A big congratulations to Jessica and Wes, the winning couple of our July 2014 drawing to receive $500 off of their A Chair Affair wedding rental! Let’s get to know them.

Where did you meet your fiancé?

I met Wes in our Young Professionals (YP) group at church.  It was our first YP night of the year and Wes had just returned home from a 6-month deployment. My friend and I were talking after the service when Wes walked over to say hello. He caught my attention immediately with his charming personality, however, once I left that night, I did not think much more about it. It wasn’t until a week later that I was invited to a movie night at his house. After much hesitation I decided to go. When I arrived, I could tell instantly that he was interested in me. He was being a real charmer!  🙂 It did not take him long after I left to ask me on our very first date for ice cream. Little did I know that what started out over ice cream would eventually turn into forever!

How did you know he was the one for you?

For starters, he was one of the most caring, forgiving, respectful, funny guys I had ever met. As we continued to date, our friendship and love for one another grew, however, it wasn’t until I went home with him to meet his family that I knew he was the one for me. I was super nervous about meeting his family, mostly because I really liked him and wanted things to go smoothly. I continued to pray that if this was the guy I was supposed to be with for the rest of my life that it would be made very clear that particular weekend. And to my surprise, my prayers were answered! That weekend could not have been more perfect! Not only were my nerves calmed, but also the weekend went as smooth as it could have possibly gone.

What are the things you have in common?

First and foremost, we both love the Lord and always put him first! Beneath that, we both love spending time with our family and friends, traveling, and just spending time together.

How did he propose?

The Plan: 

On Saturday, March 1st, I was going to have brunch with some girlfriends and then spend the rest of the day celebrating my birthday with Wes. During my brunch, Wes was going to complete his check ride so that we could fly to St. Simons Island, GA. Once arriving in St. Simons, we were going to rent bikes and cruise around the island. I could not have been more excited! It was the perfect way to celebrate my birthday and for him to fulfill his promise to take me flying over a year ago!

What Actually Happened:

After an enjoyable brunch, I called Wes to see how his check ride went, but oddly enough, he sounded extremely disappointed. When I asked him what was wrong he said, “I hate to tell you this, but I didn’t finish my check ride due to cloudy weather.”

Hiding my disappointment, I followed up with, “that’s okay babe, let’s just drive.”

It wasn’t far to drive (1.5 hours) and everything else could still go as planned. With that being said, he picked me up at my house and we started our journey to St. Simons. Once we arrived, we rented some bikes and started our 2-mile ride toward the downtown area.

A quick side note: I absolutely love this little town. It has cute shops, great places to eat, a pier, and a view of the beautiful beach at the end of the street. Also, (and this was key for the proposal) Golden Isles Bracelet Company, which for years has been my favorite jewelry shop, is located right in the middle of the strip.

Once we got into the downtown area, we parked the bikes and started our walk through downtown.  We went into a couple of stores and just strolled around, looking at things here and there. As time went on, I could sense that Wes was getting a little antsy, but he played it off well. He mentioned that he had too much coffee that morning and that it was making him a little jittery, so I didn’t think much of it. I also noticed him turn his bag around to the front while we were in one of the stores and I made the comment that his maneuver was smart because I was afraid that he might bump into things. Little did I know that he was doing that to access the ring. He is so sneaky! He was also pushing to make our next stop one of my favorite jewelry stores, so, of course, I was not against it!

The Proposal:

We finally made it to the jewelry store and as I was browsing the jewelry, Wes placed his bag on the ground and leaned over to see what I was looking at, commenting how nice the rings were.

I said, “Yes, those are nice rings, but I’m not interested.”

“Are you sure you don’t like ANY of those rings?” he asked.

“They are nice, but I already have two of them and I am not interested,” I said, a little frustrated.

“Well, if you don’t like any of those rings…what about this one?”

I turned around just in time to see him going down on one knee and opening a box with the most beautiful ring I had ever seen! He then said, “I thank God every day for bringing you into my life. I love you with all my heart and want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you…will you marry me?”

I was so surprised, excited, and in awe of the beautiful ring that I missed everything he said except the most important part–“Will you marry me?” Without hesitation I gasped. “YES! Oh…and can you repeat everything you just said?”

It was the perfect proposal!  I could not have been more surprised and would not have wanted it any other way!

What part of the wedding day are you looking forward to most?

Well, aside from the wedding night, there are two things I am looking forward to most: 1) Wes’ reaction when he sees me walking down the aisle in my dress, and 2) how all the planning and decorating will come together!

What inspired your wedding colors?

My colors revolve around the time of year I am getting married–springtime! So, along with the help of Pinterest and the time of year, I chose white, tan, and aqua bridesmaid’s dresses with a touch of pink in the flowers they’ll carry.