Brooke – I awoke on this normal Sunday morning ready to go celebrate and worship Jesus at my local church. As I was getting ready for church, my phone rang and my beloved Jonathan was on the other end. This was nothing out of the ordinary as he calls me often just to say hello. He said he was loading his car with golf clubs because he was going to play golf with my brother-in-law after church. Jonathan runs cameras at our church so I didn’t see him much when I got to church. We had a great church service and then afterwards I went to lunch with parents while he played “golf”; I had NO clue what the day was about to hold. At the end of lunch, my parents pulled out a hand written letter from Jonathan and they said he asked them to read it to me. At this point, I started crying, feeling so excited. I could not believe what was happening. They told me go outside the restaurant where I would find another person to pick me up. I hugged my parents and then found my way outside the restraint where another family member was waiting for me. Jonathan designed for seven of my family and friends to read me a handwritten letter from him about different events in our relationship. I was then taken to several different locations- lunch, getting my nails done, the park and bike riding where I got to spend time with each of these close friends and family. I loved getting to share my excitement throughout the day with the ones who are so special to me.
Jonathan – I did not sleep much that night knowing the big day was right around the corner. Waking up that morning I just knew that something would happen and we would have some kind of hiccup. About a month prior to the engagement I start talking to Brooke’s friends and only telling the people who would be apart of it. I told them exactly what they would be doing and how the day would go. I typed an itinerary for everyone involved, that way everyone knew exactly what they were doing at exactly the right time. It was now time for the plan to unfold and I could hardly wait to ask this amazing woman God placed in my life to be “my wife”. I had to run cameras at church that morning and was counting down the minutes until her parents were out front to pick her up so the day could finally begin. As soon as her parents left, it was time for the plan to begin. Brooke thought I was heading to play golf….little did she know what I was really up to.
Brooke – The anticipation was mounting as each new family or friend picked me up and shared a new letter with me. What was God doing? Was He making my dreams become a reality? When would I get to see Jonathan? By the end of the day, I was SO ready to see him. One of the final stops was back at my parents house where Jonathan had my mom to pick out 3 white dresses for me to choose from. One of my best friends was waiting at my house to help me get ready. After many stops during the day and creating great memories with my family and friends, I finally was lead to my last stop and it happened to be at one of my all time favorite places; Camp Grace. My heart was so full of peace and excitement because I knew the moment I had been waiting for was about to happen.
Jonathan – I went to Win-Dixie to pick up last-minute items for the party that night, and Brooke’s mom met me back at the church to help me set up the cakes. At the church I was keeping contact with each of her friends keeping track of whom she was with and being dropped off and picked up. Once I knew she was with Jacque, I went to her sister’s house to get ready. Her brother-in-law and I picked up a pizza for lunch (not that I ate any of it being so nervous). Once I was finally ready and knew Brooke was on her way home, we had an amazing moment that I will never forget at her sister’s house. Her sister, brother-in-law, and niece and nephew surrounded me on the floor in the living room, and we entered a time of prayer. I left her sister’s house and headed to Camp Grace to set up the flowers and lights and make sure everything was perfect. I knew it was getting close to Brooke being there and I was so excited to see her brother-in-laws truck pull up. My heart was racing so fast. God was bringing my deepest desires to pass with this amazing gift and seeing her get out of the truck with our favorite songs playing was amazing. I had the last letter for Brooke and even though it was a struggle to keep back my tears of joy, I got through it. After the letter I got down on one knee, looked in her eyes, and “Brooke Ashley Hughes, will you marry me?”
Brooke – For this last part of the journey, I was blindfolded and my brother-in-law drove me to what would be the last stop for me being Brooke Ashley Hughes and the first stop to me becoming Brooke Ashley Wallace. When my blindfold was taken off and I saw him standing there with roses and lights in the trees, I was overwhelmed with joy. He read me the sweetest letter of his love for me and promises for our future. After he read me his letter and proposed, we danced until it turned dark. It was at this time that it hit me, all my dreams actually just became a reality. Over the past 5 years, I went to several different events at Camp Grace and it was such a special place for me as I have so much history with spending time with Jesus here. Jonathan is from NC so he has never even been there. It was amazing that God led Jonathan to choose this location and it was truly a fulfillment of many promises which from God. Jonathan planned a surprise party at our church so after spending some amazing time together, we were off to go share the news. It was a blast getting to celebrate with all our friends and family. I could barely sleep that night, as I kept waking up feeling my hand to make sure my ring was still there and that it wasn’t just a dream but an actual reality. 🙂
Jonathan – I do not think there is a single thing I would change, but if I had to change something I might change the party following the engagement. I know Brooke and I wanted to see and tell all of our friends and family, but we were both exhausted after the long day, so I may have made the party a little shorter. Overall, the day went perfectly planned and everyone was so good with their time management and made it so special for Brooke. We had an amazing time getting to tell everyone the big news and celebrate with our closest friends, and all of Brooke’s friends and family did an amazing job helping and keeping a huge secret! I could not have done it without them! It was a perfect day!
Brooke – I was so impressed and felt so special by how much thought and planning Jonathan put into the day. The letters contained some of my favorite scriptures that meant so much to me. He put so much into each romantic letter that took me back to some of the most significant moments in our relationship. I truly felt that his pursuit mirrored the way Jesus pursues me as His bride. I am excited to see God’s plan for our lives unfold and look forward with much excitement and joy at the day I will become,
Mrs. Jonathan Wallace.
Our Journey Continues…
Brooke Hughes and Jonathan Wallace
Photography provided by Emily Bass Photography