my biggest announcement of ever
Monday, February 7, 2011 at 8:12AM in case you haven't heard the happiest news of my life : I'M ENGAGED! my darling lou proposed on christmas (my favorite day of the year- i have a deep love of xmas music, holiday baking, tree decorating, and presents!) i don't usually get too personal on here, but i kind of want to shout this from the rooftops i'm so over the moon about it! here is a picture of my ring, on the custom marc johns piece that lou had commissioned for me. and a couple pictures of me on xmas morning showing off my new ring ( a rosegold and diamond engagement ring from the late 1800's). my eyes had finally cleared up from all the weeping, but i still look like a bit of a mess- as one should on christmas morning i suppose. i'll write the whole proposal story below, for those that are interested. warning: it's a long one, possibly overly sentimental and too-much information, but i think it's worth the read! (i am also so obviously biased)
as many engagement stories do, this one starts with the ring. lou and i had been talking about getting married and we decided that i should at least try on any rings he was considering (i mean, they're such an investment and i'm SO picky!). lou is very traditional about proposals- something i never really knew until we started talking about it. so he couldn't stand the idea of me knowing which ring he had gotten.
my ring was the first one he emailed me, and i immediately loved it but said i couldn't tell for sure without trying it on. then he sent a bunch more, none of which i cared for. one day he surprised me with a stop at the store that had THE ring. i tried it on and fell immediately, ass-over-teakettle in love with it. we left the store and i was giddy at the thought that someday it might be mine!
two weeks passed and lou told me " babe, i have really bad news. i went back to the store to get your ring and it's gone". i was so bummed, but then secretly thinking that he was probably just trying to trick me. weeks go by and he kept sending me more pictures of rings. i kept telling him no, that i really just loved THE ring and would rather just wait until we found the exact (or very similar) vintage ring somewhere else. i started in on the search. no similar ring to be found (at this point i had very specific desires- a ring from the late 1800's/early 1900's, rose gold, mine cut stones, yellow center diamond, etc). it seemed like an impossible search. i told lou, "i don't even need a ring, i just want to marry you!"
i finally gave up on the idea that he was just trying to trick me after he got {fake} mad at me for telling him that i didn't like any rings except THE ring. i felt bad, bratty and tried even harder to have an open mind about engagement rings. it did not work.
fast forward a couple months (with ring shopping and ring emails in between- and still nothing). lou emailed one of my very favorite artists marc johns and asked him about commissioning a piece of artwork to propose to me with. he didn't get a response. i of course had no idea about this, but three days after lou sent that email i emailed marc asking him what a girl has to do to get one of his pieces (they sell out so fast!). he sent me a sweet & friendly email with advice, complimented my work and made my day. i forwarded it to lou.
lou was shocked that i'd emailed him and that i'd gotten a response and he hadn't. so he copied the emails between me and marc into an email of his own and tried again. marc generally doesn't do commissions but lou persuaded him. marc was familiar with both of our websites/work and lou told him a little more about us and then gave him total creative freedom. the thing i love most about marc's pieces are the humor, his imagination and the whimsy....and his handwriting. i would like to spend a few days inside his mind, seems like such a great place to be! nylon magazine recently called his work "badass whimsy".
marc and lou started a mad rush to get it done by christmas. lou wrote up a list of things he loves about me. marc sent him a rough draft for approval. lou loved it and marc finished it and sent it off to our friends max & margaux's house for wrapping/safekeeping until the day before christmas.
on christmas morning we opened presents (check out that new casio digital watch, eh! i already thought i was the luckiest girl in town). i curled up on the couch when we were done and lou said "hold on, there's one more thing". and he brought out the wrapped piece. as soon as i started taking the paper off and saw the two cameras i started tearing up. i know marc's work, and i knew straight away that this was a custom piece. i couldn't believe that lou had finagled such an amazing christmas present!
as i started reading down the list of things that lou loves about me, i cried harder and harder. i still just thought it was the best present of my life, i had no idea what was coming. i was barely breathing by the time i read "i love the day i realized i want to spend the rest of my life with you" and then "i love that today, i am asking you to be my wife". i am crying just typing this. it was truly the most incredible moment of my life. lou (ever traditional) was down on his knees and pulled THE ring out of his pocket and asked me to marry him. of course i leaped into his arms sobbing and said yes a million times. turns out i'm more than the luckiest girl in town, i'm the luckiest girl on the planet.
marc: thank you. the piece that you created is my most beloved possession (even above THE ring!). i have thanked you via email, twitter, snail mail now this....and still- it will never be enough. a million thank yous.
lou: you are my heart. you make my life full of love, happiness, laughter. you inspire me to be better version of myself while always loving the completely flawed version that i am. you give me everything i have ever wanted and more than i ever dreamed i could have. i am so looking forward to being your wife and to discovering our future together. i love you.
{enough of me sitting at my computer sobbing} i'm feeling kind of like i'm naked on the internet. but there it is, all out there. thanks for reading! xoxo
engagement story, marc johns, personal
Reader Comments (40)
Congratulations!!! What a wonderful story, a wonderful, wonderful gift! I could just cry right along with you! Thanks for sharing - I love your work, it's so neat to get to know you a little bit more as a person!
Congratulations... both THE ring and the art work are truly beautiful, as is your engagement story. Thanks for sharing your joy!
oh my god! that's amazing!!! your ring is absolutely gorgeous, as are you, your fiance, and both of your amazing talents in photography! very happy for you, and I wish you all the best!! Congratulations!!
That is the happiest, sweetest post...congratulations to you both! I can only hope that someday I am as lucky to find someone that makes me that happy. How wonderful and what a beautiful story!!
xoxo Alison
I'm sobbing just reading this. Thank you for sharing and congratulations!
that made ME cry and I don't even know you...so sweet! Congrats!
Sarah - make it stop. This is too wonderful - I want to marry you, the both of you. Wanna move to Utah..? It's totally legal there.. right? (Congratulations, again and again and again) X
Congratulations!! I've been an admirer of your work for a long time and am so excited for you both. Not to mention this is one of the sweetest proposals I have ever read. Custom artwork?! What a beautiful way to tell you how much he loves you.
Okay, so since you were my absolute favorite person throughout my time spent in college, of course I wanted to read about the most amazing event. We both know how tough I am and I told myself, "I'm not going to cry...." I made it all the way to this... "lou: you are my heart. you make my life full of love, happiness, laughter. you inspire me to be better version of myself while always loving the completely flawed version that i am. " and then I gave in. You deserve every bit of it and I am soooo excited for you!
:')
Congratulations Sarah! What exciting news and a wonderful story at that. Can't wait to see the pictures that will follow as you move through the wedding planning process!!
Congrats!!!!! Your ring is gorgeous!!!
love love love love. huge congrats to you and your soon-to-be hubby!!! STUNNING ring.
I loved reading every moment of your wonderful story. Thanks for sharing it with us all! SO incredibly happy for you guys!!
Although I just discovered your blog not but a week ago, this post melted all walls - I can't escape the sweetness of your story, and you both! Simply the warmest and most touching engagement story I've ever read. Warmest congratulations, m'dear! Can't wait to read about your planning next! :)) (And the ring is gorgeous!! Halo of diamonds all the way! :D)
Sarah and Lou, I was honoured to play a small part in your big day! And thanks for the kind words. The ring is beautiful, and Lou did a lovely job selecting a frame for the piece. You guys are awesome.
This is just lovely!!! I couldn't be happier for you two! Thanks for sharing the story!!
xox
C
Beautiful story. And, beautiful ring.
CONGRATULATIONS to you lovely lady, and your beau! I'm crying as I type having just read your blog. You both are an inspiration and illumination of being love and light on the planet - the whole greater than the sum of its parts. Thank you for sharing! Blessings to you both!
Marc Johns work is wonderful, adds even more whimsy to such a great day!