Hey y’all! My name is Alex and I am marrying my fiancé, Ian on February 26, 2015! I am beyond excited to get the opportunity to blog for Aisle Perfect! It is really hard not to talk about my wedding constantly, so this gives me a good excuse to write about it. The process of planning a wedding is such an amazing time, but things can also get pretty stressful at the same time. I think I can help a lot of people get through the issues they are experiencing by telling my story and giving tips on how to avoid, or deal with some of the harder problems you might encounter.
A little bit about myself – I was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. I love dogs, sunsets, anything seersucker, monograms, working out, the color pink, wine, and anything southern! There is not a day that goes by without me using the word “Y’all.” My fiancé, Ian was raised in Florida and moved to Georgia in High School. He is absolutely everything I could ever want in a future husband and father!
Ian and I met in 2011 at his college, Southern Poly. I needed a tutor for math & one of my friends recommended him to me! The first time I met him, he was playing dodge ball with his fraternity, Sigma Pi and tutored me every time he got out of the game. Lets just say that he was tutoring me more than playing dodge ball. 😉 He told me that he kept getting out because he was staring at a beautiful woman the entire time. Once he said that, I was a goner & fell for him.
After being inseparable for two years, I started leaving pictures of engagement rings up on his phone. I knew that we were going to the beach that June, so I planned on getting primped before leaving thinking that he would propose there & it would be picture perfect! The only “requirements” I gave him for proposing was 1. He had to ask permission from my dad and 2. I wanted the proposal to be a surprise! I knew that would be a challenge because I am one of those nosey people that know absolutely everything, but I was confident that he could pull it off.
The Proposal
On January 26, 2013 I attended my typical hot pilates class that I took every weekend! Ian told me he was going to run a few errands while I was in my class. When I got out, I called him and asked what we were having for dinner. He told me that he was over at my parents house, but he would head home and we could figure it out. On the way home, he called to tell me to start getting ready, he would be home in 5 minutes and we could go out to dinner. I scrambled around throwing on a touch of make up, pulling my hair back in a pony tail and I was trying to find decent clothes when he walked in. He immediately screamed “Oh my gosh, Alex! What happened in here?!” I ran in the room thinking something was extremely wrong & I saw he was kneeling. I had no idea what was going on, or what he said, but I was so shocked that I did not say anything for about 2 minutes. Finally, he asked if I had an answer and I kept repeating “Is this happening?! Is this real?!” and finally I said “Yes!! Of course!” It was the most shocking, unreal experience of my life. It was not what I pictured AT ALL, but he followed all of my requirements! It was definitely a surprise that I did not see coming at all. If I would have known, my hair and nails would have been done and I would probably have amazing pictures of it, but it was everything I could have ever wanted! I later found out that he was planning on proposing at the beach, but he got the ring the same day he proposed and just could not wait! Typical Ian! J
Our engagement taught me an awesome thing – to live in the moment! Although our proposal was not what I originally pictured, it was better than what I imagined, so my advice would be instead of following what other people do, or pushing to get exactly what you think you want, live in the moment and it will all unfold perfectly, at the right time.
We have decided to have a 2-year engagement since we are younger than the “average” bride and groom and waiting is definitely worth it – it is the perfect timing for us! We are getting married at Park Tavern on Piedmont Park in Atlanta, Georgia!!! The perfect venue! We are trying to pull off a romantic, southern preppy, elegant wedding! We want tons of candles, lush, romantic flowers, a few monograms here and there and lots of love and laughter throughout the day!!! I will be going into detail about our decisions later on, but here are a few inspiration pictures to give you an idea of what we want! 😉
Alex T is blogging as part of our new series “#APbrides” . Follow our real life brides on pinterest at pinterest.com/aisleperfect/apbride.
