The week leading up to Jeff's proposal had been my first full week back at school. I have tried time and time again to put the puzzle pieces together to try to figure out some of the big signs that I missed but honestly... much of it is a blur! I do remember Jeff had been working crazy long hours each night. He seemed stressed... not just your everyday averaged stressed... but the kind of stressed that made me ask myself, "When have I ever seen Jeff act so funny?" :)
Oh right, did I also mention that he not only got locked out of his phone because his facial recognition stopped working and he forgot his most recent passcode. Then when he called Apple to resolve the problem, he got locked out of his iCloud account? This was just 48 hours before the big moment; the time in which he was coordinating with the photographer and our family members. Lucky for him, I was distracted by the back-to-school crazies that I gave him all the space he needed to get through these difficult hours.
I always thought I would know when Jeff was going to finally ask because one, we have an extremely difficult time keeping surprises from each other and two, he tends to get super red when he's nervous. Saturday morning came and started off just as any other. Jeff casually mentioned we would be getting brunch with his close friend in Philly and I thought nothing of it! After a long week back, I didn't think twice about spending time doing my hair so I threw it into a pony tail and off we went.
If you don't already know, I am a NYC gal. Jeff will always laugh at this comment because never have I actually lived in the city, I just grew up traveling and visiting my sister there (anytime you hear me say, "the city," I will always be referencing NYC). This definitely worked in Jeff's favor because I didn't notice which way the Uber was taking us so I had zero suspicions as we made our way to Elfreth's Alley. Even when it was smack in front of me- which leads me to our photographer!
Jeff's friend from college is a professional photographer (Nicole Lois Photography) and I've seen her work on Instagram, but never met her in person. While we were in the Uber on the ride over, I looked out the window and thought I saw her. I even asked Jeff, "Wait, isn't that your photographer friend?" Meanwhile, I'm thinking "How cool?! Of all of the places in Philly, we are at the same one!" I'm not even close to thinking, "Oh, she's here for me and this is the big day!" HA! Well jokes on me because there we were, walking down the most beautiful alley I've ever seen! Elfreth's Alley is Philadelphia's oldest alley and hundreds of tourists and locals visit it each day. Somehow during this moment, we had the alley all to ourselves!
Jeff made a joke about Betsy Ross' house that of course gullible me believed in order to position me perfectly in the alley. When Jeff got down on one knee, he had nothing but the most perfect words (and ring :)) that had all my dreams coming true! While this was going on, I still had no idea Nicole was capturing all of these precious moments until I turned around and flashed the biggest smile!
After the magical moment, it took me some time for it to all sink in and stop shaking. I was so surprised and totally not prepared... I would have uhhhh, washed my hair. #keepingitreal Friends and family have pointed out that having my hair up really makes it feel in the moment, more natural and actually better to see all of my facial reactions.
We went to a local park to capture some more pictures. I was so happy that Jeff decided to splurge for the photographer. These will definitely always be some of my favorite pictures of us! Nicole and her husband did an incredible job making us feel so comfortable.
Jeff was a total trooper during our photo session. Normally he hides and practically stomps his feet anytime I ask to take a picture with him (bribing him with ice cream usually does the trick), but he carried on without even one complaint. He wouldn't share the events of the remainder of our itinerary so I have a feeling that he was enjoying the secrecy!
He also did an incredible job exceeding my wildest engagement ring dreams. I stumbled upon a ring on Pinterest that was antique, yet timeless! When I clicked the link, it lead me to nowhere! I had such a difficult time finding a similar setting in stores to try on. I came to find that it had yet to exist in real life! Luckily Jeff had given the picture to a local jeweler and they told him that it could be custom made. Peter from Hamilton Jewelers in Princeton, NJ did such a great job with assuring it would make the both of us very happy. (This is not a sponsored post, just two very happy customers!) He and the rest of the team at Hamilton Jewelers certainly did not disappoint!
After our photo session, we made our way on another secret walk to The Walnut Street Cafe. When we arrived, our families were there with a toast of champagne and brunch to celebrate! It was decorated with beautiful white hydrangeas, engagement napkins with gold foil accents and a tasteful balloon. Exactly my style! ;)
After, our families ended up touring our wedding venue location together. Jeff's sister and brother-in-law who sadly couldn't make it to brunch joined us with yet another surprise just before we toured! Jeff had a good friend of ours make his nephew this ADORABLE shirt. It was seriously the most magical day! I was so lucky to have had the opportunity to have the whole family involved!
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