Our Engagement Story

The story of us didn’t start out so romantic, but hey it’s me we’re talking about. Two years ago, one of my best friends was getting married and everyone had flown in to Phoenix. I had been hearing about Christopher from my friend for a long time now. “Marissa you’d love Chris blah blah blah.” I was currently getting out of a relationship and hated all of the male population at the time. I was not in the mood.

The night before their wedding the wedding parties were all hanging out and drinking at their house. My friend’s husband (Chris’s best friend), basically took advantage of my drunken self and told me that if I kissed Christopher he’d give me his camo hat. Seemed like a good deal to me at the time, and I just went up to him and gave him a fantastic drunken kiss.

Which obviously left him wanting more and he probably fell in love with me that day.

At their wedding, I decided I should ignore Chris even when our friends sat us right next to each other at the dining table. Funny guys. But I guess it’s still pretty funny now. And the time when he asked me to dance and I said no. AW BUT I SO REGRET THAT NOW BABE!

Four days later I fell off a cliff and that left me pretty damn single for awhile.

A year after my accident, I was still receiving random photos of Christopher from my friend in Phoenix and that I should date him. Me and my roommate were talking in the kitchen and I was like “she keeps sending me photos of this guy, and he’s so nice but..” And my roommate was like, “dude, why won’t you talk to this guy he sounds perfect. If you don’t then I will.”

Challenge accepted.

I liked how interested he was in me, still persisting me for over a year. Like that can’t change right? Even if I am being a total bitch and ignoring him. I thought it was so cute how long he had liked me. Aw.

I texted him that night. I was planning a visit to Phoenix anyways and thought I would make him aware of that. Then maybe I could get a better feel of things in person now that I felt ready to date again. Needless to say we never stopped texting from that day forward. And here we are.

So on to our engagement story.

It was a Friday, and we had planned the day to stay at the hotel and relax by the pool. It was a comfortable 109 degrees outside. Naturally my sister Amanda and I separated from the crowd for our typical hotel photo shoot. My sister wanted a picture of the both of us and pointed to a row of palm trees to stand by. Christopher started taking pictures and all I hear in the background is some bitch saying she accidentally got in the picture. I turn around to glare obviously, and find one of my very best friends from South Africa running up to me. OMG WHAT I was literally in shock. I start crying and all the parents are taking pictures and I’m like this could only mean one thing.

Mel hands me an envelope to open. Envelope number 1.

“If you are in shock seeing Mel, things are going to plan. Let me start by saying how much I love you…Don’t worry I will expand more on this later. For now though it’s time to get dressed. I’ll let Amanda take over from here.

-CM

PS: You knew I wouldn’t make this easy

So, since it was smoldering outside, somehow I got distracted (shocker) and told Mel and her sister (who so graciously accompanied her), to put on their bathing suits to get in the pool. Or maybe someone told me we had time to swim for a little. Honestly, the entire day was a complete blur once I knew what was going on so I hope the majority of this story is accurate.

Obviously since we are celebrating my premature engagement here we all start to drink. Well except Christopher, who I can tell is so nervous, so I just keep drinking cause I’m getting really awkward at this point. I actually hate when all the attention is on me. All I want to do is sneak away. But I can’t cause I mean, I’m getting engaged.

After Christopher’s dad finished shoving tequila shots down my throat, my sister tells me it’s time to get ready upstairs. The girls go up the hotel room and I throw on a white jumpsuit with white earrings. Casual. Nothing felt real, it had not hit me at all that I was about to get engaged. It all just seemed natural and easy. I knew I was going to marry Christopher before our first date.

We walk outside to the car and I’m surprised by a black Mercedes parked in the valet. Good job Christopher, you know me so well. I received another letter in the car telling me we were headed to the place where we first met. Both of our best friends’ house. We get there and my sister hands me a gift bag with a camo hat in it.

We get back in the car, and I get another letter. Now we’re off to where we had our first date. This super fun virtual shooting lounge that had a full bar and restaurant. It was a really great place for a first date. So back when he picked me up for that date, it was July in Phoenix so it was 200 degrees out. I got into the car and he told me he had gotten me flowers but they had already died in the car LOL.

So on our way to the lounge, my sister gave me alive flowers from him and a note saying to go have fun inside. So we follow directions and start shooting virtual things.

I’m getting antsy now and I’m ready to see Chris. We have a drink and get back in the car. Another envelope. I’m told to head to our new home currently being built, where we will start our lives together. At this time of building, the house had just been painted this God-awful dark brown that I SPECIFICALLY requested not to have. Shout out to D.R. Horton FTW.

We arrive to the house, and it’s still brown. It’s tragic for me to see really, but we get out of the car. My sister hands me a gallon of paint with another letter telling me that today is a day of commitments, and that repainting the house is just the start of them. Heart eyes for him (and my future repainted house).

Getting back into the car I receive another letter. While we were dating we would always play the question game going back and forth to get to know each other better with the long distance. So I open the last letter and it reads:

“I’m not sure if you’ve caught on, but it always seems to be your turn to ask me a question…well now it’s mine”

I’m getting so emotionally excited at this point. I have no clue where we are going next but I’m definitely ready to see him. We start driving through these beautiful red rocks and the sun is starting to set. We park at the Desert Botanical Gardens, a place I had wanted to go for some time, and that also has a million cacti (my newest obsession since I’m going to live in Arizona, duh). As we walk in, I’m greeted by Christopher’s dad who starts to rub chapstick on my ring finger. The guy is nuts I’m telling you. He hands me a card from himself, and then tells me to follow the rose petals along the path.

Next I see Chris’s mom who wrote me a note. It’s all starting to get real at this point, and we both start tearing up. Then I keep walking and I see my mom down the path. And further down I come up to my dad. All giving me their own note for this very moment. It was so special.

Finally I see Christopher smiling at the end of the rose petal trail, with lanterns on either side of the path. I can’t tell you what he said cause I really don’t remember! I was so happy and excited and overwhelmed with the whole day. He did an amazing job – everything was perfect.

We are so excited to finally live in the same state of Arizona and start our lives together! This year has been tough with the distance, but also so easy because of how much we love each other. Cheers to no more meeting halfway in Yuma, and seeing each other for a few days a month! Now it’s time to start wedding planning! Wait, I started that like a year ago. I can’t help my type A self sometimes 🙂