Excited, Giddy, Elated, Joyful, Blissful, yes, these are all words which describe how I have felt since Isaac Mann proposed to me in the most perfect way. I have dreamed of this time in my life and now it was here… I am ENGAGED!!!!!
I wanted to ask my bridesmaids and maid of honor in a special way to be a part of the wedding, so my mom and I put our creative minds together and began to think. It was a little tough deciding the perfect way to ask them as you see so much done these days, and I had some bridesmaids who lived out of state. I knew I wanted it to be the same for each girl but also wanted to make it special to each of them and our friendship. After some time, we came up with the perfect idea.
Macaroons are my favorite cookies and everyone knows that. They were even at my engagement party. I came across a little macaroon jewelry holder and thought this was the perfect gift for them! I bought each girl a ring and put it inside of it. The idea was that now it was my turn to “propose” to them. I wrote on a cute card, each had a different phrase for the personality type of my girl. One said.. “I found my mister but I still need my sister” (for my sister in law) and another “Will you be my bridesmaid? Say Yes, Yes, A Thousand Times Yes” (for my friend who was obsessed with the movie The Pride and Prejudice- If you have watched the movie then you know this famous quote!)
For my friend out of town.. luckily she lived in St. Louis (where Isaac lived) so I shipped him her macaroon and card along with some trinkets from the engagement day (that she missed). I had him deliver it to her front porch, knock on the door, and run. He left me on his phone on a FaceTime call so I could see her reaction when she opened the door. It was priceless! Every other girl that lived local I surprised them in a random place they would never expect to see me, and each had their own personal phrase of asking “Will you be my bridesmaid?”.
My first idea was to have a bridesmaid picnic where I would invite them all to come to it and ask them to be a part of my big day, but I couldn’t because not everyone lived in Alabama. (Me and Isaac’s first date was a picnic in Fairhope, AL… I’m all about a theme!) Since I couldn’t do it for everyone, I decided that I would do it just for my maid of honor so no one would feel left out. Unfortunately, the day I planned to do it was a rainy day so I had to improvise and make it an INDOOR PICNIC! My maid of honor was at school when she received her first clue… Not only would she be getting a picnic at the end, she was being sent on a scavenger hunt too. The final destination would be at my house.
When she arrived at the front door, her final clue was sitting on the porch. When she opened the door she walked down the hallway and on the floor were rose petals along with tiles I had written on which said “Will you hold my dress when I pee?” and “Will you be a shoulder to cry on when I freak out?”.
She rounded the corner and I was sitting on a pillow at a table with cookies, chocolate covered strawberries (her favorite), sparkling grape juice.. You name it! The pictures speak louder than words. Of course she said yes. She got a macaroon jewelry holder just like all of the other bridesmaids did!
The fact everyone was so surprised made this part of the journey the most fun. I can still remember my friend Elizabeth’s face when I was standing in her cousins house (Yes, her cousin is the one and only Mrs. Jessie Parnell, author of the Wedding Planning Guide which mom and I were using to plan my special day). When Elizabeth arrived at her cousins house, she thought she was coming to see the new baby who was born only a few short weeks before. She walked in and headed towards the nursery. When she opened the nursery door, I was down on one knee and she had no clue what was going on. She was freaking out because it slipped her mind that Jessie and I knew each other. Catching my girls off guard and making their day was such a fun experience.
I will forever cherish the memories I have of this time. Each girl had their own color macaroon, their own phrased card, and their own surprise visit. Each relationship I have is very unique and different. I love my girls and I love how each one has a personality of their own. I could’ve easily done the same thing for everyone, but I think it meant more to them that I went the extra mile to make them feel special… After all they are the ones serving you on the biggest day of your life!!
Naomi’s Advice:
Just be true to who you are. The internet has a lot of ideas but sometimes you can come up with better ones! Be original and make your bridesmaids feel extra special. You don’t have to spend tons of money on your “proposal”.. It’s the thought that counts!!
Photography Provided By: Naomi Lopes Mann