{Hi...Yeah We're Getting Married: The Proposal}

Happy One Year Anniversary to The Wendels! We are still 100% obsessed with each other and can't believe how fast a year went! Insane! To celebrate our anniversary, we have a full week of wedding themed posts! So get ready to be taken through the whole wedding week, every little detail you will never want to know (get your minds our of the gutters...not those details!) 

Today, I wanted to start off by filling everyone in on how Alex proposed. I'll admit, he way outdid himself! He did an amazing job!!


The Man...

So the proposal happened on November 25, 2009! It was the day before Thanksgiving and I was home for break. Alex had graduated and was working at Wellsfargo and couldn't come home until Thanksgiving day...so I thought! Little did I know, he drove all through the night November 24th (stopping at gas stations to write down what he was going to say when he proposed!) I thought he wouldn't be home until dinner time so I was totally clueless he was even in the area!

Here is he with all of his goodies...they will all be explained soon :)

Precious nervous man of mine! 

The Proposal...

So the day started off with a trip to the spa...yes...you heard that right! I was dropped off by my sister at Sableux (a local spa) and was greeted by my mom and Alex's mom. They told me this was a belated birthday present. I didn't think a thing of it! Little did I know that Alex set this whole thing up! We all got massages, manicures, and pedicures! Pure heaven!

Then I got home to 9 white roses and a sign that said "If you want the next three, you'll have to go to dinner with me. Pick you up at 5!" So, I got ready..kind of freaking out...but really thinking nothing of it! I was just excited he was in town!

He picked me up, and took me to The Levee on the river for a carriage ride! So amazing!

He even had chocolate covered strawberries for me to munch on! Which I didn't...I was too excited! 

The horse and carriage dropped us off at The York Street Cafe, where we had our very first date! When we got there, we were escorted to a table that looked like this! Pictures of us over the years under the glass top table! Yes...it was intense!! 

There were also the final three roses! Look how nervous he looks...poor guy!

The cute little glasses we had our drinks out of!

Dinner! I was starving, and it was so delicious! He said he only ate his steak because he knew if he didn't, I would know!

So remember the horse and carriage dropped us off, so I was thinking "great, we get to walk all the way back to where our car was parked!" Well we got outside and started to walk, and his car was magically there! Pretty amazing! So Alex said "why don't we head back to your house and hang out?" So we did...and this is what we came home to. Not totally un-normal for everyone to be at our house, so I really thought nothing of it!

Before I knew it, I was being handed a gift. I opened it up (in front of our entire family) and it had a scrapbook in it! I started to look and this is what I saw! All of my nieces and nephews (we have two more nieces as of today!) holding signs that said this....

Lelia...

Will... 

You...

Marry...

Alex?

Before I knew it, Alex was saying some more sweet words (neither of us totally remember them haha) and we were engaged! Here are some amazing action pictures... attractive right? 

Can't believe it! Oh and notice my brother on the right hang side who is talking to me nephew because he was saying "Why is Alex making aunt Lelia cry?" He was pretty worried! 

Finally getting to put on that ring! So stunning! I didn't want to have anything to do with picking out the ring...so he was on his own, and he did a GOOD job!

Still obsessed...and shocked!! 

Finally...we are engaged!! 

This picture cracks me up, we have had so many people be confused that we already have a child...this is not our child...it is our niece Elizabeth! 

Everyone who was there for the proposal! So blessed to have a huge and amazing family!!

All of the women in my life and their rings. Top from left to right: my mom, me, Alex's mom. Bottom from left to right: my sister, my sister-in-law. 

The scrapbook maker herself! Thanks Catherine for making this!!

We headed to Alex's parents house next and made it there before his parents...we had a few minutes to relax and soak it all in! We were finally engaged!! 

Then Alex did something ELSE! He gave his mom the book "I Love You So Much"...a book that she used to read to him as a child. Sweet right?

When I got home, there were tons of wedding magazines on my bed from THE man! 

Let the planning begin!! 

The Day After:

So obviously Thanksgiving was the next day! We decided to keep it a secret to and surprise his side of the family the next day at dinner. I wore the ring while everyone was hanging out before dinner and no one noticed! Then when we prayed, Alex announced it! It was like getting engaged all over again!

We were so excited that we really didn't eat any of the chocolate covered strawberries! So on our way back to school, we chowed down and enjoyed them!

Getting Back To School: 

When we got back into Birmingham, my friends were all together at Alex's apartment!

These girls are amazing! We have been best friends since freshman year, and I am so blessed by them!

So I'm not Greek, but all of my friends are! So we decided to do a little white candle! It's a Greek tradition where you get to announce your engagement to your sorority. Everyone passes around a candle and then the person who is engaged will randomly blow it out. Which is then followed by lots of squealing and all that jazz!

Woo hoo!

A little photo shoot!

Adore these girls so, so much!!

So this is our engagement story! It was absolutely perfect for us because our family is EVERYTHING to us! To have that memory of our family surrounding us is priceless!!

For more of our wedding check out the following links...

Getting Ready
The Portraits
The Ceremony
The Reception

So fill me in! I want to hear your engagement stories!! Give me all of the juicy details!!