perfect ring if I ever had to wear one. So, Gary secretly took my 2 closest friends out to dinner and went ring shopping one night. They found a ring that they all fell in love with saying it was so "Kirby". A couple weeks later he went back to buy it...

Ring in tow, we took a trip to Traverse City just last month. We had planned the trip with my parents a couple months prior and Gary decided that it was going to be the weekend he'd ask me to marry him. On Friday during our wine tour, I kept making comments about how this was "The Best. Day. Ever!" because we weren't working, we were on vacation and I was with my very favorite people. He took a special moment at Black Star Farms to drop down on one knee and ask me. He had attached the ring to my wine glass and we took a walk on the farm. I hadn't even noticed the clinking of it while I sipped from glass and chatted with him and a cute horse on the property. I'm not a very emotional person and I was glad to have my Ray Bans on because he didn't see the tears in my eyes when I actually realized what was happening. It was so romantic and it was perfect for it to be just he and I in that moment. My parents waited patiently up by the Inn and even sent Gary a text that said "Need help?" He didn't need any help at all - because I said "of course" instead of just "yes".

We are in the early stages of planning our wedding now but we LOVE the Gilmore Collection restaurants around town. Gary was very romantic me when we arrived back in Grand Rapids after our weekend in Traverse City, too. He planned for our 3 favorite couples to be at Blue Water Grill for a surprise engagement dinner. It was such a fun way to celebrate with our best friends, who all happen to be married, and it was a total surprise to me! I adore Gary and we are very much looking forward to our wedding day and growing old together.

We actually haven't had our engagement photos taken yet since we just got engaged - but attached is one of my favorite pictures of us. I used to dance for the Rage Dance Team and I took ballroom dance lessons for a couple years. Gary and I love to dance together and this picture was shot at his best friends' wedding by the photographer.  Smiling, holding each other close, and a quick look to the camera while we danced the night away. I love it.

"Life is too short to dance with ugly men..."

Dream Wedding Giveaway: Megan & Jeff

Jeff and I met in the 8th grade, and attended high school together.  He fondly recalls sitting behind me in Physics class and jokes that he should have asked me out then, but we spent those years as friends.  We lost touch during college and both got married to other people.  Time passed, we both began families and then found ourselves single again.  Jeff reached out to me via FaceBook and asked me out for dinner.  We had our first date late last year, rekindled an old friendship, quickly fell in love, and never looked back.  Our common interests, similar background and upbringing, love of family, and goofy senses of humor paved the way for a wonderful relationship.

Jeff and I discussed marriage at length, shopped for rings, and eventually decided on a December engagement.  We planned a trip to Traverse City to visit an aunt, and last Friday afternoon, we headed North.  We decided to stop at Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive on the way, as Jeff had never been there.  As we got closer, Jeff started acting a bit odd, driving erratically, grumbling about 'Having to race the rotation of the Earth in order to catch the sunset'.  I assured him that we could hit the trail the next day, but he insisted we get up there Friday night.  Needless to say, we made it.  We climbed to the top of the very cold, wind-swept dune to see a brilliant autumn sunset breaking through the clouds.  It was there that Jeff surprised me with a proposal on one knee and a gorgeous ring in hand.  I've never been happier and the timing was perfect.

Jeff is truly my best friend, I cannot imagine my life without him.  We've formed a wonderful family together with my children and his, as well as our extended families.  I can't wait to make it 'official', hopefully in June of next year.

Dream Wedding Giveaway: Doug & Christine

Christine and I met online at Match.com. Her bio looked very interesting so I contacted her and she accepted a dinner invitation on Labor Day 2011.  I did not know it at the time but we had met about a year earlier when I took my late wife to the office she was the office manager for. She had scheduled our appointment and had greeted us when we arrived. We sat down for dinner and I asked her if we had met before and she told me about her place of employment.  Then I remembered who she was.  She realized who I was after she got to thinking about my bio before we met.

After a year of dating I asked her to marry me on our 1 year anniversary of meeting.  I could not wait to give her the ring so after breakfast I gave her a card that said "Will you marry me?" Then gave her the ring. She immediately said yes.  The wring is the traditional Sapphire stone of love which is also her birthstone.

Dream Wedding Giveaway: Tara & Zach

Zach and I got engaged the first week of April 2012. We were in Florida  (my first time there) and one night right at sunset he proposed to me on the beach! We actually first met in elementary school and went to school together from kindergarten to senior year.