Soooo remember when I thought I was going to Nantucket this weekend? Turns out, Neal had different plans. Long story short…
WE’RE ENGAGED!!!!
I, in fact, was never going to Nantucket. Kelly and Neal fabricated the entire trip months ago, planting so many believable seeds along the way that I never suspected a thing. Completely without my knowledge, he had bought the ring at Christmas, and has been planning out this entire weekend with my best friends for months.
Awhile back, Neal asked me if I was free this Friday to go to lunch at the Waldorf Astoria hotel (my favorite hotel, and one of my favorite spots in the city) to meet one of his very important clients and his wife for lunch.
Friday morning, we were laying in bed, and he asked what I had left to do before I went to Nantucket on Saturday morning. I rattled off a few deadlines, and also looked at my nails and said, “do you think I should get them done before your client lunch? I don’t want your client’s wife to think I’m a hooker with chipped nails!”
Neal shrugged, “yeah, you’re right. They look pretty bad.”
So that was that, and I (THANK GOD) got them done before I hopped in an Uber to the Waldorf. Neal reiterated about 10 times that he really really wanted me to be on time and that if this lunch went well, it could be a really big deal for him business-wise. (I did not want to mess that up!) I also happened to select a white lace dress to wear that day. What are the odds?
I was on my way to be THREE minutes early (basically like 20 minutes early in Jess time), and he called me asking where I was–intentionally–to make me mad.
(“I’M EARLY! GET OFF ME!”)
He then told me to just have the Uber drop me off before getting to the circle drive, because “it was a mess–there were cars everywhere so to avoid a traffic jam I should just get out, and he’d meet me in the courtyard.”
I pulled up, and got out before the circle drive as instructed. There wasn’t a car in sight, but there he was, standing in the middle of the courtyard.
I then said, “What are you doing? You look like The Bachelor right now! Why are you standing there like that?”
And he told me, “because we’re not meeting anyone here for lunch. I brought you here because this is your favorite place in the city.”
“….okay…..”
“And you’re my favorite person in the whole world…”
OH SNAP.
Then I dropped my purse. Literally just dropped it on the ground.
The next thing I know, he’s down on one knee, slipping this absolutely perfect diamond ring on my finger.
I then notice photos snapping around us–and saw that he had hired one of my favorite photographers of all time, Kina Wicks, to be there to capture the whole moment.
(ARE YOU SERIOUS!?)
As if that weren’t enough, we were then handed two glasses of champagne compliments of the Waldorf Astoria, as we just stood there, me crying and asking “WHAT?!” over and over. (Apparently he and Kina had done a walk through at the Waldorf the day before, working with the staff to ensure everything went off perfectly without a hitch.)
Then, he says, “Also, you’re not going to Nantucket. That was all just a cover up. We’re leaving for Charleston in two hours.”
OH. MY. GOD.
We hopped in an Uber back to our apartment, I threw my “Nantucket” aka “Charleston” clothes in a suitcase, and before I knew it, we were in a car sipping champagne on the way to the airport.
We decided to hold off announcing publicly until, well, right now! We wanted the weekend to just be focused on the two of us, with our phones away, being in the moment, and soaking up as much as we could.
It was truly the best weekend of my entire life.
OH MY GOD YOU GUYS. I HAVE A FIANCÉ.
That’s all for now, I’m still working on being able to form complete sentences. Scroll down to see my favorite shots that Kina sneakily snapped of the big moment. I’m ugly crying in literally all of them. Please go follow her on Instagram, because she’s incredible.
And to my fiancé, Neal, I truly don’t know what I did to deserve you. I think I must have saved a ton of babies in a previous life. You are the best part of my day, every day. I can’t believe you are (officially) mine.
